So your thinking... Shouldn't the future be simple and easy apps because people as time goes want to do less and produce more.
I will respond in a way that will change your point of view in the situation. It's going to be a long article, if you don't want to read go to the bullet points section at the end 👍
A trip to the past
It's 2007 and the world is watching Steve Jobs introducing the first ever smartphone "The iPhone". When it is announced we are introduced to mobile apps, applications conceived to small devices with a 9:16 ratio that work by touch
The first apps are designed with an UI that mimics the real world with a REALLY complicated name "Skeuomorphism". This was the default option in the time because it made people familiar with the buttons and shapes because they were similar to the everyday life objects
Then the company's start changing the design because there's always room to innovate so they come up with flat design. Flat design doesn't mimic the real world but makes everything easier to draw and simple to see
For example let's say you are designing a calculator app logo, you have two options:
- The option of "Skeuomorphism design" (the left one)
- The option of "Flat design" (the right one)
Maybe you chose flat or maybe you chose skeuomorphism but that's not the thing in discussion, the thing is that we can all agree that the first option seems outdated. Why is that? Well obvious, it was introduced first and then replaced.
Why are we talking about the mobile app UI history?
This introduction was to show that the landscape always evolves, for better or for worse it always evolves.
The UI is a thing that matters a lot in an app and the way the industry is moving is hinting to a new shift...
The AI User Interface
AI is a thing that's coming to stay. Whether you like it or not it's true.
As the AI evolves it starts to do a lot of things maybe even too much. This means that some apps in the future could be just a text box or a text voice input and it does the thing for you.
This idea is not made by me... Apple it self is encouraging developers to implement a new feature in their IOS apps called
And now you're going to say: "App intents just allows Siri to do actions of the app but the apps still have UI"
And that's correct but I don't doubt that maybe just MAYBE we could see a future that an app is just a App intent and you just say Siri to do a thing and it does the action of the app
Of course this is speculation but it could happen 🤷
The main point
So are simple apps the future? Yes and No
If a simple app is just an AI doing an action, me personally I don't like that future
If a simple app is an app with simple UI and simple UX that the user does the essential and it gets the job done, I don't see it in a bad way but there's some flaws:
If you want the user to do the bare minimum or the essential the app becomes less exciting because there's just one thing or two to do and it does the rest. But why is this a bad thing?
Me as a user of a website or app I want to use it, experiment and maybe try new things in the app. I like to have settings and experiment but not too much. Just the essential...
So this comes to a conclusion of three ways:
Or you have a SIMPLE app that is an AI doing an action and nothing else
Or you have a simple app that has the essential features and settings to keep the user excited to use the app. They may or may not have AI to assist but isn't the main way to interact
Or you have a complex app with a lot of features and settings that keeps the user excited but can be a little overwhelming without the right tutorial
What is the right way? It's in the title "A Choice"
Bullet points ⏱️
- App design has evolved from skeuomorphism to flat design
- AI User Interfaces may represent the next major shift in app design
- Apple's App Intents feature hints at a potential future of voice-controlled apps
- The article presents three potential futures for app design:
- AI-driven apps with minimal UI
- Simple apps with essential features that may or may not have an AI assist
- Complex apps with numerous features
- The "right" approach depends on user preferences and specific use cases
- The future of app design involves balancing simplicity, functionality, and user engagement
- AI integration in apps raises questions about the role of traditional UI elements
- The evolution of app design impacts both users and developers
Ignore
I'm the developer of the app "QuickCoords". It combines simplicity with accuracy and presents a simple way to calculate and navigate to coordinates. See more in: https://rodriveiga01.github.io/quickCoords_website/
Thank you for reading the article 😁
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