Do You Prefer iOS 7 Looks Over Previous iOS Versions?

[pagansoul]

I myself like the lime green, my girlfriend just brought the yellow. I'm sure they will sell plenty of them even with the current selection of colors. I have an iPhone 5 so will not purchase a new phone this year.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Faterson

I don't find this to be a user age issue. To me, the flat fad -- with light-coloured, ultra-thin fonts on blindingly all-white, or insufferably dull all-grey backgrounds -- is just horrible design: regardless of whether a user is 80 or 8 years old.

I don't think he is talking about the "flat" UI but the typography... font size, weight, family and contrast makes a big difference in readability. This is definatly a down side to iOS, you can't zoom many screens or adjust the font. iOS 7 at least does add a font size adjustment in settings now... but not all apps will be affected... only apps with text that "flows"... I assume there is are certain native controls that will be affect by that setting.

BOb

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I don't think he is talking about the "flat" UI but the typography... font size, weight, family and contrast makes a big difference in readability. This is definatly a down side to iOS, you can't zoom many screens or adjust the font. iOS 7 at least does add a font size adjustment in settings now... but not all apps will be affected... only apps with text that "flows"... I assume there is are certain native controls that will be affect by that setting.

BOb

Yes, exactly. I was talking specifically about thin, light colored fonts replacing what had been easy to see buttons in the UI. The flat UI is not a visual issue with me but the text used in place of buttons is. Thin, light colored text on white backgrounds is difficult to see. A few apps have dark backgrounds and the text is a bit easier to see, but it now looks like Android in places. Puke!

[Faterson]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I don't think he is talking about the "flat" UI but the typography...

If you replace visually obvious buttons with text that does not make it obvious if it is "tappable" or not, then it's very much also an issue of the flat fad. Naturally, the issue gets even more complicated when that text employs ultra-thin, light-coloured fonts on light backgrounds.

I think iOS 7 is imitating / looks more like Windows 8 than Android. Android 4.3 looks more like iOS 6 than iOS 7 does. Although I'm hearing rumours that the flat virus might also infect Android 4.4 KitKat!

When it's a fad, it's a fad. I'm afraid this is, for 2013, a very old-fashioned approach to software design: imposing one's own (Jony Ive's) personal visual preferences on all iOS 7 users. There should have been an easy button in iOS 7 settings that would have reverted the user to iOS 6-style looks while preserving all newly added iOS 7 functionality (not that there is much to speak of).

[jersysman]

I do not particularly like the look of it on my iPhone 4S, but I love the functionality. It feels to me as if everything is a little bit faster. The look even kind of grows on you after a while. So, for me, there is no answer on the poll that fits me.

[Faterson]

I'd say your reaction might fit under option 3, "acceptable evolution". (You are saying it's "growing on you").

No question about it: I still prefer my iPad 3 with ugly iOS 7 on it over the new Nexus 7 with the much nicer Android 4.3 on it. For one thing, Apple's screen seems livelier, despite a lower nominal ppi. I suppose the same will be true once the iPad mini Retina is released (doubtful if this year or not).

The new iOS 7 Block Caller feature is buggy. I just received a call from a telemarketer I had previously set to be "blocked". This call should not have even been noticeable on the iPhone, much less caused the iPhone to ring.

Apple Support article on how to block callers

[FlorenceArt]

My first reaction was shock and horror, my home screen looked ugly. I had to change the background image to a very simple one, both for aesthetics and readability. But I'm getting used to it.

The main problem right now (from an aesthetic point of view anyway) is that some apps still have old look icons, and the overall effect is not very pleasing. But I suppose most developers will change their icons to fit the new look, at least those who care, and I usually buy apps from those, because if an app or its icon are ugly, I just won't use it.

[Faterson]

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

some apps still have old look icons

Thank heavens! I hope they will stick to them.

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

if an app or its icon are ugly, I just won't use it.

