Why do you prefer the new UI? I can make a list of reasons why it's bad. The only reason I can see why anyone would prefer it is because it looks "cleaner", but that cleanness is artificial and gets in the way when trying to parse and use the software.
A good UI designer makes buttons look like buttons so our brain can quickly recognize them as such, without mistaking them for something else. A good designer has the window title in the same place no matter the application, so we know where to look before we even look. A good designer gives us a place to reliably perform common actions such as dragging the window.
We use our computers daily, and even imperceptible improvements to cognitive load and the amount of time it takes to perform actions make a difference over time. When I use my 2009 iMac running Snow Leaoprd, I perceive a reduction in friction compared to the latest macOS versions, and even compared to Catalina, which I use as my primary OS.
> but that cleanness is artificial and gets in the way when trying to parse and use the software.
I really don't agree. When software/UIs were simpler, the buttons screaming loudly "I AM A BUTTON!" worked. Now it quickly gets way too busy. It was important when almost everybody was a computer novice and couldn't detect subtle hints and conventions about what is a button and what isn't. Now? Not as much.
Look at screenshots of older iTunes vs Apple Music. I can feel absolutely no difference in how fast my eyes finds play/pause buttons. I don't need borders around the icons when there's not a whole bunch of skeuomorphic noise around them, such that there being any visual complexity at all (icon itself) instantly grabs attention. I really can't see a single thing I think the old iTunes interface does better for common use cases. Not that the old iTunes was bad per se, just a different UI for a different time.
I agree that often UI designers go too far, but I think you can see a bit of back and forth going on, trying to tune into the perfect balance of simplicity and clear signaling.
Obviously, everyone is different. So it's not going to be perfect for everybody no matter which way they do it.
I'm running a copy of iTunes 8 right now, and I disagree.
I also disagree that the old style of design is less suited towards complicated software. Apple's iWork software feels like it's suffered the most in terms of usability as a result of modern UI design.
Humans evolved in a world where things have depth, light and shadows. Even you admit that back when user interfaces were designed with that in mind, those interfaces were more friendly to novices. By ignoring these aspects of our visual perception, you're requiring prior knowledge on the part of the user, while simultaneously making it difficult to acquire that knowledge. That's not a good thing, even if you assert that "flat" interfaces are no worse once you get used to them (which I clearly disagree with).
>The only reason I can see why anyone would prefer it is because it looks "cleaner", but that cleanness is artificial and gets in the way when trying to parse and use the software.
That's... your opinion, though. I don't particularly feel any friction when trying to navigate or use modern macOS, at least from a usability perspective.
Even the example everyone throws about - the settings redesign - I fundamentally don't find to be that bad. It follows modern UI trends so I can intuit how it works, thus if I needed to poke around to find something I'm not really left wondering how to do so.
On top of that, it's not a tool you're in constantly, and as long as there's a search box, you're probably going to use that anyway as a power user. I don't even think I've tried stumbling around the mess that's System Preferences recently, I just straight up head for the search bar.
>We use our computers daily, and even imperceptible improvements to cognitive load and the amount of time it takes to perform actions make a difference over time.
I've been using macOS since... Leopard or Snow Leopard, ish. The adjustments over the years haven't ever thrown me for more than a few minutes. I preferred the skeuomorphic UI trend for a variety of reasons (of which nostalgia is included at this point) but I think modern macOS/iOS has found a decent line to ride.
A good UI designer makes buttons look like buttons so our brain can quickly recognize them as such, without mistaking them for something else. A good designer has the window title in the same place no matter the application, so we know where to look before we even look. A good designer gives us a place to reliably perform common actions such as dragging the window.
We use our computers daily, and even imperceptible improvements to cognitive load and the amount of time it takes to perform actions make a difference over time. When I use my 2009 iMac running Snow Leaoprd, I perceive a reduction in friction compared to the latest macOS versions, and even compared to Catalina, which I use as my primary OS.