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What do you think about the big-font header in iOS 11?

6 years ago from

Screenshot

I like most of the changes in iOS 11, but the new big-font header is something I can't get used to. It feels weird for several reasons:

1) It's really huge and only tells me what I already know => When I open the settings, I'm in the settings. When I navigate to a tab, I'm in the tab I clicked at. I know that. It's not necessary to show it to me in this size.

2) Something Apple hopefully fixes: Implementation, animation and behavior of the header feels different across apps.

3) When there's no navigation in the header (see screenshot), there's just the headline with a huge padding at the top which makes even less sense.

What do you think about the big-font header in iOS 11?

30 comments

  • Emily Hall, 6 years ago

    I think it looks nice but they're all different sizes in different apps. You've really got to look at it though. I saw an article on it the other day as well. I think the lack consistency really lets it down but it does have a nice feel to it. I think iOS 11 could be a good update for apple.

    You can read the article I read about it here: https://hackernoon.com/dive-into-the-details-of-ios-11-is-apple-still-detail-oriented-fe70af065a7d

    8 points
    • Liv Ang, 6 years ago

      I not sure what you used before...but it's ugly as fk the new huge titles!

      0 points
      • Emily Hall, 6 years ago

        It really doesn't bother me all that much - I use apple music a lot and it's had the big titles in the Music app for ages so I'm kinda used to it. I think the only one I don't like it on is the e-mails.

        1 point
  • Maciej JurczakMaciej Jurczak, 6 years ago

    I don't like it, because they leave too much of free space above. I think they made it that way especially for iPhone X.

    6 points
  • Yogesh Bhusara, 6 years ago

    I think it's unnecessary ... Don't need such big header to remind me where i am :|

    5 points
  • Parvez SParvez S, 6 years ago

    I don't like it at all. Feels so off to me.

    5 points
  • Mitch Popilchak, 6 years ago

    What a ridiculous waste of space! I know where I am when I open messages, why write MESSAGES across the top; and why so big?

    Did the UI/UX team go on holidays or are they senior citizens that need the large font size?

    It's not clean at all and is big and cludgy. A total fail on Apples side.

    4 points
  • John PJohn P, 6 years ago

    Inbox

    No shit Apple....

    3 points
  • T K, almost 6 years ago

    It’s just plain stupid and takes up way too much of the screen. I’m visually impaired and use the setting in accessibility for slightly larger font than usual, so imagine how big my headers have gotten. I am fitting less on the screen at a time with the larger font as it is and now I have these ridiculous headers taking up half the screen space. Horrible design choice.

    2 points
    • karen rostmeyer, 5 years ago

      My situation as well. I used to bold type to read it clearer. Imagine larger font AND bold. That header becomes a monster. LOL! And there's little else on the screen. Needless to say I turned off bold and adjusted the font size.

      0 points
  • Rene Ayala, 6 years ago

    The new headings are ridiculous. What’s the point of buying a phone with a larger screen when the headings take up 12% of the usual space. It’s pointless and aggravating. Wish there was either an option to hide it or a forum to Apple’s developers to get rid of it with a patch.

    2 points
    • Liv Ang, 6 years ago

      Maybe a setting in Accessibility > Blind People / Huge titles ON/OFF

      1 point
  • Spencer HoltawaySpencer Holtaway, 6 years ago

    I keep looking at the word "Messages". It's really heavy and a little distracting with all that weight. Like a lot of other distracting UI (e.g. "videos for you!" on instagram explore) I'll probably learn to ignore it relatively quickly, though.

    2 points
  • Gary Weaver, 6 years ago

    The new header needs to go. UI/UE design decisions in the past few major releases have seemed to suffer from insufficient user testing. Overall, it’s still a better OS and ecosystem than the competitors, but what is triggering them to make changes like this? Wasted space and unnecessary design elements are not good.

    1 point
  • Andrew Parker, 6 years ago

    Agree with all of those points - I've no idea why so much screen estate on a relatively small screen device is given to mostly telling me something I already know.

    1 point
  • Phil RauPhil Rau, 6 years ago

    I really like it. Apps have more balance and hierarchy. Makes finding the right app in the app switcher a hellofalot easier if you have a few similar looking apps.

    1 point
    • Alex Dahl, 6 years ago

      Similar-looking apps are definitely common when system UI patterns are followed. Whitespace is a great tool for hierarchy.

      I bet it's also a big improvement when unlocking your phone and landing in an app you left open hours ago. Lets you quickly identify where you are after you've forgotten the context of how you got there.

      Apple gave some background on wayfinding changes at WWDC: https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2017/810/

      0 points
  • Nathan HueningNathan Huening, 6 years ago

    I love it in iOS10 News & Music. Not sure how it'll feel in iOS11...

    1 point
  • Stuart McCoyStuart McCoy, 6 years ago

    I ike it but I do understand the complaints about inconsistencies. Most are hard to notice unless you really start looking but this video explains why the is probably happening. TLDW, developers probably used custom components for some of their UI and haven't hd a chance to update everything. For some cases this is inexcusable but for others I can see why they might have done it.

    1 point
  • karen rostmeyer, 5 years ago

    It's ridiculous. I waited to update until I picked up the $29 new battery. The big title was the second thing I noticed after the juvenile calculator look.

    0 points
  • Tamer Aydogdu, almost 6 years ago

    iOS is gradually becoming Windows Phone 7?

    0 points
  • x xtian, almost 6 years ago

    Lacks refinement and elegance; Looks like they left the header from a wireframe. -- Reminds me of something I would design in the first round of a paper-based presentation. Large titles make it easy to talk about the non-interactive form. I just updated last night, and I joined the DN to comment. Looking forward to thoughtful DN.

    0 points
  • Mary Orfali, 6 years ago

    A waste of space! Maybe useful if I am losing my eyesight.

    0 points
  • Margaret Smith, 6 years ago

    It’s very “unappleish”! It suggests that one is unable to fathom out what one has just clicked on! I certainly hope that they remove this forthwith. I can,t say I’m particularly enamored with the new keyboard, either.

    0 points
  • Min Kim, 6 years ago

    I agree with you. Is it important to let a user know the section you are in?

    Also, most importantly, it's inconsistent which is hard to recognize the style of Apple. I've noticed they are making their icon thicker too but only on the certain apple's default app.

    0 points
  • Jon ParkinsonJon Parkinson, 6 years ago

    I find its not just the new header thats bigger, all the type has gone up a few point sizes! But... I love it. Everything is easier to read (obviously), and I think looks a lot cleaner. But mainly its just nice to see some design attention doing to parts of app that are basically a bit boring; lists, titles, libraries etc.

    If theres one good thing about it, I'm not holding my phone so close to my face anymore!

    0 points
  • Harper Lieblich, 6 years ago

    I love it!

    I love that they designed an entirely new weight of San Francisco.

    Its so fashionable. It’s responds to the super light weights of iOS 7. It plays off material design in a cleaver way. And references the brutalist design fashion that’s so hot right now.

    0 points
  • Cristian MoiseiCristian Moisei, 6 years ago

    I don't think it's a bad idea, it feels simple and plain, but I have to agree with the article posted the other day that the implementation is pretty bad and a more thought out / elegant solution would have been needed if they wanted to pull this look off. I'd be curious to know if there were better designs that were not considered safe enough and ended up getting trashed.

    0 points
  • Yannis SteriotisYannis Steriotis, 6 years ago

    This is in every native app. It looks good and I feel good. So, yes I like it!

    0 points