General Consumer Reactions to iOS 7

[3282868]

UPDATE: read the comments below before posting as some felt it necessary to aggressively refer to me as "nuts", "weird" and a "liar" for merely posting a subjective thread on casual remarks. This is NOT a scientific study as a few claim. I will try not to use "passive voice" which I did to shorten my posting, now it appears I need to be more concise. It is a shame I need to spend time re-writing my post for some in order to avoid confusion and general offense

I realize this may qualify as an NDA breach, but I wanted to compile general consumer reactions to the new iOS 7 GUI. Most of us are tech savvy and place little emphasis on GUI modifications; we adapt quicker, yet it is crucial to report general consumer feedback during testing as this is Apple's biggest market.

I decided on selecting (to be more clear, selecting the number of individuals who asked to have their feedback sent) a multi-demographical group of friends, family, colleagues (as diverse as can be, I mentioned this in order to dismiss any possible remarks requesting a more significant analysis, and let's be honest, this is not a scientific study), roughly 71 individuals over a five day period (emphasis on "roughly"). I allowed use of my iPhone 5 for a half hour to 45 mins while at work and with friends on non work hours (let me also mention some used my 4S overnight and my other 5 model for longer for those who called this into question), and had some fill out a short answer survey I spent 5 minutes writing and sending via email (at their suggestion).

Noted Remarks:

- Low Contrast. Many remarked that the lighter grey's, whites, and yellows in System Settings, core app's, etc. negatively impaired usage. Many struggled with managing through System Settings, Notes, Calendar.

- Safari. Only a few people thought the new Safari page layouts were acceptable. Others found it to be a poor attempt for a "3D" design and preferred the previous method, also used in Safari 7 for 10.9 (pinching out on OS X trackpad zooms out in Safari, allowing users to swipe to another page in the same browser window).

- Navigation. Replacing buttons with floating text and symbols was the biggest issue. Not one person preferred blue text and "<" symbols for navigating.

- Too much white. The "Music" app had the lowest rating. Many struggled with red text and icons for active sections and light grey/dimmed text/icons for other sections. The lines separating playlists, tracks, etc and ">" to select were too "light", making it difficult to navigate.

- Multitasking. Sliding between open apps and waiting for the app to center in a "bouncy" animation in order to select it or swipe up to close was "fun" and "cute," but some thought it hindered usability.

Roughly 57 individuals did not like the UI at all. Some went as far as to state it will be a deciding factor in future purchasing of iOS based devices, many claiming it will disenfranchise Apple's iOS product line. The new options and features were unanimously approved, however the overall UI was the main deciding factor. People resist change, that's common, however this wasn't simply a matter of needing time to adjust.

I've reported UI bugs, as well as many others. If simple modifications are not addressed, based on general observations, iOS 7 may not be the slam dunk Apple hopes.

________

Ok, in response to some calling my post into question, calling me "nuts" or "weird", and just generally dismissing it as "lies," let me clarify with my posted responses:

I'm sorry, you're suggesting that the comments from people other than myself invalidate my post and thus must mean I am lying? Ok. If that makes you sleep better at night, more power to you.

I never claimed it was a "scientific experiment," merely observations from friends ASKING to use my iPhone after noticing the U.I. Some used it for a short period, some even overnight on my 4S. It is subjective, however hasn't it always been subjective? What would I gain from "lying"? I just revisited this thread now, I couldn't give two ****s about what anyone believes or agrees with, I merely posted some observations..

I have a 4S for development and 2 5's. The "5 Days" were for a smattering of which I surveyed via email at their request as they wanted to give Apple their feedback, this was generally over a month.

I find the strong reactions and some calling my post "bs" to be more interesting than anything. It is almost as though they have a defense mechanism kicking in, and feel the need to either defend it as if their mother was insulted, or call my post into question (which is rather extreme).

Regardless, believe it or don't, doesn't matter to me. I merely wanted to to share subjective remarks from general individuals, no need for a Cuban missile crisis response .

