Who else is ready for an iPhone UI overhaul?
So, I should begin by saying that I love my original iPhone, and have had it since a little after launch in 2007. (Although I may get a 3GS soon, as I crave some speed).
So while I love the iPhone OS, I can't help but crave something new from Apple. When the iPhone came out, it was light years ahead of everything else. This of course forced the competition to try to come up with something to match the iPhone, and so the Palm Pre and HTC Hero were born. Both of these appear to have really well designed UI, but I still think that the iPhone OS is better overall. But the gap is defintely getting smaller.
This basically leaves me wanting something new, that again blows everyone else out of the water. I want Apple to integrate some new ideas into the UI. Initially I was thinking they could use ideas fro stacks in OS X, but it just hit me that it would be even better to base the new UI on dashboard in OS X. Basically, after turning the phone on you just see a cool background screen, with the date & time, maybe a few small indicator icons at the top (carrier, battery, network, etc. But from there have no application icons. Just very minimal. But, then just like triggering dashboard, your app icons appear. They of course could give it a sweet animation as it pops into view, maybe the rippling water animation. Once the apps are in view they could have you swipe sideways to access your multiple pages of icons, and then another swipe to move it all out of view again.
Seems like this would be a very natural progression to me.
What do you all think? And, are you happy with where the UI is now, or do you also want something new?
So while I love the iPhone OS, I can't help but crave something new from Apple. When the iPhone came out, it was light years ahead of everything else. This of course forced the competition to try to come up with something to match the iPhone, and so the Palm Pre and HTC Hero were born. Both of these appear to have really well designed UI, but I still think that the iPhone OS is better overall. But the gap is defintely getting smaller.
This basically leaves me wanting something new, that again blows everyone else out of the water. I want Apple to integrate some new ideas into the UI. Initially I was thinking they could use ideas fro stacks in OS X, but it just hit me that it would be even better to base the new UI on dashboard in OS X. Basically, after turning the phone on you just see a cool background screen, with the date & time, maybe a few small indicator icons at the top (carrier, battery, network, etc. But from there have no application icons. Just very minimal. But, then just like triggering dashboard, your app icons appear. They of course could give it a sweet animation as it pops into view, maybe the rippling water animation. Once the apps are in view they could have you swipe sideways to access your multiple pages of icons, and then another swipe to move it all out of view again.
Seems like this would be a very natural progression to me.
What do you all think? And, are you happy with where the UI is now, or do you also want something new?
Comments
One thing that annoys me is how it switches from black on white to white on black.. How the title bar is gray with colored icons sometimes and other times black with white icons.
I want it to be more consistent.
A new home/notifications screen, with the ability to set it as the default. Time, date, and some kind notifications list. Maybe a weather widget or stock ticker. Or make it customizable.
Keep the primary app dock at the bottom. Make it accessible from any apps page with a downward flick (putting it "above" the apps page in the same way the search page is to "the left").
I think that a notifications page could be combined with some kind of rethinking/enhancement of in-app notifications in general. Other phones have far less intrusive ways of achieving the same ends, with notifications that are more gracefully dismissible.
The iPhone, as it stands, forces you to stop and deal with a pop-up notification or, if you dismiss, lose the "new" tag on the relevant info. I don't think that scales well at all, and there appear to be a whole lot of apps that want to use notifications.
After one week, I think the weakest area of the UI is app switching. The current design looks primarily based on the 20 apps that Apple was designing for iPhone OS X 1.0, even for 30 or 40 apps and bookmarks for iPhone OS X 2.0.
What I think they underestimated was the number of 3rd party apps and the willingness of people to put apps onto the iPhone. I probably have 70 to 80 apps on my MBP, and finding and starting apps on Mac OS X is actually pretty good with stacks because it has large hit targets, but I find it a little cumbersome still.
With 3 or 4 full pages of apps on the iPhone, finding the app you want is hard and you need a very good memory to quickly go to the one you want, especially since it auto-arranges. So, I would like an option to preserve spatial positioning on the apps. Then some sort of way to view most recently used applications.
