The Disappearing Hardware Design
Manufacturers who immerse us in apps by making everything but the screen melt away are on to something
Whenever you look at an iPhone, you know it’s an iPhone by the Apple brandishing on the back. Nexus Logos adorning the back of Google’s flagships tell you that’s what the device it is.
Other than that, there is absolutely nothing telling you about the design of these devices. iPhones, iPads, the Nexus 5, and the Nexus 7 are all incredibly understated devices. Yes, Apple has their Apple flair. But in actuality, there isn’t anything loud about their designs(minus the 5C, which I believe will be short lived). You look at the Lumia family, they live for their loud color that matches their loud and colorful OS. Take the Samsung Galaxy line: Carrier branding, multiple Samsung logos around the front and back of the device. Samsung is desperately trying to let you know that their device is indeed a Samsung. Samsung is already a company with strong brand recognition, obviously this approach is part of that. But you look at Apple and Google(and subsequently, Motorola), and you notice their approach. Let the device fade into the background and take me to the experience.
Great software can cause the device you’re holding in your hand to melt away and leave you immersed in whatever you’re doing, whether that be an app, game, or video. The ability to make the device you’re holding disappear because of the rich content or design of an app is a rare feat to accomplish. It all starts with the hardware. The iPad, iPhone and Nexus line of devices are great examples of hardware design that can cause the device to melt away while you immerse yourself in the software experience.
Great software can cause the device you’re holding in your hand to melt away and leave you immersed in whatever you’re doing
With hardware in mind to reach this great experience, manufacturers have put a few design elements in place in order to allow you to be fully immersed in what you’re doing. The first, one that Steve Jobs was incredibly adamant with carriers with, is the lack of carrier branding on the front of the device. The lack of having anything prominent on the front of the device sets a standard without even turning the screen on, because it allows the screen to speak for itself, being the focal point of the device. The Verizon Galaxy Note 2 is a prime example of what is wrong with manufacturers and carriers. Samsung has their logo emblazoned on the top of the device, for brand recognition. For some reason, on the physical home button, there is a Verizon logo. That creates a loud, annoying experience right from the beginning. The Nexus line of devices, much like iOS devices, does a great job with hardware as well. Google implemented a design standard for software home, multitasking, and back buttons with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. (ICS also brought tabbed UI, allowing you to swipe between menu and other elements in the app.) This causes the front of the device to have nothing but screen. Apple and Google have both come to the understanding that software is what drives user adoption and satisfaction. They also know that for the most immersive experience, it starts with understated hardware.
When it comes to software, developers have grown their apps to follow a design standard defined by the OS it runs on. For Android, using the “hamburger UI” for menus and sliding in from the left or right for settings and notifications is great for Android, and all core Google apps abide by these standards. Apple uses an in-app navigation bar allowing you to go backwards or forwards depending on where you are, giving you a great sense of location in all your apps.
Apple and Google have crafted their particular mobile OS experiences to be the star of the show. System hardware changes yearly, but their software is refined much more intentionally with many devices in mind. Apple wants you to have a consistent, reliable experience that doesn’t change from iPhone to iPhone, iPad to iPhone, and so on. Google wants you to be able to pick up your Nexus 7, write a Google Keep reminder, hit the road with your Nexus 5 in your pocket, and be reminded of what you wrote on your Nexus 7 an hour ago.
TouchWiz and Sense(Samsung and HTC’s respective skins that overlay the Android version that runs on their devices) simply don’t offer the type of unity that Stock Android and iOS provide. Samsung has far too many devices with features activated on some and not others, while HTC tablets don’t exist anymore.
Consistency in experience is what drives users back to devices. Apple learned this very early, and Google has used the power of their services to make two very alluring options in the mobile space.
Whenever you use a device, you’re using it for the software. You want a pleasing, fluid experience throughout the entire device. Android and iOS have both achieved giving you a great mobile experience. but Google and Apple have taken it a step further in giving you great hardware options that melts away when you start to use the software. These understated, refined hardware experiences are always sought after by other hardware makers. But few have achieved this amount of refinement and elegance in a device. The Nexus 5 and 7 are fantastic Android experiences because of the soft back feel and understated design. The iPhone 5S, iPad Air, and iPad Mini are all great devices that are obviously Apple devices, but melt away when you start up an app.
Apple and Google have done a tremendous job of making fantastic hardware, that exemplifies the software. It’s one thing to create great hardware, and another to create great software. Rarely can you achieve both for a consistent and functional experience.
