POLL: Is Yosemite UGLY or NOT?

[AZhappyjack]

Wow. With all the consternation and hand-wringing about how ugly Yosemite is, this poll shows as of right now that more than 62% of the responders have chosen one of the "Yosemite is pretty(ier)" options. Less than 22% chose one of the "Yosemite is ugly(ier)" options.

The rest say that they can’t tell, don’t care, etc.

 

[leman]

It is nothing more than just getting rid of the rivalry between Scott Forstall and Jony Ive... In this case, the former lost, and the latter just exercising his poor UI design concepts mismatched by his hardware designing talents.

Well, as far as I am concerned, Ive is doing a much better job than Forstall ever could. Then again, art is subjective. As far as UI functionality goes, I consider Yosemite to be at least as good at any other OS X before it.

Wow. With all the consternation and hand-wringing about how ugly Yosemite is, this poll shows as of right now that more than 62% of the responders have chosen one of the "Yosemite is pretty(ier)" options. Less than 22% chose one of the "Yosemite is ugly(ier)" options.

And this is perfectly consistent with the other poll we already have on the exactly the same subject: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1740211/

Around 80% of those who care about UI like Yosemite, 20% dislike it. As far as polls go, this is a rather clear result.

----------

. I don't have a problem with the new Aqua form controls, I have a problem with the app icons, the Dock from Tiger, the plain menu bars, the toolbar icons (outlined icons in the toolbar buttons are ugly, and less distinguishable), and some interfaces in general.

I must agree about the icons. They are inconsequent at best. We have at least half a dozen different visual styles right now, it looks weird. I really like the new iTunes, FaceTime and iWorks icons, but they are completely different from, say, Mail, Calendar and Preview. Same weird mix with the Preference icons. There appears to be some color coding (e.g. grey for service configuration settings), but its also very inconsequent. For example, what does blue mean? Is it supposed to be connectivity? If so, why is spotlight blue? Why is network settings not grey? Why are parental controls are the only yellow icon?

 

[BenTrovato]

Yosemite looks great come on. There's always going to be a few people who hate change, that's humanity. For the most part people welcome a refreshed look. I think it's the same with Windows 8 - it looks better, it just doesn't perform "better" than previous versions. I've never known Apple to take away user performance, regardless of the appearance and that's the most important part.

 

[n-evo]

I must agree about the icons. They are inconsequent at best. We have at least half a dozen different visual styles right now, it looks weird. I really like the new iTunes, FaceTime and iWorks icons, but they are completely different from, say, Mail, Calendar and Preview. Same weird mix with the Preference icons. There appears to be some color coding (e.g. grey for service configuration settings), but its also very inconsequent. For example, what does blue mean? Is it supposed to be connectivity? If so, why is spotlight blue? Why is network settings not grey? Why are parental controls are the only yellow icon?

How is that any different from the situation on OS X Mavericks and previous versions? Spotlight has always been blue, same goes for Wi-Fi. Parental Controls has always been yellow. All new icons share the same new matte cartoonish look that's what binds the FaceTime one to Calendar. The System Preferences icons in DP7 have been given an overhaul to be more consistent compared to DP6 / PB 2.

 

[Foss]

As I've been using Yosemite as my main OS for the past month, I strongly prefer the UI on Yosemite vs Mavericks. If I boot into my other partition of Mavericks, it looks really dated now.

 

[MagnusVonMagnum]

I'd feel 100% better about Yosemite if they would just change the stop lights back to the "gem/gel" look. I can deal with most other UI elements changing (i.e. I'm fine with Mavericks compared to say Tiger; I liked Tiger, but some of it just getting used to things), but come on, the one thing that has NEVER changed in OS X is the stop button lights. They're so tiny, we can't have one bit of the Aqua interface left? Someone said this IS Aqua, but that's BS. Aqua IMPLIES a "wet/gel/shiny" look to the buttons and I see NONE in the new interface. Aqua is DEAD in Yosemite.

 

[grahamperrin]

I assume that in the poll options here, prior versions of OS X means all releases of Mac OS X; and that Classic releases are not a consideration.

… please note that the poll is not about …

To minimise repetition … a selection of topics, in chronological order:

• Apple Announces OS X Yosemite with Improved Cross-Device Connectivity and New User Interface
• POLL: What do you think about OS X 10.10?
• Post all of your OS X Yosemite screenshots here!
• Apple Releases OS X Yosemite Developer Preview 2
• Yosemite looks terrible!
• Apple Releases OS X Yosemite Developer Preview 3
• Yosemite looks great!
• Apple Releases OS X Yosemite Developer Preview 4, Public Beta Coming Later This Month
• OS X Yosemite Public Beta Now Available via Mac App Store Redemption Codes
• Yosemite is Beautiful
• OS X Yosemite Beta: First Impressions, Installation Tips, Known Issues, and Bug Fixes
• Things you like vs things you don't like in Yosemite
• Yosemite Beta is great!
• Apple Releases OS X Yosemite Developer Preview 5
• Apple Releases OS X Yosemite Developer Preview 6
• For those who do not like the look of Yosemite...
• Apple Releases Second OS X Yosemite Public Beta, iTunes 12 Update
• POLL: What do you think of Lucida Grande + OS X Yosemite
• Apple Releases OS X Yosemite Developer Preview 7
• POLL: Is Yosemite UGLY or NOT?

