I think the new studio UI is pretty awesome, and it’s definitely a step in the right direction. However, with all the new widgets rolling out, I’ve come to realize one of the more glaring issues with all of them: they’re visually cluttered. This is also the main reason I’m not using the new UI right now, even though I’m a big fan of the aesthetic.
Let’s look at the new find in place UI:
From an aesthetics standpoint, it looks great! However, there are many design elements missing that make it quite visually cluttered:
- inadequate spacing between groups of elements (unrelated elements blend in)
- too much spacing within groups of elements (related elements don’t look like they’re related)
- extremely high contrast, even on elements that aren’t as important
- monotone; text only has one color
- information is difficult to guage at a glance
A mockup that seeks to alleviate the aformentioned points:
Subjectively, the mockup looks cleaner and is more functional. Elements that are supposed to be connected stay closer together, and information is achievable at a glance.
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Decreased spacing between contents of a module, and increased spacing between modules themselves.
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The match count indicator moved to the left from the right, closer to related information, reducing unnecessary eye movement.
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The format
[source container icon] [total matches] [full name]ensures that all elements related to that general script is in one line. The following lines display the contents of the source container, giving a visual separation between the identifiers and the information. -
Though matches were highlighted in the original, surrounding text has been dimmed as well so the focus point lands on the matched text.
