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Dont you find the iOS5 notification system graphics hideous??
- Thread starter ironsienna
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It's all subjective I guess. I like the linen texture and think it's a perfect sub-background look. It instantly gives the impression that it lies underneath the wallpaper, exactly what Apple is going for. When you access a screen with that linen texture you know that you are going "deeper" into the device, as it were.
In my opinion, it looks fine on the iPhone since it takes up the whole screen. It looks stupid on the iPad since it is this huge strip dropping down in the middle of the screen.
But to be honest, what else would they put? A solid white background like Android?
But to be honest, what else would they put? A solid white background like Android?
You wish they would focus on usability, and then move on to creating flashy looks? Fair enough.
UI is about more than just looks. It also needs to convey information and reinforce the UI metaphors. In this case the distinct look of the notification pull down helps to communicate the state of the running application while looking at the notification screen. It conveys to the user that despite the application being completely obscured by the notification screen, didn't go anywhere. It is safe and sound right behind the notification screen.
The Teehanlax UI looks very clean, but it fails to communicate the metaphor. I see it that screen and wonder what has become of my app. This make the Teehanlax UI feel more intrusive despite functionally being exactly the same.
There needs to be a balance between a distinctive and a clean design. I'm not claiming that the iOS5 design is prefect, but it's in the right direction.
The Teehanlax UI looks very clean, but it fails to communicate the metaphor. I see it that screen and wonder what has become of my app. This make the Teehanlax UI feel more intrusive despite functionally being exactly the same.
There needs to be a balance between a distinctive and a clean design. I'm not claiming that the iOS5 design is prefect, but it's in the right direction.
Well said.
Though I agree that the look could use some punching up. User skinning would be great, but I'm sure that's out of the question.
I agree 100%. It looks fine on iPhone, but very strange on iPad. It's still beta 2. So I hope they have some revisions in the works.
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When the notifications menu is pulled down, the current menu bar should morph into a date time and weather widget. The rest should be strictly for notifications. (what will it look like if apple was to allow third party widgets? The notifications menu would be pointless.)
Then apple needs to put the stock widget and third party widgets where the spotlight search page is, so we can have multiple pages of widgets.
Then they need to revamp the multitasking part of the iOS. That little dock gets too crowded.
When the notifications menu is pulled down, the current menu bar should morph into a date time and weather widget. The rest should be strictly for notifications. (what will it look like if apple was to allow third party widgets? The notifications menu would be pointless.)
Then apple needs to put the stock widget and third party widgets where the spotlight search page is, so we can have multiple pages of widgets.
Then they need to revamp the multitasking part of the iOS. That little dock gets too crowded.
Apple's version looks MUCH better, IMO. I'm glad you don't work for Apple. Not a fan of the other version.
This fabric pattern is underneath the OS in all other implementations. If they want to keep it like this, you should be able to roll the wallpaper up from the bottom, like a scroll.
To be fair to Teehanlax, you're missing what their concept shows. It's not about being over the top of the app. Their version (from a few years ago remember) is a home screen that is on the same level but to the left of the apps. That's why the main 4 icons are still at the bottom and a home icon shows up along with the dots and magnifying glass.
However, if you ignore the bottom half of their design that puts it in the screen context, theirs fits more than the linen texture (at least as far as your analysis goes). The simple black would go perfectly for something that is supposed to go OVER the screen. The linen texture has been used for things that are UNDER the screen. Using it in both places makes it appear to be both under and over the screen which actually makes less sense.
The Teehanlax screen communicates the metaphor more clearly than that ugly linen texture.
Honestly, I can't believe that anyone actually likes that horrible texture. One of my friends (who has no experience using Photoshop) made something similar (and actually better looking) on his own for a website back in 2003. I hated it then too.
I'm sad that it'll end up in Lion, and I'm sad that you guys think that that is ok and "consistent." Something being consistent doesn't automatically mean that it's good.
If Apple really wanted to be consistent about it, they could have done something like this (and yes, I know that it doesn't work on non-titlebar apps, but it's an idea). Pull the titlebar down and keep it there so that it makes sense. My apologies for the duplicated items, I only had a few minutes.
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that's the problem.
i agree with you on the 'deeper' part
the notification drawer, however, isn't underneath but above the other UI elements.
It's not a matter of liking the linen texture or not. The issue is whether the notification bar intuitively appears to be on top of the running application. When I look at the Teehanlax screen, I do not get that impression. With the iOS5 screen, I do. This makes the Teehanlax theme more jarring. (this is completely subjective)
Admittedly the iOS5 UI has problems. I don't like the use of the same texture for both above and below layers (I'd prefer folders to open over the home screen, not behind), also it alternates between smokey and black transparencies (see the new lock screen notification).
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To me, the linen background they've used for folders, multi-tasking, and now Notification Center looks nice and clean. It's like their trademark, and I hope they don't change it. Honestly, the theme in the first post looks horrendous.
And yes, I agree that Notification Center looks weird on the iPad. It should be full screen
And yes, I agree that Notification Center looks weird on the iPad. It should be full screen
As a designer, I am disappointed in the UI designs of Apple lately as well.
iOS folders, the "wet" wallpaper and the fabrics really creep me out. Blue theme with the striped background also looks like someone's pajamas. They are all very strange to me.
iOS folders, the "wet" wallpaper and the fabrics really creep me out. Blue theme with the striped background also looks like someone's pajamas. They are all very strange to me.
I'm fine with the design. Looks clean and classy to me.
It seems to be a silly thing to complain about. The more and more I read, the more and more I sense that some people would be satisfied with a sack of dog turds as long as the bag was "pretty."
It seems to be a silly thing to complain about. The more and more I read, the more and more I sense that some people would be satisfied with a sack of dog turds as long as the bag was "pretty."
As others have said, I just don't like the way those bars at the bottom look. lol But the wallpaper is good in my opinion
If you're discussing design, clean design rarely uses textures. Clean design is minimal. Perhaps you hate minimal because there's not enough going on for you, but that doesn't mean that the Teehan+Lax design isn't clean.
Design is highly important. If it weren't Apple, Target, Starbucks, etc. wouldn't spend so much money on it.
The reason why some things are easy to use and some things aren't can often be traced to design.
I don't care what you say, every decision you make on whether or not to buy something is based on design. Do you care what your house looks like? Do you care about what color your car is? Design is everything.
I really wish that people wouldn't belittle my profession. I get paid to make sure that things look "pretty."
I'm all for pretty, but being functional trumps it.
I'd rather Apple work out the bugs in the OS than worry about hiring a designer for the Notification Center.
I'd rather Apple work out the bugs in the OS than worry about hiring a designer for the Notification Center.
That's the whole idea about form following function. They go hand in hand. You cannot have a good product and be lacking in either.
Yes, bugs are worse because that's something that is not working as intended. That's not a failure of function, that's a failure of implementation and that's not what we're debating here.
I didn't say it was. My point was that a texture that signifies the "bottom" of the UI should not be used to signify the "top" of the UI as well. Teehan+Lax's design would fit quite nicely over top had it been designed to fit over top. And had Apple implemented just a home screen, it would fit much better. The point is that the design is cleaner, more legible, and looks intentional rather than a mistake or placeholder.
And as for liking the texture or not, that is what we are discussing here.
THIS. It looks much better in my opinion with just a black background. That texture background looks like crap.
Some of us have higher expectations for Apple.
I'd rather they do both things -- fix bugs AND hire a designer -- with the billions of dollars they've gotten from us.
Better yet, let the user decide what the background should look like. That would easily solve that complaint.