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why so much wasted screen space?

J

jk73

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jul 19, 2012
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I just updated to 11.1 from the last version of 10.x a couple days ago, and my biggest takeaway so far is that there seems to be way too much wasted screen space.

On an iPhone 7, it seems like the top 20% of the screen in any given native app is lost to a huge header and a search box. If I open Mail, I get a huge "Inbox" banner and the search box. If I open Messages, I get a huge "Messages" header and the search box. If I open Settings, I get a huge "Settings" header and the search box. (I just clicked on Settings. Why do I need to be reminded I'm in Settings?)

Is this really progress? Was anyone clamoring for this? Have these devices made people so scatterbrained that they need to be reminded where they clicked one second ago?
 
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jk73 said:
I just updated to 11.1 from the last version of 10.x a couple days ago, and my biggest takeaway so far is that there seems to be way too much wasted screen space.

On an iPhone 7, it seems like the top 20% of the screen in any given native app is lost to a huge header and a search box. If I open Mail, I get a huge "Inbox" banner and the search box. If I open Messages, I get a huge "Messages" header and the search box. If I open Settings, I get a huge "Settings" header and the search box. (I just clicked on Settings. Why do I need to be reminded I'm in Settings?)

Is this really progress? Was anyone clamoring for this? Have these devices made people so scatterbrained that they need to be reminded where they clicked one second ago?
Click to expand...
To accommodate the notch on iPhone X.
If you scroll down the headers collapse and you get the screen space back.
 
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I’ll say it again. Developers developers developers developers. This time, not in photo form. They are the ones we must encourage to bring their apps up to date for compatibility with this new phone.
 
jk73 said:
Haven't seen an X, so I guess that makes sense. But it's not much of a solution, though. This is a needless waste of space for the ~99 percent of iPhone users who don't have an X.
Click to expand...
If you start scrolling on any device it collapses. Not just the X.
 
FelixDerKater said:
I’ll say it again. Developers developers developers developers. This time, not in photo form. They are the ones we must encourage to bring their apps up to date for compatibility with this new phone.
Click to expand...
Except Messages, Mail and settings are Apples. You’d have to blame apples UI department for that one.
 
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FelixDerKater said:
I’ll say it again. Developers developers developers developers. This time, not in photo form. They are the ones we must encourage to bring their apps up to date for compatibility with this new phone.
Click to expand...

I really hope, no one will update their apps to support the phone with a notch... because apps updated to support the notch are apps showing huge empty space with phones without notches, humps, bulges, swellings..
 
mrex said:
I really hope, no one will update their apps to support the phone with a notch... because apps updated to support the notch are apps showing huge empty space with phones without notches, humps, bulges, swellings..
Click to expand...

Nothing prevents a compile that displays in a manner optimized for each particular display, just as apps were updated to display without scaling on the 6/6s/7 Plus models.
 
jk73 said:
I just updated to 11.1 from the last version of 10.x a couple days ago, and my biggest takeaway so far is that there seems to be way too much wasted screen space.

On an iPhone 7, it seems like the top 20% of the screen in any given native app is lost to a huge header and a search box. If I open Mail, I get a huge "Inbox" banner and the search box. If I open Messages, I get a huge "Messages" header and the search box. If I open Settings, I get a huge "Settings" header and the search box. (I just clicked on Settings. Why do I need to be reminded I'm in Settings?)

Is this really progress? Was anyone clamoring for this? Have these devices made people so scatterbrained that they need to be reminded where they clicked one second ago?
Click to expand...

You’re late to the party for hating on iOS 11 but welcome anyway. If only it were fat headers to contend with.
 
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FelixDerKater said:
Nothing prevents a compile that displays in a manner optimized for each particular display, just as apps were updated to display without scaling on the 6/6s/7 Plus models.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, when there is an easy way, it is used... even apple itself has gone the easy way and ios/apple apps look ****** on my 6S+. It is like, ”why did they hit enter to add extra line on the top.”
 
jk73 said:
I just updated to 11.1 from the last version of 10.x a couple days ago, and my biggest takeaway so far is that there seems to be way too much wasted screen space.

On an iPhone 7, it seems like the top 20% of the screen in any given native app is lost to a huge header and a search box. If I open Mail, I get a huge "Inbox" banner and the search box. If I open Messages, I get a huge "Messages" header and the search box. If I open Settings, I get a huge "Settings" header and the search box. (I just clicked on Settings. Why do I need to be reminded I'm in Settings?)

