Optimal iPhone UI
I was asked via email:
It’s my job to research user interfaces and what makes a successful UI. My two conclusions I’ve come to so far are that UIs need to be invisible and familiar.
I was hoping you may have something to add, from your perspective, about what makes an optimal UI.
The “invisible” bit gets most of the way there for my taste.
As a user, I hate buttons and toolbars and sliders and panels and drawers and splash screens and instructional screens and settings screens. In short, I hate UI. I want to notice it as little as possible.
Although I am by no means a designer, I am extremely interested in UI design. The conclusion I came to a couple years ago is simply this:
The best user interface is one that you don’t have to think about.
This, I reckon, is why the iPhone has done so well, and the iPad is—in the minds of many—likely to as well.
