There is always a big buzz on how the new iPhone 8 (7s or “X”) will look like. This year everyone discusses if it will be made of the glass again, or if the physical home button will disappear. What’s also important is the fact that the new iOS will transform. It will have to cooperate with all the changes done in the physical design of the Device. Let’s consider how the new release of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system may look like. There are some predictions which suggest that iOS 11 will introduce revolutionary changes.
More Gestures
If Apple will decide to remove the home button, the iOS creators will have to implement digital replacements of this physical element. We may have seen that every next generation of iPhone OS introduces more and more gestures to perform different actions. This may be a conscious decision that leads us to the moment where home button will be removed. I suppose this trend will continue even further and will have it’s culmination when all physical buttons on the device will disappear.
More space for the UI of the app
Bigger screen and probably a bit different proportions of the new device will create new possibilities for UI designer that may delight us with fresh ideas. New UI patterns will probably revealed and the way we use our app will evolve. Keep your mind open when Tim Cook will be introducing iOS in WWDC 2017.
Application elements surface textures
Taptic engine technology will surely evolve. Users will be able to feel elements not only when they tap on particular button. This means that iOS may introduce the possibility of simulating texture of the touched elements, thanks to subtle vibrations. This may move the User Experience of mobile apps into the next level.
Dark side of the UI
The OLED display consumes less energy while presenting dark elements in the screen. Current release of the iOS is mainly white. This will possibly change when the new iPhone will have build in the new type of display. The logical move from the Apple will be introducing the dark or even black version of the graphical user interface.
Refined UI Style
The flat design was introduced in iOS 7. However, Apple is constantly improving UI to make it even more convenient to use. When the first flat UI of iPhone OS was introduced it has lots of lines in UI elements. Next generations, the 9th and 10th mobile OS versions, show that iOS is evolving into platform with UI introducing more shapes with solid fill. The reason of this decision is following: UI elements designed this way are more convenient to recognize in our minds than ones with outlines. I also suppose that iOS may become a bit more three-dimensional. However, this will be not the return of skeuomorphism.
The Post-app reality… with apps
One of the major features of the iOS 10 is the list of interactive widgets. This introduces a fresh concept of the system with cards’ stream that are elements of the services and apps. There is no need to launch them to get most useful data, because they are presented on widgets. This is the post-app reality. iOS 11 creators will probably continue developing the new possibilities of the idea. How it may look like? It is hard to imagine it in the moment, but it is important to be aware of the changes. Apps will remain the most valuable elements of the iPhone, but the form of their presentation and use cases will transform. Mobile solutions will not have to be launched by pressing the icon. They will be integrated with mobile OS in the better way.
Summing up
This year we will be witness of the revolutionary change in the iOS. The new fresh possibilities for the mobile app designers and developers will come. The list of the ideas mentioned above are only predictions. What is almost sure – iOS 11 will be a new chapter in Mobile era.
If you have more ideas what Apple may reveal to us with introduction of iOS 11 and the new iPhone, feel free to share them with other readers.
