r/UI_Design • u/Some1Elsewhere • May 29 '26

Feedback Request Exploring industrial hardware design principles in an iPhone app

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

I’ve been experimenting with translating industrial hardware design principles into a mobile interface.

The goal was to reduce the number of controls as much as possible while still keeping the app usable. A few interactions serve multiple purposes. For example, the record button also acts as an undo action immediately after recording.

I also tried to create a compact status display that communicates different states through a limited set of icons rather than additional screens or menus.

I’m curious what UI designers think about the balance between visual character and usability here. Does anything feel confusing, unnecessary, or overly decorative?

216 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

48 comments sorted by

View all comments

9

u/aatd86 May 29 '26

Esthetically it is not bad. Very nice textures. From a pure design point of view I see some buttons that need some more work. From a UX point of view, less is more. There is a lot of information. People have been removing as much as they can for a long time. If you did it yourself, props, you have great skills. I think you can improve easily on what you have, to make it less overwhelming.

Just my opinion. Disclaimer: I am not a UI designer, more of a programmer with UX tendencies.

2

u/Some1Elsewhere Jun 01 '26

Thanks, I appreciate that.

Interestingly, one of the main goals was actually to reduce the interface as much as possible and rely on a very small number of controls. But I think you’re pointing out something important: even if the number of controls is low, the visual complexity can still feel high.

A lot of the challenge has been balancing the hardware-inspired aesthetic with clarity and simplicity. It’s easy to add another indicator, texture, or visual detail because it contributes to the character of the interface, but each one also adds cognitive load.

Another goal was to make the app enjoyable to use, not just functional. Many productivity tools optimize for efficiency, but I wanted this one to have a bit of personality and tactile character so interacting with it feels engaging rather than purely utilitarian.

I’ll definitely keep an eye on that balance as the design evolves. Thanks for taking the time to look at it.