The reason this began for me was due to so many asking to use it after noticing it, not my intentionally going door to door with surveys. I later asked some to answer a few questions over emails, and those were people who truly wanted to give Apple their feedback. As a developer, you should know UI bug reports are taken just as seriously as performance bug reports. Guess I'm "nuts."

I'm really stunned that a few seem so offended and disturbed that they have analyzed my post and have concluded a conspiracy theory that I must be lying, am "nuts", or some other xxxxx excuse. It is merely a simple subjective post, nothing more. I did not go door to door and "survey" people. Some asked to have their opinions sent to Apple beyond the general feedback link, but through my developer account. Simple.

 

[bbfc]

Interesting, but Apple will not be changing the overall UI now. This is what we will get when the GM is released (less a few tweaks probably).

Some tasks indeed take longer, but they needed to overhaul it. iOS had been stale for years with people crying out for a complete change, and some of what they have achieved it pretty impressive. I restored back to iOS 6 yesterday and it was just awful - the gloss, the UI, it felt so antiquated. You suddenly realise the polished/premium look is just awful when compared to iOS 7. (well in my opinion it does).

iOS 7 may lack the 'Premium/polished' feel of previous iOS, but any change is going to take a while to get used to.

I am happy with what Apple have done (a few tweaks are needed), but the overall UI is impressive.

Watching the video from WWDC when they got a standing ovation was pretty amazing (it gave me goosebumps! sad I know).

 

[Night Spring]

Some tasks indeed take longer, but they needed to overhaul it. iOS had been stale for years with people crying out for a complete change,

Were the people crying out for change really a majority, or was it just a vocal minority? I, for one, was perfectly fine with iOS as it was up to 6, and never felt it was stale or needed an overhaul.

 

[ZacNicholson]

Were the people crying out for change really a majority, or was it just a vocal minority? I, for one, was perfectly fine with iOS as it was up to 6, and never felt it was stale or needed an overhaul.

i was the same way.

 

[Mortalias]

I am convinced that at least 30 of those 57 individuals will began to change their mind within 3 weeks of constant use. Initial impressions of anything that has substantially changed, especially something as engrained as the previous iOS, will always be met with negativity.

Slowly, through heavy use, more and more 'non-tech savvy' people will come to love iOS 7.

 

[bbfc]

I am convinced that at least 30 of those 57 individuals will began to change their mind within 3 weeks of constant use. Initial impressions of anything that has substantially changed, especially something as engrained as the previous iOS, will always be met with negativity.

Slowly, through heavy use, more and more 'non-tech savvy' people will come to love iOS 7.

Exactly. People will learn to use it and become accustomed to how it works.

 

[jonnyb098]

I realize this may qualify as an NDA breach, but I wanted to compile general consumer reactions to the new iOS 7 GUI. Most of us are tech savvy and place little emphasis on GUI modifications; we adapt quicker, yet it is crucial to report general consumer feedback during testing as this is Apple's biggest market.

I decided on selecting a multi-demographical group of friends, family, colleagues, etc., roughly 71 individuals over a five day period. I allowed each to use my iPhone 5 for a half hour (some 45 min's), and had them fill out a short answer survey.

Noted Remarks:

- Low Contrast. Many remarked that the lighter grey's, whites, and yellows in System Settings, core app's, etc. negatively impaired usage. Many struggled with managing through System Settings, Notes, Calendar.

- Safari. Only a few people thought the new Safari page layouts were acceptable. Others found it to be a poor attempt for a "3D" design and preferred the previous method, also used in Safari 7 for 10.9 (pinching out on OS X trackpad zooms out in Safari, allowing users to swipe to another page in the same browser window).

- Navigation. Replacing buttons with floating text and symbols was the biggest issue. Not one person preferred blue text and "<" symbols for navigating.

