Edward Tufte hammers home the importance and need for good design. Without it, functionality as well as the maximization of space is compromised throughout smartphone designs. Tufte makes his point at the end of the video when he states “To clarify, add detail. Imagine that. To clarify, add detail.”
That is the basic principle he pushes, and based on his evaluation of the original iPhone interface, despite some flaws, Apple clearly placed a heavy emphasis on the design aspect of the interface. They managed to accomplish this without slighting users with less information or text. That is where Tufte gives Apple a tip of his hat.
“Clutter and overload are not an attribute of information they are failures of design. If the information is in chaos don’t start throwing out information, instead fix the design and that is what exactly the iPhone platform has done.”
Apple has continued to stay true to its creed for great design, and has made that the forefront of what makes the iPhone the most sought after smartphone, even with the creation and emergence of other products in the market.
Tufte’s keen eye to design and what could improve the interface, or what already has, introduces areas to people like myself just learning how to look at products through a design-driven lens.
12 Responses to iPhone Interface Design – Edward Tufte