Yosemite,
the latest release of Apple’s OS X operating system, introduces some
radical design changes. What iOS 7 did for the iPhone, OS X Yosemite
will do for Mac. Fortunately for users, many of the changes are merely
visual with the underlying functions remaining the same.
Some
changes, such as the new system font and flatter user interface, change
how OS X feels but are not immediately obvious if you don’t know what to
look for. Others like the brighter, bolder folder and Dock icons are
impossible to miss.
In this tutorial, I’ll show you the design changes that Apple has made and flag any accompanying functional changes.
Apple’s Evolving Design Philosophy
Under Steve Jobs, Apple’s design was characterised by skeumorphism—the idea that digital objects should resemble their physical counterparts. For example, the Notes app resembled a textured notepad and, most famously, the iCal app had a faux-leather design inspired by Jobs’ private jet.
Skeumorphism
has the benefit of familiarity. Someone familiar with the physical
object, but not with the digital alternative, can still recognise its
form and function. Apple under Jobs, however, took it to extremes and
was justifiably criticised for it.
After Jobs’ death, Scott
Forstall was, amongst other things, responsible for software design. For
a few years he continued Apple’s skeumorphic philosophy. In 2012,
Forstall left Apple following the controversy surrounding the release of
Apple Maps with iOS 6. Rather than being directly replaced, his duties
were divided with the head of hardware design, Jony Ive, assuming
responsibility for software design as well.
Ive was largely
responsible for the sleek and minimalist hardware design associated with
Apple. With the assumption of software design duties as well, he set
about introducing the same philosophies to iOS and OS X. The release of
iOS 7 was the first iteration of this new philosophy. iOS 7 removed many
of the criticised skeumorphic elements. The introduction of elements
like transparency, layering and bright bold colours were some of the
more obvious changes.
OS X Yosemite does for OS X what iOS 7 did
for iOS; it’s Jony Ive trying to align Apple’s hardware and software
design philosophies.
The New System Font: Helvetica Neue
Until Yosemite the system font on OS X was Lucida Grande. iOS on the other hand used Helvetica or, more recently, Helvetica Neue. With Yosemite, Apple is unifying the system font across the two platforms. Yosemite now uses Helvetica Neue.
The
difference between the Lucida Grande and Helvetica Neue is subtle.
Primarily, Helvetica Neue uses lighter line weights and tighter
kerning—the spacing between the characters—which makes it appear smaller
at the same font size. Lucida Grande and Helvetica Neue at the same font size.
Transparent Everything
While
previous versions of OS X favoured textured backgrounds, Yosemite
features lots of transparency. Everything from the menubar to
application sidebars now have some measure of transparency. Rather than
using single coloured backgrounds, the transparent backgrounds favoured
by Apple use the colours from whatever is behind the active window and
blur it so that it is as if it is being viewed through an unfocused
lens.
While many of the changes in Yosemite represent Apple moving
towards a flatter design, the introduction of transparency maintains
the concept of depth that runs throughout the operating system—it is
still possible for a window to be above another. The default desktop in Yosemite showing the transparency in the menus and Dock.
Bold Colours
Yosemite
also represents a move towards bolder colours. Nowhere is this clearer
than the new Folder icons. The shade of aqua is significantly more
vibrant than that in previous versions of OS X. The move towards bolder
colours is consistent throughout the operating system; all the highlight
colours and selections on the user interface are brighter and bolder
too. The more vibrant folder icons are the most obvious signs of Apple's move to brighter colours. Note the old Dropbox folder icon.
New Dock Icons
As
with iOS 7, one of Yosemite’s more obvious changes is the introduction
of completely redesigned Dock icons. All the icons showcase the brighter
and bolder colour palate and overall flatter design philosophy. Some of the new Dock icons in Yosemite.
A Flatter User Interface
Apple
has also flattened the user interface. While not totally removed, there
are fewer shadows and gradients throughout the operating system. Things
like buttons and checkboxes no longer have the same stylised depth they
did.
Traffic Lights
Like all the
other user interface elements, Apple’s distinctive traffic lights have
under gone a revision. While the majority of changes are just visual,
the traffic lights also have a functional change.
I’ve written before about the inconsistent behaviour of the green traffic light
and Apple has been listening. The green traffic light now opens an app
in fullscreen by default. While not exactly the same behaviour, it is at
least consistent.
Notification Centre
Another area where there is both a visual and a functional change is Notification Centre. Like everything else, the Notification Centre is now transparent. Rather than moving the main interface to the left, it slides out over the top.
The Notification Centre will now also be home to widgets from Apple, and third-party, apps; they are visually and functionally similar to those available in iOS 8. The Notification Centre has had both visual and functional changes.
Built-in Apps
Most of Apple’s built in apps have also been given an interface overhaul. The worst remaining skeumorphism in apps like Notes and Reminders has been removed and they’ve been given a full visual update.
Even apps that were relatively modern to begin with, like Maps and Messages, have had some interface elements changed. Safari has also been given an updated interface. The non-skeumorphic Notes and Reminders apps.
New Spotlight
Spotlight
has been completely overhauled, both visually and functionally. As well
as searching the Mac, it can now search external sites like Google and Wikipedia. While not as fully featured as a task manager like Launchbar it is a welcome addition to OS X. The new Spotlight app in Yosemite can search third-party sites.
Conclusion
In
this article I’ve taken you through some of the major design changes
that come to OS X with the release of Yosemite. They represent a
unification of the hardware and software design philosophies, and also,
the increasing convergence of the OS X and iOS design philosophies.
Most
of the changes are purely visual so the learning curve for most OS X
users should not be steep. Personally, I quite like the changes but
would love to hear other people’s opinions in the comments.
TDasany
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