iOS Phone App Redesign
This speculative redesign of the iOS waiting call notification screen proposes a solution for clearer understanding and improved user interaction. The app architecture was reassessed to enhance navigation quality and integration across different devices, ensuring a seamless and cohesive user experience.
Category
Product
Topics
User Experience, Research
Problem
The current iOS waiting call window presents semantic ambiguities, particularly with the options “End & Accept” and “Hold & Accept,” which lead to user confusion and hinder effective call management.
Ambiguity
1
Options like “End & Accept” and “Hold & Accept” are not immediately clear, causing confusion.
2
Users may misinterpret the actions, leading to unintended call handling.
Modality
1
Full-screen modal windows block the view and access to previous states, interrupting the user’s flow.
2
Users are forced to switch contexts abruptly, which can be jarring and reduce task efficiency.
3
Modal windows create a disjointed navigation experience, making it difficult to perform simultaneous tasks.
I have hypothesised the possibility of creating a straightforward and familiar waiting call notification by reworking not only the hierarchy of the elements and visual affordances, but also by deconstructing the windowing paradigm, which retroactively benefited several instances of the app
Observations
The phone call interface within Apple's iOS serves as a multimodal platform, enabling user interaction through voice and touch commands, extending its reach beyond the application itself to encompass various possible actions in different applications.
Initially, my goal was to address the ambiguity of command clarity on the waiting call screen. However, the interface architecture revealed additional navigational frictions in different use scenarios.
Structurally, the phone call interface predominantly operates on full-screen modal windows, meaning that for each state variation, information is partitioned into new windows that provide either additional details or actions. While this approach is often valuable for tasks requiring higher focus or consideration, it disrupts context and spatial continuity, introducing an empty cut between the information displayed before and after the transition. In the specific context of a call interface on a consumer-oriented device, the benefits of relying on modality are not objectively clear and reveal considerable frictions in usability.
Therefore, I have hypothesised the possibility of creating a straightforward and familiar waiting call notification by reworking not only the hierarchy of the elements and visual affordances, but also by deconstructing the windowing paradigm, which retroactively benefited several instances of the app where the limitations of such design structure result in disjointed navigation, such as the primary call screen, when opening the number keypad, the contacts menu when adding participants, and in instances of simultaneous access to other apps during a call.
In this speculative design proposal, I explore alternative methods implementing animation and scaling as guiding cues to aid users in understanding information and action hierarchy, leveraging the familiar behaviours and patterns of touch screen interactions developed and collectively adopted over the years, as well as aligning the user interface with the Apple's Human Interface Guidelines, which were invaluable to the development of this proposal.
Waiting call - simplify interaction.
The waiting call interface has been redesigned as a floating card at the bottom of the screen, eliminating the need for full-screen notifications. This minimizes disruptions and allows users to maintain focus and control on their primary task.
Preserving continuity.
The floating card notification enables seamless call management without interrupting ongoing tasks, preserving the flow of current activities with minimal disruption and reduced cognitive load.
This image demonstrates how the floating card notification for a waiting call overlays a web page at the bottom of the screen. This design preserves the continuity of the ongoing activity by allowing users to manage calls without disrupting their current task.
Card dynamics
The gains in screen white space allow for multiple actions across different apps during a call, whether navigating to a different app or accessing a widget from the lock screen, which is a common default state when receiving calls.
Design with spatial elements.
The introduction of the Vision Pro will promote a shift towards spatial environments. Adopting elements, materials, and spatial interactions that are compatible with three-dimensional interfaces not only enhances the reusability of these elements but also enriches display interfaces by extending the experience into the virtual space beyond the screen limits.
The integration of the Dynamic Island has been brilliantly executed, enhancing the graphic communication of several app states with discreet visual cues. Its elegance relies on the use of black to achieve and preserve the kinetic qualities, which necessitates limiting the use of transparent materials to preserve these qualities. On the right, the main call card exemplifies a possible solution with a gradient transitioning from opaque black at the top to translucent grey at the bottom.
A familiar and reusable element
The floating card is a native element within the Apple ecosystem, enabling its reuse across multiple platforms to maintain a sense of familiarity.
Summary
This speculative proposal explores the redesign of the iOS phone call interface, focusing on improving user interaction and navigation. The current interface relies heavily on full-screen modal windows, which can disrupt context and create navigational frictions, especially during voice and video calls. The proposed redesign aims to address these issues by introducing a more straightforward and familiar waiting call notification. By deconstructing the existing windowing paradigm and incorporating alternative methods such as animation and scaling, the redesign seeks to enhance the hierarchy and visual affordances of call-related actions. This approach aligns with Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines and leverages familiar touch screen interaction patterns to provide a more cohesive and intuitive user experience.