Is this really progress? Was anyone clamoring for this? Have these devices made people so scatterbrained that they need to be reminded where they clicked one second ago?
Click to expand...
Agreed.

One of the only MR posts of last few weeks I absolutely agree with.
iOS design team must be 'fully baked' < added reference for my geeeeekkssss where ya attt? :apple:
 
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The wasted white space in iOS 11 is awful design. To make matters worse, some of the large headers (the one in Mail.app), don't even align with Apple's own design guidelines (Header margins should align with the search box below it). Despite 10 betas, a public release, 3 .0 updates, 5 .1 betas, and .1 public release that hasn't been fixed.
Even if it was fixed the amount of wasted space is embarrassing and even worse on the iPhone X, especially in the Messages app. I work in a creative studio and I'd be in big trouble if I let this leave my office for an internal review, never mind public release.
 
Thanks for the replies. I'm glad it's not just me. I was puzzled when I first started using 11.1 and saw all of the wasted space.
 
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jk73 said:
...

Is this really progress? ...
Click to expand...

Yes it looks much easier on the eye the bold heading contrasts nicely with the small type. In messages the heading disappears when you scroll up. Also the search box is hidden unless you pull it down.
 
-BigMac- said:
Much easier on the eyes???
Yeh maybe if youre 80... can see those headings from the moon
Click to expand...

Er... 'easier on the eyes' does not refer to the type being large, it refers to the balance and layout but then you must know that because I refer to the balance of the small type and large heading being nice, so I guess you're just trolling.
 
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inscrewtable said:
Er... 'easier on the eyes' does not refer to the type being large, it refers to the balance and layout but then you must know that because I refer to the balance of the small type and large heading being nice, so I guess you're just trolling.
Click to expand...
Youre vast minority who thinks the huge font size difference is nice.
Theres a Heading, then theres a Heading.

Take your lame 10/20 vision excuses and reasoning elsewhere brah. Or make your own thread about how your minority's ideal font size is the best thing in iOS :)
 
-BigMac- said:
Youre vast minority who thinks the huge font size difference is nice.
Theres a Heading, then theres a Heading.
Click to expand...

Oh the irony, the larger type that you meant to look bad actually looks better as long as it's just a word or two, which is how Apple use it. You'd do better to learn about typography....

https://designschool.canva.com/blog/typeface-fonts/
https://3.7designs.co/blog/2008/06/10-examples-of-beautiful-css-typography-and-how-they-did-it/
https://designshack.net/articles/typography/creating-visual-hierarchy-with-typography/

type-hierarchy-1b-tb-1060x0.png
 
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inscrewtable said:
Oh the irony, the larger type that you meant to look bad actually looks better as long as it's just a word or two, which is how Apple use it. You'd do better to learn about typography....

https://designschool.canva.com/blog/typeface-fonts/
https://3.7designs.co/blog/2008/06/10-examples-of-beautiful-css-typography-and-how-they-did-it/
https://designshack.net/articles/typography/creating-visual-hierarchy-with-typography/

type-hierarchy-1b-tb-1060x0.png
Click to expand...
Thats not an accurate representation of iOS.
under your "Much Better" image, there is 4 different font sizes being used for the heading and the subheadings and then the body.

This is not how iOS is using the headings.
If you saw the "Limited Hierachy" example with a large heading, in bold. it would look beyond stupid with the size difference between that and the body.
 
-BigMac- said:
This is not how iOS is using the headings.
Click to expand...

It's exactly how iOS use it. In Mail for example there is the Inbox main heading in large type and bold, next you see half size that is bold which is used for the sender's name, next they use a third level of smaller heavy type, then they use a final level of the same size but lighter grey to preview more of the message.

And if you check through the links you'll also find example of just two levels huge bold headings usually in C+LC and then a normal size smaller font, it's all through the three links.

Further think for a minute, you are a random internet person who for some reason has decided to troll me, but you're not really trolling me you're trolling Apple. Jobs has made a very very big deal about typography from the very beginning of Apple and that has never left. That's why they design their own fonts when necessary, Apple would be crammed with the type of people that I've worked with who absolutely obsess about type to an unhealthy level. Do you reckon you understand more about type than Apple?


kyle-penn.jpg
 
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Is this guy being serious? Why do we need massive headings for apps we just clicked into?
 
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