The Window Chrome of Our Discontent
a day ago
- #Apple
- #MacOS
- #UI Design
- Design evolution in Mac OS X Lion focused on minimizing UI elements to highlight content.
- Apple's design language in Yosemite (2014) aimed for clearer controls and streamlined toolbars to focus on content.
- Big Sur (2020) and MacOS Tahoe with Liquid Glass continued the trend of reducing visual complexity to emphasize content.
- Microsoft's Metro and Fluent Design languages similarly prioritize content over UI chrome.
- Critique of Apple's approach: blending UI into documents may increase distraction rather than reduce it.
- Comparison of Pages across MacOS versions shows a loss of UI element differentiation and increased distraction.
- Liquid Glass design introduces more contrast but still blends toolbar with document, reducing UI clarity.
- Use of color in newer versions of Pages guides users to premium features rather than aiding task completion.
- Suggestion for Apple to explore more variables in UI design to better differentiate tools and document space.