Did Apple make a UX mistake with Dynamic Island?
All of us have seen Apple’s new feature “Dynamic Island”. It looks like a wonderful update which makes the iPhone one step forward in comparison with its competitors. Apple users are excited about the clean and neat design solution of messages on the top part of the screen which pop-up in different circumstances.But wait a second! Is it really an amazing thing that makes interaction easier?
Let’s see how it works.
Steven Hoober who coined the term “thumb zone” argues in this book (Designing Mobile Interfaces) about the research identifying common zones used by users mostly for thumb placement.
Apple placed a dynamic island on top of the screen which is impossible to reach by thumb without adjusting the phone.
Dynamic Island gets into area where it’s not an easy task to use the feature every time a message pops-up.
One more reason why Dynamic Island has a UX deficiency is that users can touch on camera lens while they are interacting with notifications or interactive messages. Actually it’s hard to see the camera lens. It can cause a blurred image and users struggle with constant cleaning of lenses.
So what we have learned from here?
Mobile devices and touchscreen technology will change, but thumb zone will still remain relevant which should be considered by massive companies like Apple.