Right... I guess that's partly why I don't use Apple's default apps -- they are notoriously lame, but at least their icons used to be tolerable until recently. Now they are lame and sporting ugly icons and blindingly white or maddeningly grey inside -- still more reasons not to touch them.

To me, seeing the "new style", flat icon serves as a good warning: "Beware! The flat fad! The flat virus! Do not touch!" I mercilessly banish the "new ugly" style icons from the home screens of my iDevices.

[sun surfer]

I quite like the new ios, but honestly I'm fine with either, so I chose the last option.

I love the new parallax or whatever it is. I didn't realise it at first, and then I was using my mini and thinking "how odd, the picture almost looks as if it's moving!" And then testing it myself lol, looking closely while moving the mini around, to affirm it is indeed moving.

I think the new passcode screen is much nicer. I like the icons, I like the more minimal look of Safari. I love the combined address/search line at the top of Safari now, and bookmarks are handled much better now. I really love that iBooks now includes many dictionaries to choose from.

I also read an article where consumer research showed that ios7 rated a better user experience (73.25 out of 100) than ios6 (70), Samsung Android (57.25), Blackberry 10 (56.37) and Windows Phone 8 (47.25), based on cognitive load, efficiency, customisation and user-experience friction. You can see the article here while the research findings pdf is here.

I'm sure there're some bad things with any interface but I'm fine with ios7 and I like it, and it seems plenty of others do too.

[Faterson]

I don't really trust such research findings myself; they are by necessity biased, depending on the criteria one sets for such an evaluation.

I'm noticing that Elegance is not on the list of those guys' criteria -- and how could it be, being a purely subjective value? I just find iOS 7's flat look ugly, and there's hardly a way to quantify ugliness, is there?

Also, I find it perplexing the research findings apparently do not mention at all the thing that seems to generate most complaints about iOS 7: the use of ultra-thin, light-coloured fonts on blindingly all-white or dull all-grey backgrounds. A similar issue is replacing visually clear buttons with simple text that does not look like a tappable button at all. I would expect such fundamental issues at least to be mentioned in the "user friction" section, but they are not. To me, those are all big-time user interface and usability failures.

From among the 4 criteria they do use, customisation is the most important for me. In this criterion, they give Android the highest mark -- however, it seems absurd to me to say that Android gets 7 out of 10 points for customisation, while iOS 7 gets 6 points out of 10 -- only 1 point fewer. Due to the completely locked-down nature of iOS, the real ratio must be something like 4 to 8.

Finally, please note that the research specifically dealt with Samsung's flavour of Android, and Samsung is known for putting lots of bloatware (and a complete TouchWiz overlay) on their devices. The ratings would need to be corrected for "pure" Android such as that (in version 4.3) on my 2013 Nexus 7; a good number of the issues mentioned in the PDF report do not exist in that version of Android.

[Faterson]

From:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-t...ml#post7684083

[Jessica Lares]

You just have to pair it with the right background.

[FlorenceArt]

The thing that I am not getting used to, in fact it's becoming more annoying as time goes by, is the animations when opening and closing a folder or an app. I swear sometimes these almost make me feel seasick.

[Faterson]

Originally Posted by Jessica Lares

You just have to pair it with the right background.

Sorry, still looks garish to me. And once again, they have it "ass backwards": adjusting your work environment to the tablet? Seriously??? I thought it was meant to be the other way round: that whatever tool we purchase, should be able to fit into our existing work environment. Either by default, or by the users customising the tool -- yet, unlike in Mac OS, iOS does not allow you to swap the hideous iOS 7 icons for icons you would prefer to see. No widgets are allowed in iOS, either, and so you're stuck with the ugliness of the home screens. Although I tried to push as many of the "flat fad" icons away from my main screens as was possible.

(The same "upside down" strategy is suggested when users are told, "Throw away your favourite wallpaper, please! Choose a wallpaper that will match Apple's new icons better!")

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

I swear sometimes these almost make me feel seasick.

A common complaint these days. (Not bothersome to me personally.)