- Too much white. The "Music" app had the lowest rating. Many struggled with red text and icons for active sections and light grey/dimmed text/icons for other sections. The lines separating playlists, tracks, etc and ">" to select were too "light", making it difficult to navigate.

- Multitasking. Sliding between open apps and waiting for the app to center in a "bouncy" animation in order to select it or swipe up to close was "fun" and "cute," but some thought it hindered usability.

Roughly 57 individuals did not like the UI at all. Some went as far as to state it will be a deciding factor in future purchasing of iOS based devices, many claiming it will disenfranchise Apple's iOS product line. The new options and features were unanimously approved, however the overall UI was the main deciding factor. People resist change, that's common, however this wasn't simply a matter of needing time to adjust.

I've reported UI bugs, as well as many others. If simple modifications are not addressed, based on general observations, iOS 7 may not be the slam dunk Apple hopes.

Hopefully those things will be fixed or altered slightly before final release. All the white is not gonna change.

The animations are still an issue when trying to quickly do things. Always having to wait for a silly animation to finish is just counter productive. What doesnt make sense is why they only tweak it ever so slightly with each beta. JUST MAKE THEM FASTER!

 

[fivedots]

While I like iOS 7, I personally feel that Apple should have tackled these changes more incrementally.

They are going for the big splash of "wow, this is new and exciting" which is always risky, though I have little doubt that people will adapt in this case.

I think the biggest challenge is that they are moving from an interface that has been tested and tweaked for 5+ years to something completely new. It will take some time to achieve the same status.

 

[bbfc]

Were the people crying out for change really a majority, or was it just a vocal minority? I, for one, was perfectly fine with iOS as it was up to 6, and never felt it was stale or needed an overhaul.

I think what I meant was they needed to do something to iOS.

iOS 6 looked fine when it was the latest and greatest, but when you use iOS 7 for a while and go back, iOS 6 suddenly becomes very tacky looking with all its gloss etc.

 

[WeegieMac]

I love iOS 7 on my iPhone 4S, but for some reason I'm not feeling the same "attachment" to it on my iPad. The thing about iOS 5/6 is that despite being the same, iOS on iPad felt "different" from the iPhone version, at least to me.

I find it hard to put into words, but the best I can do is that iOS 5 and 6 on iPad never "felt" like a blown up iPhone version, whereas iOS 7 does.

 

[bbfc]

While I like iOS 7, I personally feel that Apple should have tackled these changes more incrementally.

They are going for the big splash of "wow, this is new and exciting" which is always risky, though I have little doubt that people will adapt in this case.

I think the biggest challenge is that they are moving from an interface that has been tested and tweaked for 5+ years to something completely new. It will take some time to achieve the same status.

I'd rather they changed it all at once, then doing it incrementally. One big splash.

 

[dugbug]

- Multitasking. Sliding between open apps and waiting for the app to center in a "bouncy" animation in order to select it or swipe up to close was "fun" and "cute," but some thought it hindered usability.

While I appreciate your data collection, I call bs on that. Its much easier to flick away apps with the thumb than to hold one down to make them wiggle and whack their X.

 

[Night Spring]

iOS 6 looked fine when it was the latest and greatest, but when you use iOS 7 for a while and go back, iOS 6 suddenly becomes very tacky looking with all its gloss etc.

That's a subjective opinion. I find that after spending some time with iOS 7, when I go back to iOS 6, I sigh in relief, like, "Thank god, I can see things again!" Of course, my reaction is also just another subjective opinion.

 

[fivedots]

I'd rather they changed it all at once, then doing it incrementally. One big splash.

I personally would rather it too, but I am thinking beyond the denizens of a technology rumour forum.

 

[johnseattle]

I agree as someone who has run IOS7 since it was released most people that notice it on my phone are like "meh, looks kinda girly and washed out now". I do think the more you use it the more "ok" it gets. Still don't think it's a huge improvement graphically over ios6

 

[Night Spring]

While I appreciate your data collection, I call bs on that. Its much easier to flick away apps with the thumb than to hold one down to make them wiggle and whack their X.

