Beyond the Glass
Early this month, Apple announced Liquid Glass - a new UI that dynamically reflects the environment like real glass. The reactions are divided: some called it ambitious (UX Collective), others dismissed it as ugly (The Economic Times). While accessibility advocates raise valid concerns, some theorise that it's all in strategic preparation for the future of mixed reality interfaces (Grayson's Graphics).
Watching the announcement and reading the commentary, I had a conflicting response. My rational designer brain catalogued the problems - the accessibility issues, the potential for distraction, the frivolity of it all. But another part of me was genuinely excited by the materiality, the craft, the way physical principles were being translated into digital form.
The internal conflict confused me. And then it allowed me to confront some unresolved assumptions about my career and creative practice that I hadn’t questioned in a long time…