Note
Happy Friday!
Welcome back to UI Designer Weekly!
I hope you've had a mellow and inspiring week. I've been excited to highlight Apple COVID-19 in this week's issue. Anytime there is a new app from Apple, there is an opportunity to learn something new and explore the cutting edge of interface design. This is an especially unique one because of the pressure and importance to get an app like this right. I found a lot of things about the app to be interesting and thoughtful.
I hope you find something this week that spurs a thought and can be mixed into your work.
P.S. Is there an app that you think has beautiful widgets in iOS 14? Send it in and we can do a UI Designer Weekly reader's choice round-up!
Widgets can be designed to be so beautiful, compact, and informative. I can't wait to see what you all have been enjoying. Send a screenshot or a link on Twitter.
New Standards
Designing for Comfort When There's No Time
Question-and-answer screens, info cards, and a pick-your-own-path experience create a beautiful, clear, comforting, and informative environment in Apple COVID-19. A clear border highlight and checkmark are displayed on selected answers which require an additional tap to be confirmed. You can move backward to easily return to an earlier question. Each of your responses is presented in plain bullets when you are done. Information about social distancing, taking care of yourself, taking care of others, and more is organized, easy to navigate, and displayed with a light touch of headings, font styles, cards, and illustrations.
Dial in a Good Night's Sleep
A beautiful, interactive arc sits around the clock in Health on iOS 14. Touch and drag either end of the arc to move bedtime or wake up. Touch and drag the center of the arc to shift the entire sleep goal. A textbook example of great hierarchy between text, shapes, and other elements, and of a special interface created to help people use something in a new way.
A Showcase for Files and Design Alike
Your files can be shown as icons, in lists, and in columns in Files on iPadOS 14. An abundance of design decisions go into something as seemingly (but not truly) simple as a file browser. Files is a great reference for how to use visual elements and somebody's own personal content effectively.
Spotted
You Had Me at Visual Elements in the Corner
An inspiring design that brings unique character in Halide. Interactive elements and information built for pros is presented in novel ways, such as in the corners of the iPhone beside the notch. Halide allows photographers to customize their layout with a familiar jiggle-mode interface. This is a great example of reusing something that people will likely recognize and already be comfortable with. Halide also does a great job of keeping the more advanced options behind small, easy-to-access buttons and levels of exploring the app.
Stay a While
Airbnb presents a bar that stays at the bottom of the screen over the rest of the content when you are learning more about a place. The primary action that somebody could take from here (making a reservation) sits in this bar with a button and some nicely-sized summary info. This helps keep these elements visible and easy to act on whereas, without this persistent bar, they would quickly be left off-screen as people start to scroll.
