You’ve got it exactly backwards: todays “flat” UIs are actually many layers deep. If you look at the styleguide for Android or iOS they have like 6 different UI

You’ve got it exactly backwards: todays “flat” UIs are actually many layers deep. If you look at the styleguide for Android or iOS they have like 6 different UI depths and thicknesses that can be at play at any time. What’s refreshing about Be is that it only goes like three deep. Button and not button, and... desktop? It’s because the Be UI is so shallow that it is charming. If you allow 6 different types of every UI thing like Google and Apple do, your UI designer has no chance of getting everything correct. There’s just too many combinations of widget states. Only by limiting UI depth can you get that Nintendo-Esque complete feeling, like everything is there for a reason. And Be does.