– thanks to MagnusVonMagnum for opening this poll √

… screenshot?

See above, the earlier topic.

Please note that for confidentiality etc., I should not encourage posting of screenshots.

Wow. With all the consternation and hand-wringing about how ugly Yosemite is, this poll shows …

• that nearly ten percent of readers view Yosemite as uglier than some releases of (Mac) OS X
• that more than ten percent of readers view Yosemite as uglier than all releases of (Mac) OS X

– maybe one in five people find Yosemite remarkably ugly.

Wow …

 

[BaldiMac]

• that nearly ten percent of readers view Yosemite as uglier than some releases of (Mac) OS X
• that more than ten percent of readers view Yosemite as uglier than all releases of (Mac) OS X

– maybe one in five people find Yosemite remarkably ugly.

Wow …

Wow. That is an amazing amount of spin you put into your conclusion there!

The fact that 20% of early respondents prefer previous versions does not mean that they think it is "remarkably ugly".

I don't think that 20% of respondents preferring a previous version is a particularly concerning number. Sounds like about what you'd expect from most significant changes.

 

[AZhappyjack]

\

• that nearly ten percent of readers view Yosemite as uglier than some releases of (Mac) OS X
• that more than ten percent of readers view Yosemite as uglier than all releases of (Mac) OS X

– maybe one in five people find Yosemite remarkably ugly.

Wow …

There are a few vocal posters here who think it’s ugly (add your own qualifier re: how ugly), but they keep the "it's ugly" "i hate it" talk going.

Not naming any names, but y’all know who you are. Clearly, according to this poll, not everyone feels that way. By a large margin - 3 to 5 x.

 

[grahamperrin]

Wow. That is an amazing amount of spin you put into your conclusion …

Please note that I used the word maybe.

It was not a conclusion. Some thoughts on polls such as this are in an earlier topic.

The amount of spin is, I hope enough to offset the amount of early wow given by you and dfausty

 

[Jacksonc]

I think everyone that thinks its ugly hasn't used it. I didn't like it a lot until i installed it.

 

[grahamperrin]

There are a few vocal posters here who think it’s ugly (add your own qualifier re: how ugly), but they keep the "it's ugly" "i hate it" talk going.

Not naming any names, but y’all know who you are. Clearly, according to this poll, not everyone feels that way. By a large margin - 3 to 5 x.

Yeah, yet again I find myself repeating myself: most of the repetition is in response to repetition from other people.

Would you like to repeat something, dfausty? Or maybe state the obvious?

Elsewhere you can read my thoughts about marginalising users.

 

[BaldiMac]

Please note that I used the word maybe.

It was not a conclusion. Some thoughts on polls such as this are in an earlier topic.

I noted the word "maybe". It doesn't change my point. I think it is disingenuous for you to use the poll to justify your POV through a purposeful misinterpretation of the results and than dismiss the poll as irrelevant for the opposing POV.

The amount of spin is, I hope enough to offset the amount of early wow given by you and dfausty

Offset? What spin had I given for you to offset? Or is that just a "I know you are but what am I?" kind of response?

 

[B-Eugen]

Why is there no option for "butt-ugly"?

 

[Eithanius]

I think everyone that thinks its ugly hasn't used it. I didn't like it a lot until i installed it.

You think WRONG...!!!

I watched the WWDC keynote when I thought it was pretty, until I installed it...

Furthermore, prolonged usage induces headaches...

 

[grahamperrin]

… misinterpretation …

Please go into greater detail.

 

[BaldiMac]

Please go into greater detail.

I already did in my original post.

The fact that 20% of early respondents prefer previous versions does not mean that they think it is "remarkably ugly".

 

[grahamperrin]

Earlier, when two percentages totalled around twenty percent, I wrote:

• nearly ten percent of readers view Yosemite as uglier than some releases of (Mac) OS X
• more than ten percent of readers view Yosemite as uglier than all releases of (Mac) OS X

– maybe one in five people find Yosemite remarkably ugly.

At the time of writing:

• Yosemite is UGLIER than ALL Prior versions of OS X: 10.84%
• Yosemite is UGLIER than SOME prior versions of OS X: 8.43%

– are the people voting for those options not remarking upon the ugliness of Yosemite?

In reply to an earlier post by me,

… If only there is one Windows user who is swayed by Yosemite to offset the loss of you, Apple should come out alright.

If single-person statistics are the name of the game: I don't know why BaldiMac addressed me in that post. Had I written that Yosemite, or Apple, would not come out alright?

 

[BaldiMac]

– are the people voting for those options not remarking upon the ugliness of Yosemite?

No, again, they are making a relative comparison of Yosemite to previous versions of OS X. Not as pretty does not equal "remarkably ugly."

