The iPhone Design

The content of this video, while outdated, is interesting because the iPhone has been such a pivotal example of interface design, especially for small screens. The iPhone has done what would have seemed impossible several years ago. It has turned a 3.5″ tall screen into a user-friendly computer. And the design, when I stop to think about it, really is very well-done.

However, I think the critiques offered by Edward Tufte are lacking in many ways. The only real arguments he brings up are the “cartoony” designs of the weather app and stock app. While I do see where he’s coming from, I don’t necessarily see it as a failure in design. The iPhone interface took information widely used by the general public and simplified it into sensible information. While Tufte does give credit here, I was left a little unsure about what he saw as shortcomings of the interface.

I do however agree with the point he drove home. And that point is of the elegance of the design to make information on such a small screen incredibly user friendly. He points out the slide feature and exemplifies that the interface has achieved in organizing the hierarchy of information. I took a look at iOS7 after the video, and the stock app and weather app have both changed a lot. They have incorporated the sliding feature to include more information while keeping it simple and elegant. I’d be curious to see his updated critique on the new operating system.