“Apple joins the Navy—makes the Island”

tldr; remember the MacBook Touch Bar? 

The only reason Apple works the way it does is the Pareto principle. Apple does few vital things right which is a synonym for having to take few decisions to get a job done. 

Less decision fatigue is the single most important factor for success of individuals and of organisations alike in building a company and in opening an app responding to a message and coming back to the Home Screen. 

The island is a constant interruption—on top of that it’s a non physical interruption—on top of that it’s a contextually ‘aware’ interruption for every app—further exponentiating the situation. 

The island is a constant reminder to the subconscious mind to preempt incoming decisions and a constant anxiety of what the island will change into next. 

Listen Tim, the idea the consultants gave you about launching a low cost iPhone option which let you lift the top line might have been good—but when the consultants tell you to copy Samsung’s and create. more decision fatigue for your users in hopes of getting more sales—they’re wrong Tim. Here’s how to fix them, every time they tell you to make a decision like this—go watch this video again—I promise you, it will give you clarity and it will encourage you to take a stand for your users instead of making the iPhone look like the minutes of a committee. (listen and replace the word advertisement with product)

Tim, Even if all the Samsung’s and Google’s UX designers came together to intentionally design something as horrid as the island—the will fail to beat it—even though they seem to be complete naturals at creating decision fatigue.

Because the island and the Touch Bar made it all the way to production—I’m now convinced Apple has is becoming a bureaucratic, consultant-dependent, blundering machine where countless committees approved the very things Apple did not stand for—for a second time in 5 years. Marketing is about values—decision fatigue is not my value. I know people like Steve aren’t born every day, at least you could have studied the precedence. Good design is consistent design.