----------

If single-person statistics are the name of the game: I don't know why BaldiMac addressed me in that post. Had I written that Yosemite, or Apple, would not come out alright?

A quote from another thread without context. What exactly is your point here?

 

[grahamperrin]

From a dictionary:

remarkable – worthy of attention …​

People who voted thought the poll worthy of attention.

Are the people voting for those two options not remarking upon the ugliness of Yosemite?

… What exactly is your point here?

The point of the post was to ask two questions.

The second question, again: had I written that Yosemite, or Apple, would not come out alright?

 

[leman]

How is that any different from the situation on OS X Mavericks and previous versions? Spotlight has always been blue, same goes for Wi-Fi. Parental Controls has always been yellow. All new icons share the same new matte cartoonish look that's what binds the FaceTime one to Calendar. The System Preferences icons in DP7 have been given an overhaul to be more consistent compared to DP6 / PB 2.

I think what I am trying to say here is that Mavericks did not have the ambition to be minimalistic. The icons were certainly not consistent, but it did not really matter, because they did fit the big picture. Icons in Mavericks are mostly images (in semiotic terms), that is, they visually represent the object tor action they point to.

In Yosemite, some of the icons have been reworked in a minimalist style, while others have not. The problem here is once you start going minimalist, you'd better see it all the way though. And being consistently minimalist is much more difficult than many or our friends, the 'flat look critics' seem to comprehend. Again, when we talk about semiotics, icons in a minimalist style have more common with diagrams and metaphors than just images.

Basically, once the icons have been redesigned, one needs to ask the question as to the purpose of the redesign (they could have left the old icons and it would still look quite ok with Yosemite, wouldn't it?) A minimalist redesign usually involves some kind of red thread, a core design principle — say the grid system so widely praised by Apple. So far, some of the Yosemite's icons appear to follow the grid system, and some not, some use the iOS design and some not, some seem to be color coded and some not. One of the core ideas of minimal design is to establish visual invariants (elements) that help the user to learn the purpose of the interface items. Yosemite performs quite admirable on this front, IMO, but it fails short if its icons design is considered. I'd prefer either a more heterogeneous design or a more consistent one.

 

[BaldiMac]

From a dictionary:

remarkable – worthy of attention …​

People who voted thought the poll worthy of attention.

Are the people voting for those two options not remarking upon the ugliness of Yosemite?

Again, no they were not. How many times are you going to ask the same question?

The point of the post was to ask two questions.

The second question, again: had I written that Yosemite, or Apple, would not come out alright?

I don't know the answer to that question, but I never claimed that you did. I simply made a statement in jest based upon your various posts on the subject.

But seems to me if that was your real point, you would have addressed it in context in the thread that the comments were made.

 

[grahamperrin]

I'd prefer either a more heterogeneous design or a more consistent one.

Either … or … I'm probably very relaxed on those two. That relaxation might be puzzling, given my posts about consistency (I might explain but it would take time, and that puzzle is off-topic.)

Relaxed, but if Apple goes 'more' in either direction, I probably will like that direction without deep analysis of why I like it.

… A minimalist redesign usually involves some kind of red thread, a core design principle — say the grid system so widely praised by Apple. So far, some of the Yosemite's icons appear to follow the grid system, and some not, some use the iOS design and some not, some seem to be color coded and some not. One of the core ideas of minimal design is to establish visual invariants (elements) that help the user to learn the purpose of the interface items. Yosemite performs quite admirable on this front, IMO, but it fails short if its icons design is considered. …

Interesting. Some of that might be revisited after tomorrow's Apple event. (In the meantime, leman, please watch for a quote notification; I'll bring part of that quote into another topic, outside the Yosemite area.)

 

[grahamperrin]

Again, no they were not.

Let's repeat the two lines:

Yosemite is UGLIER than ALL Prior versions of OS X
Yosemite is UGLIER than SOME prior versions of OS X

– there's the word uglier with EMPHASIS (UPPERCASE) – twice.

Do you believe that the emphases were overlooked; do you believe that voters were not capable of understanding the word 'UGLIER'?

… you would have addressed it in context in the thread that the comments were made.

In this topic you appeared to express concern about the people who write about the ugliness of Yosemite; concern about the fact that discussion was ongoing.

Not wishing to make that topic about ugliness go on too soon, on this occasion I thought it fair to discreetly address your concern by using this topic to respond to some of your Yosemite appearance-related comments elsewhere. In doing so we can raise the visibility of this poll, which is potentially more balanced (not primarily about ugliness).

… is that just a "I know you are but what am I?" kind of response?

Yes, well spotted, and you started it, no I started it, no you did, I did, and in the time it takes me to draft this post my hair has grown, not enough to allow pigtails but if ever that moment arises I'll imagine them being pulled right now.

Shall we be less personal, and focus instead on the software? I'd like to.

 

[Blakeasd]

OS X looked best in Leopard and Snow Leopard in my opinion. I do like the look of Yosemite over Mavericks, though.