On Dynamic Island

I wrote this short memo when Dynamic Island came out. As of today I still agree on most of it, and I now have similar thoughts on Liquid Glass.

Dynamic Island is a clever compromise, but not good design. I’ve been thinking about this intuition for a while, and only now have I managed to develop a more complete answer.

Again, I’m reminded of two of Dieter Rams’ Ten Principles of Good Design, which strike at the heart of the matter:

• Good design is unobtrusive
• Good design is long-lasting

In what is clearly a compromise with physical limitations, Dynamic Island at least manages to be honest and beautiful (in a certain sense, as I’ll explain). But it is ultimately destined not to last.

Flashy design is one of the hallmarks of this era. It reminds users of coolness, individuality, vibrancy, uniqueness. At the same time, the excessive visual effects of Dynamic Island pull my attention — whether subtly or overtly — away from the content and toward what should have remained in the background.

But are these effects so useful, that we are willing to pay the price of extra visual distraction? I’m not sure what problem they are really solving. Do I need an intrusive indicator light? Or even further — do I need animations (to tell me where an app has gone)?

Since iPhone X’s Fluid UI, we have Dynamic Island and now Liquid Glass. In related areas like squircles replacing rounded corners, or the iPadOS cursor animation, we can see Apple’s fondness for and pursuit of a more physically grounded UI. This has, of course, solved many problems and inspired the industry greatly. But it’s also led to a different kind of design pursuit that doesn’t necessarily lead to better outcomes.

Let me try to explain this more clearly:

Good design isn’t just about referencing the physical world or simulating it with realistic rendering technology. It is also a work of art. It must pursue beauty (Good design is aesthetic). And beauty can be attractive — or even “ugly”. But at its core, beauty requires emotion, and emotion is personal. We shouldn’t be afraid to break away from the rules of the physical world. Don’t fear icons that aren’t smooth. Don’t fear animations that aren’t perfectly fluid. Create the design that you believe is better. I miss the reflective metal screw textures from older versions of iOS sliders, because I could sense the taste of the person who made that design.

A story I remembered comes from a talk by designer Jaskni: At a time when many people were accustomed to using square (cornered) quotation marks 「」 instead of “”, he was no exception. One day, a friend asked him why he went out of his way to emphasize the quoted content in that manner. It was then he realized that using those square quotation marks wasn’t only about standards, aesthetics, or even personal preference — it served an uncommon yet distinct visual function in that language context. It highlighted and emphasized the design itself, becoming a kind of unconscious kitsch.

I think this story comes very close to the essence of design.