
Sheets have also been redesigned, now looking like modal popups, instead of folding down from the bottom edge of the toolbar.īig Sur accent color, rounded selections. Selections have a new, rounded look, and many controls have been redesigned.
App design tools for mac windows#
One of the essential elements of the user interface, windows receive some prominent changes: Having covered the general trends, let’s take a closer look at some of the visual updates in Big Sur! The look of windows is a good place to start. With its increased spacing, reduced contrast and lighter icons, macOS Big Sur takes another step in this direction.

Whether you’re viewing photos, reading, or browsing your files, the content is featured prominently while available actions aren’t always immediately visible. Making macOS feel more familiar for iOS-users reduces this overhead.Īpple has also been moving away from cluttered interfaces, towards sparseness and placing as much focus on content as possible.
App design tools for mac software#
In an interview with MKBHD, Craig Federighi (Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering) mentions the mental overhead required when constantly switching between the different interfaces of iOS and macOS.

While it’s true that there’s more to macOS Big Sur than copying iOS, and while it may be more appropriate to say that the design of both iOS and macOS reflect the direction of the technology industry and of Apple as a whole, this statement does have a point. Like OS X Yosemite, Big Sur seems to move in the direction of iOS visually. The Big Sur updates reflect some movements that have been going on for a long time.

However, as spectators, we can certainly discern some overall trends. What motivates the changes to the user interface, and what is the long-term vision that drives and shapes these changes from version to version? Only Apple knows for sure.
