Instagram For iOS 7

Let me preface this post by saying that I love redesigns and all of the apps that I’ve seen iOS 7 updates for have been great… until this one. I appreciate what they were trying to do, but this just feels rushed to me. None of the divider lines are necessary, they only serve to clutter up the UI. Also, why have the profile pictures been changed to circles? It’s not consistent with any of the other elements in this app.

Designing for iOS 7 requires more than just flattening bubbly elements and pulling ideas straight from Apple’s new apps. Some apps, like Mailbox, Vesper, and Clear, were essentially iOS 7 apps built for iOS 6, so they didn’t require many changes. Other apps were very iOS 6-y and required major overhauls. These include Evernote, OmniFocus 2, and Hipmunk. Instagram’s redesign is just a flattened iOS 6 app with little regard to simplifying or optimization.

Screenshot of Instagram's redesign for iOS 7