iOS7: What Have We Learned?

It has been over a year since the release of iOS7. The shock of the new has worn off, and the flat design aesthetic has become the new normal.

So what have we learned?

First, that users adapt faster than designers expect. The outcry was loud but brief. Second, that “flat” was never really flat—it was just a different set of conventions. Third, that the pendulum always swings, and the next shift is already coming.

Design trends matter less than design thinking. The principles that made iOS7 work—clarity, deference, depth—transcend any particular aesthetic.