Sure, it's faster when you want to close apps, but how often do you need to close apps in iOS? Most of the time, all I want to do is to switch apps, and the old way was faster at just switching apps.

 

[spacehog371]

I would expect this, as people always moan and groan when something is changed. Consumer reactions after 30 minutes of use aren't that valuable.

 

[fivedots]

Sure, it's faster when you want to close apps, but how often do you need to close apps in iOS? Most of the time, all I want to do is to switch apps, and the old way was faster at just switching apps.

You would not believe the massive number of "general consumers" who are under the impression that closing apps is something they need to be doing regularly.

 

[johnseattle]

Sure, it's faster when you want to close apps, but how often do you need to close apps in iOS? Most of the time, all I want to do is to switch apps, and the old way was faster at just switching apps.

I like the old way better too, the new one is all window dressing.

 

[Nanasaki]

I love iOS 7 on my iPhone 4S, but for some reason I'm not feeling the same "attachment" to it on my iPad. The thing about iOS 5/6 is that despite being the same, iOS on iPad felt "different" from the iPhone version, at least to me.

I find it hard to put into words, but the best I can do is that iOS 5 and 6 on iPad never "felt" like a blown up iPhone version, whereas iOS 7 does.

Tablet optimization takes a while to complete. Especially, iPad version is 1 beta behind. I have seem some positive changes since beta 2. At least calendar is better.

I do hope they get ride of the ugly yellow text on Note app.

 

[batting1000]

I am convinced that at least 30 of those 57 individuals will began to change their mind within 3 weeks of constant use. Initial impressions of anything that has substantially changed, especially something as engrained as the previous iOS, will always be met with negativity.

Slowly, through heavy use, more and more 'non-tech savvy' people will come to love iOS 7.

Agreed. I wasn't thrilled at first but once I started using it, I really came to like the design and so much so that going back to iOS 6.1.4 made me wish I was running iOS 7.

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You would not believe the massive number of "general consumers" who are under the impression that closing apps is something they need to be doing regularly.

This exactly.

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Its much easier to flick away apps with the thumb than to hold one down to make them wiggle and whack their X.

Agreed. Plus, you can get rid of three at a time if you want to.

 

[Nanasaki]

Exactly. People will learn to use it and become accustomed to how it works.

I am note sure about that. Let's see what would happen after general availability. To say people will learn to use it and become accustomed to how it works, it isn't always true. It certainly not applied to Windows 8. I always felt Windows 8 is under-rated, but that might just me.

 

[fivedots]

I like the old way better too, the new one is all window dressing.

The new presentation takes the emphasis off closing apps and helps lessen the idea that it is something that you need to or should be doing.

 

[dugbug]

I like the old way better too, the new one is all window dressing.

Not to me.... its far easier to identify with the window I was working than the icon. For example a remote desktop app to my mac is instantly recognizable than the ... I don't even know the name of the app I use lol.

I just don't understand the complaint at all. You still get the icons, and you can flick very fast through them.

 

[jonnyb098]

I love iOS 7 on my iPhone 4S, but for some reason I'm not feeling the same "attachment" to it on my iPad. The thing about iOS 5/6 is that despite being the same, iOS on iPad felt "different" from the iPhone version, at least to me.

I find it hard to put into words, but the best I can do is that iOS 5 and 6 on iPad never "felt" like a blown up iPhone version, whereas iOS 7 does.

Agreed. ALL THAT WHITE! BLEH! They really need to re-think how it looks slightly on the iPad. Glaring giant white screens is not exactly soothing to the eye.

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I agree as someone who has run IOS7 since it was released most people that notice it on my phone are like "meh, looks kinda girly and washed out now". I do think the more you use it the more "ok" it gets. Still don't think it's a huge improvement graphically over ios6

Showed it to someone today and the first reaction is....it looks kiddish.