Design Criticism: Does macOS Tahoe break Apple's principles?
Apple's latest design change in macOS Tahoe, adding an icon to every menu item, is causing discussions. Criticism is primarily coming from developers.
The new menu design in macOS Tahoe is facing criticism. Some find it too cluttered.
(Image: heise medien)
Discussions about Apple's latest design changes are not abating: after criticism of the Liquid Glass design and new app icons, the focus is now on the change in macOS Tahoe to add an icon to every menu item. Berlin-based software developer Nikita Prokopov has explained in a blog post that Apple is thus contradicting its own clear design principles, which the company first outlined in writing in 1992.
According to Prokopov, the Human Interface Guidelines stated that the number of graphical elements should be limited to improve usability. Too many complex icons would overload the interface. Prokopov argues that icons are actually meant to help find things faster – but if every element has an icon, nothing stands out anymore.
Different icons for the same functions
Apple's design team, until recently led by Alan Dye, has apparently come to different conclusions in the course of redesigning the operating systems. Whether Dye's departure to Meta or user feedback will lead to improvements in future versions is not yet foreseeable.
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The criticism from the Berlin-based software developer, which is shared by the American Apple blogger John Gruber, goes even further: in the blog post, illustrated with numerous examples, he further explains that Apple uses different icons for the same functions in its software. This is inconsistent and a poor design implementation, criticizes Prokopov. Furthermore, familiar system symbols such as those for keyboard shortcuts are used in other contexts in some places, which confuses users. Other icons consist only of text, making it impossible to clearly distinguish where the icon ends and the text begins.
Broad criticism from designers
Differences that are too subtle, too many details in too little space, confusing metaphors, and a lack of symmetry are also being criticized. The designer and programmer Jim Nielsen comes to similar conclusions in his own blog post. He is "tired of all the visual noise," he complains, and points out that Apple has repeatedly reaffirmed its stance on this issue in later versions of the Interface Guidelines.
Gruber expresses the view that "no real UI or icon designer" thinks the change is a good idea. The well-known author and podcaster is a declared critic of Alan Dye, under whose direction Apple has made the biggest design change in years.
(mki)
