The original interaction on the iPhone was pretty simple. The screen stays off until I press the only button on the front of the phone. Then there’s only one interaction you can take and it does the one thing you want to do, unlock the device.
Here’s the 2017 version:
The one gesture that we learned will unlock the device is nowhere to be found. In its place we have seven gestures to open up various widgets, controls and secondary options.
Key design principals.
Be simple by default. The 2017 version has a lot of things that it can do, the issue is that it has added this complexity at the cost of the simple experience. As things are added the core experience shouldn’t suffer.
Be obvious. The original iPhone had the text “slide to unlock” and if that wasn’t clear enough the text would animate and shimmer to draw your attention to the action and direction of motion.
Consider how different elements will work together. The individual elements of the new home screen work independently however they don’t create a cohesive experience when brought together.
