The Principles of Apple’s Spatial Design — Part 1
Spatial Design is a trending topic nowadays, so I researched it a bit and writing this article to talk specifically about the principles of Apple’s Spatial Design.
Apple’s spatial design principles encompass a set of guiding principles that define their approach to creating physical spaces. These principles are aimed at creating immersive, user-centric environments that reflect Apple’s brand values.
From here I learned about spatial design in detail: Spatial Design
Today, I am going to talk about 2 principles of Apple’s Spatial Design and will include others 3 in my next article :)
Principles of Apple’s Spatial Design:
Familiar
Apple uses familiar or recognizable elements for users to easily understand the interface and can find anything they are looking for. Elements stay in the windows, which helps users to see them and use them easily.
Windows: They stay in the user’s space and seem like a part of the user’s surroundings. Apple is using a glass effect in their windows so that they can adjust and adapts to the user’s surroundings and lighting. So that the users can see them and use them easily. Here’s an example of the window:
Also, the interface provides three controls to move, close and resize windows.
Sizing: Users can select the shape and size of their app windows based on their context and make it more flexible and dynamic without blocking too much of their view.
There are times when the user can view multiple windows at a time, see the image below, it has two different windows and the user can check them all at once. It is good for the users to keep their app’s interface in one window so that they can manage it effectively or else it will become a lot and they will get overwhelmed, and will not be able to manage them at once.
Safari occupies more of a vertical view or portrait view because there are web pages in it and Apple TV will occupy more of a horizontal view because there are videos and movies in it with landscape size. So users can select the shape and size of the window according to the context of the app. Example:
Points: Basically, points are used to specify the size of the elements in the interface and how they will scale across the different devices. In spatial design, Points are designed so that apps can scale effectively across different spaces.
If people move the window away from them, the scale or size of the window becomes larger and when they move it closer to them it becomes smaller. This makes the apps usable and functional.
Human-Centered
The app having a good user experience is always human-centered. To design the apps for spatial interfaces, Apple considers the following 3 aspects:
Field of view: In spatial interfaces, users wear the device and see the space in front of them. And it’s easier for all to see the things in the center, so place the most important interface elements and content in the center, because it is their field of view. And also, they’ll not stay completely still, so we can add more content and make the interface in a landscape view for a more immersive experience.
Ergonomics: This means placing the content in all dimensions by taking into account all possible scenarios. Because placing the content sometimes has a very huge effect on the users.
Place the content comfortably a bit farther than the user’s arm’s reach, so that it can match different postures of the users, and they can interact with it comfortably.
Avoid placing the content behind the people, or too low and high unless it’s a part of an immersive user experience. Also, avoid fixing the content in the people’s view, or else they will feel stuck. Instead, fix content in the people’s space, this will give them freedom to use the apps.
Movement: Users also move or change their place or walk while using the app, so it’s necessary to make the interface stationary to the user’s surroundings or design such experiences that require minimal movement. It will make the interfaces easy to use and functional.
Users should be able to use the app without moving at all. But if they have to move and change their place then they can use the digital crown and recenter the window of an app. That will move the app in front of them.
Through the use of these principles, Apple is able to create visually appealing, user-centric, and brand-aligned spatial designs. The goal is to provide customers with a seamless and immersive experience based on the company’s values of simplicity, innovation, and quality.
I will talk about the other 3 principles which are: Dimensional, Immersive, and Authentic, in my next article. So stay tuned! :)
So that’s all for today!
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