For multitasking UI, I think a 3 finger swipe down to bring up expose (Leopard is 4 finger) and a 3 finger swipe left/right to switch running apps will solve it just as well if not better than the Pre's implementation.
For summary of notifications, you can add another page to the left of the search page.
Sure thing.. The UI can use some refinements..
One thing that annoys me is how it switches from black on white to white on black.. How the title bar is gray with colored icons sometimes and other times black with white icons.
I want it to be more consistent.
No, no... things aren't inconsistent because they can come in more than one colour!
It would be inconsistent if they behaved differently for no good reason. But visual variety is helpful: it's a good context cue for remembering where you are in the UI, and it's just more aesthetically pleasing.
been incredibly inconsistent while at work. Not only will I lose my 3G network regularly, but there
are times when I'll lose the Edge network as well. I spoke to some AT&T reps & they have no idea
when AT&T will be upgrading the network in Milwaukee to the 850mhz standard. And I don't know
if I'm going crazy but I'll use the Airport Mode switch to try to regain the 3G signal & when I'm not
physically holding my iPhone, I can reestablish the 3G more often than when I'm holding my iPhone.
It's just weird.
I'd rather have an AT&T overhaul. Since I purchased the 3GS iPhone AT&T's 3G network has
been incredibly inconsistent while at work. Not only will I lose my 3G network regularly, but there
are times when I'll lose the Edge network as well. I spoke to some AT&T reps & they have no idea
when AT&T will be upgrading the network in Milwaukee to the 850mhz standard. And I don't know
if I'm going crazy but I'll use the Airport Mode switch to try to regain the 3G signal & when I'm not
physically holding my iPhone, I can reestablish the 3G more often than when I'm holding my iPhone.
It's just weird.
How about when you push the one button it has, it is a Send button (dials last number). Press while in call and it is an End button. (by default, changeable by Preference).
That would be HUGE. Anyone else dig it?
I feel like the iPhone is a very mediocre phone. Sure it's a MacBook in your pocket. I'm almost thinking I might wait another six months to see if they refine the phone interface a bit. Anyone think there's any chance they'll make that one button a Send/End call button?
How about when you push the one button it has, it is a Send button (dials last number). Press while in call and it is an End button. (by default, changeable by Preference).
That would be HUGE. Anyone else dig it?
I feel like the iPhone is a very mediocre phone. Sure it's a MacBook in your pocket. I'm almost thinking I might wait another six months to see if they refine the phone interface a bit. Anyone think there's any chance they'll make that one button a Send/End call button?
I don't think it is mediocre, at all. It may not be the best "phone" out there, but it is the best pocket sized computer. The phone still rates pretty high in my book.
As for making the home button a send/end call button? That is a bizarre leap in a weird direction. Nothing even remotely like this has crossed my mind...and I don't think Apple would ever do this. I could be wrong, but...I don't think so.
While my first choice is still to see a new Apple designed UI for the iPhone (possibly similar to what I describe above), I realize that this might take Apple awhile to design and evolve the OS into. In the mean time I have found a good first step that would satisfy my need for something new.
In researching ideas to customize my iPhone, just found some interesting mock-up photos of possible background screens for the home screen. Instead of the boring basic black background, these themes are tiger and leopard inspired home screens. I think this would be really cool. I also found some jailbreaking tips for changing this and using custom themes. Now, I'm not interested at all in jailbreaking. But I do want something new. So, I think Apple should design some new themes built into the OS, that people can use. Also these could be easily made and shared so we can customize as we see fit. Here are some links...
Tiger:
http://www.i-marco.nl/weblog/archive...ful_ipod__ipho
Leopard: for this next link, you need to scroll down about halfway down the page
http://www.everythingicafe.com/forum...een-22602.html
Both of these look really cool.
Apple, if you are listening, Themes are what people want
As for what I do want, I am just looking for something new. I want Apple to develop the next evolution of the iPhone interface. Since this will likely take a year or two to complete, then in the short term I would like Apple to develop and offer different customizable visual themes as part of the iPhone software. Eventually users should gain the ability to easily make their own themes and use them or share them with others, similar to wallpaper that you can download from any number if sites for your Mac or PC. I shouldn't have to void my warranty or hack or jailbreak my phone in order to customize the home screen background.
