I fully agree. I also don't find the new "flat" designs an improvement at all, and that applies both to Google's new designs and to Apple's work. What's wrong

I fully agree. I also don't find the new "flat" designs an improvement at all, and that applies both to Google's new designs and to Apple's work. What's wrong with them, you ask? Well, in brief: * very little indication as to what I can interact with, * you have to know the interface before you can use it, discoverability is abysmal, * touch-interface-specific: lots of actions require swipes, which you have to learn in advance and remember, * actual tappable areas became smaller (an example: "<" instead of a "Back" button). They are hard to use for me, and even harder for my Mom. I think this case is similar to what often happens in architecture: form over function. You get beautiful buildings that are dysfunctional. Architects hold conferences and assign awards for the beauty (light, form, straight lines, whatever), while people crowd in passageways and make their way to work next to the garbage dump, because that way is more convenient than the main entrance. I really hope the pendulum will soon swing in the other direction and we will go back to more "meaty", discoverable interfaces with more visual hints as to how to use them.