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Does DN prefer iOS7 or iOS6?

over 9 years ago from , Founder at Timber.io, ex UI Engineer @SeatGeek.

I may be late to the game here with this question, but I haven't seen a thread of opinions on DN. What do you prefer? Are you upset about the update or do you like it overall? It may be because I was raised on skeuomorphism (Although I really do enjoy some flat design), but the new OS just feels really unusable to me, not to mention I don't find it very visually appealing. What are your thoughts?

11 comments

  • Alex MontagueAlex Montague, over 9 years ago

    iOS 6 is gone now. Don't obsess over which you prefer, just focus on making something great out of iOS 7.

    4 points
    • Marc EdwardsMarc Edwards, over 9 years ago

      That’s solid advice and I feel the same way. Also, iOS gives us the full screen, so the device can become the app. We can do whatever we like in terms of visual design.

      1 point
  • Rob MasefieldRob Masefield, over 9 years ago

    I see merits in both styles, but the one thing that keeps coming to mind on first glance at a lot of the iOS7 interfaces is that they just look "unfinished".

    I know for a fact that in a majority of instances, a LOT of thought has gone into the iOS7 optimised UI designs so I don't think you can go as far as saying they are "lazy", but I think they're such a drastic departure from the skeuo-era that they do feel a little visually "incomplete".

    4 points
    • Mike AndersonMike Anderson, over 9 years ago

      I agree that most of the apps feel unfinished. However—the lock screens, Siri screens, and maps screens feel amazing. I see a ton of potential—I just hope they can give their apps more welcoming feel.

      1 point
      • Rob MasefieldRob Masefield, over 9 years ago

        Yup, agree with you 100% on those screens you mentioned. Carry that same awesome experience throughout the UI, and you're golden.

        0 points
  • Marc EdwardsMarc Edwards, over 9 years ago

    I see iOS 7 as a big improvement, but one that contains many regressions. If nothing else, the reboot will serve iOS well.

    My concerns with iOS 7 have very little to do with visual style — they’re all about usability. And with that lens, many UI widgets are worse (like the date picker).

    I’m enjoying designing iOS 7 flavoured apps. As part of that, I’m ditching many of Apple’s suggestions, while hopefully keeping a similar vibe.

    I look forward to iOS 8 and I expect lighting and frames around buttons to return to iOS within the next few years (if Apple don’t add them back, I suspect many third party devs will in their own apps).

    3 points
  • ポール ウェッブポール ウェッブ, over 9 years ago

    I prefer 7, it is visually refreshing to me. Some of Apple's core apps suck ass (like Calendar), so I buy/download a replacement (like Calendars 5). I also like how the focus of apps seems to be more focused on displaying content in the best way possible, with interesting physics thrown in (like the new Tweetbot).

    1 point
  • Matt SistoMatt Sisto, over 9 years ago

    Has anyone else noticed how much harder it is to type though? I mean, why did they make the spacebar so much smaller? I am constantly hitting period where I want a space.

    0 points
  • Corin EdwardsCorin Edwards, over 9 years ago

    Visually it's nice to see something new and something with an internationally competitive aesthetic. Utility-wise there are a lot of welcome improvements, for me the torch and brightness access are a revelation. What I'm most enamoured with though is the social engineering of their developer community. That massive visual change has incentivised app creators to refresh their apps for fear of appearing old. As a result it's nudged many designers and developers to not only give a visual overhaul but to look over their apps with fresh eyes and tighten up the user experience across the board.

    0 points
  • Maurice CherryMaurice Cherry, over 9 years ago

    I'm slowly warming up to iOS7. Version 7.0.3 feels a lot better since they replaced the zoom effect with a fade effect.

    0 points
  • Account deleted over 9 years ago

    I used a device the other day which had iOS6 running... It felt old, dated and slow.

    I've been using iOS7 since its release, I think its a great improvement. Although I do agree with the comment about it feeling a little unfinished.

    0 points