Below, let's take a look at the changes of iOS 7 and iOS 6 from the aspects of system UI design concept, icon style changes and new functions.
design concept
A more environment-sensitive interface
Let's not talk about the most obvious simple flat changes of programs and icons. The biggest feature of the new user interface comes from its adaptability to the complex external environment. For example, the iOS 7 system can use its own accelerometer to adjust the interface according to the user's time difference angle, which Jonathan calls "adding new secrets"; At the same time, the new system can also make use of the built-in light sensor of the mobile phone, so that icons and backgrounds can automatically adapt to different light intensities, which is convenient for users to identify the screen. In addition, more interestingly, the text and color of the control panel can be automatically adjusted according to the color of the theme background picture.
Interface delamination and depth
Although the icons and application details of the whole system are simplified, the bottom layer of the system where they are located has become more complicated. First of all, the new icon and text are not in a single icon button, and the new Helvetica Neue ultra-light font adopted by iOS 7 is displayed directly on the screen. Although it looks more concise and intuitive, it faces greater challenges in graphic design. Because graphics help users locate text floating in space, buttons cannot be used as reference positions.
In addition, the screen itself also presents a multi-layer effect with dense images. From the above three-dimensional projection, we can see three very clear levels. The background picture is the bottom layer, the application is the middle layer, and the top layer is the panel layer with fuzzy effect, which serves as the background of the control center. Jonathan also said that multi-layer design will also bring a new texture to users.
Font change
The newly enabled Helvetica new ultra-light font is a new simplified version of the original iOS standard font Helvetica, and the new font is also a Helvetica font. The variant ultra-light font has become a "classic font" in the computer age. In the iOS system, Neue fonts look clean and elegant.
However, the ultra-light use of iOS 7 system is accompanied by a lot of use risks. In many backgrounds, ultra-light fonts are difficult to identify. If iOS doesn't have a border and background where fonts were placed before, fonts can easily darken. Although this font is beautiful on a blurred background, if the user changes the background, trouble may come.
Subversive change of icon style
Let's take a look at the comparison chart of icon changes between iOS 6 and iOS 7 systems.
On the surface, the biggest difference between iOS 7 system and iOS 6 system comes from the change of icons. The icon of the new system completely adopts the "flat" simple and clean design style, thus giving up the local three-dimensional design that was very textured before. From a certain point of view, Apple abandoned the famous skeuomorphic style and started a flat icon design, which is somewhat close to the style of Microsoft Windows Phone system.
In fact, the flattening and simplification of the entire iOS 7 system is not limited to application icons. The UI of the whole new system has also reduced a lot of decorations, which has changed Apple's previous quasi-physical design. In layman's terms, it is Apple's "aesthetic transformation".