Now if there was a real useful reason to improve the interface - then YES. But change for the sake of change is just bad change.
There are areas of the iPhone UI that need an overhaul: Springboard and lock screen with alerts, notifications, etc. are the two main ones.
The problem is - a constant revolution simply upsets the user base. Why bother sticking with the iPhone if it constantly changes the UI? Why bother writing software for a platform where we have to spend time rewritng our interfaces to match the new iPhone interface instead of making the app better in other areas?
Now if there was a real useful reason to improve the interface - then YES. But change for the sake of change is just bad change.
There are areas of the iPhone UI that need an overhaul: Springboard and lock screen with alerts, notifications, etc. are the two main ones.
+1! Thanks for that. I guess we'll probably see it in 5.0 though..
The problem is - a constant revolution simply upsets the user base. Why bother sticking with the iPhone if it constantly changes the UI? Why bother writing software for a platform where we have to spend time rewritng our interfaces to match the new iPhone interface instead of making the app better in other areas?
The apps that do look like the main OS are probably using standardized elements, which can change automatically with a new look. The apps that don't look like the main OS don't need to do anything, it was different before, it can still be different.
I think a complete redo on every generation is clearly too much, but it seems that more could have changed more of the look with OS 3.0 than they did.
Now if there was a real useful reason to improve the interface - then YES. But change for the sake of change is just bad change.
Apple sometimes makes changes for the sake of change, not to improve the usability, at least it seems to. I think the translucent menu bar in Leopard hurts usability. I don't see now the slightly semi-translucent drop-down menus are supposed to be a useful change.
The apps that do look like the main OS are probably using standardized elements, which can change automatically with a new look. The apps that don't look like the main OS don't need to do anything, it was different before, it can still be different.
I think a complete redo on every generation is clearly too much, but it seems that more could have changed more of the look with OS 3.0 than they did.
Apple sometimes makes changes for the sake of change, not to improve the usability, at least it seems to. I think the translucent menu bar in Leopard hurts usability. I don't see now the slightly semi-translucent drop-down menus are supposed to be a useful change.
It's change that people wanna see that won't make the OS look bored.
I don't think it is mediocre, at all. It may not be the best "phone" out there, but it is the best pocket sized computer. The phone still rates pretty high in my book.
As for making the home button a send/end call button? That is a bizarre leap in a weird direction. Nothing even remotely like this has crossed my mind...and I don't think Apple would ever do this. I could be wrong, but...I don't think so.
It's the best mini-Mac! ( they should call this the mac mini )
The problem is - a constant revolution simply upsets the user base. Why bother sticking with the iPhone if it constantly changes the UI? Why bother writing software for a platform where we have to spend time rewritng our interfaces to match the new iPhone interface instead of making the app better in other areas?
Now if there was a real useful reason to improve the interface - then YES. But change for the sake of change is just bad change.
There are areas of the iPhone UI that need an overhaul: Springboard and lock screen with alerts, notifications, etc. are the two main ones.
I am definitely not wanting constant change. But I do want changes sometimes. I agree that I usually want the change to make sense and have a useful purpose...but sometimes I do want change just for the sake of change.
In 1995 I bought my first Mac, a Performa 6300CD. It was very cool, and kindof expensive (even with my student discount) but I loved the computer. Of course it was running system 7, which was mostly grayscale, and a 2D interface. For those of you unfamiliar with Aaron, it was a plugin/extension that a developer came out with that you could install and it would visually mimic the OS changes Apple was reportedly working on with Copland. In any case, when I first began using Aaron, the OS felt like it jumped into the future by 5 years. The plugin didn't add any performance or utility, only a visual change. It made things more 3D on screen, including the multi-colored Apple menu, which with Aaron became a 3D apple protruding from the screen.
It was just a very welcome change. It was only only aesthetic, but it made a huge difference for me. So, if Apple doesn't want to overhaul the UI, I can understand waiting a bit, making sure it is ready for primetime. In the meantime though, I think they could easliy implement themes so we can customize as we see fit, without having to jailbreak.
I just want my phone to represent my personality.