Magical constraints (or How to turn bugs into features)

After Apple’s recent Event I went on a run. I couldn’t stop thinking about Apple’s new Dynamic Island feature:

The thought that kept emerging is not new but Apple’s new feature had brought it once again to the surface:

Embracing constraints can turn bugs into features

I returned to find my Twitter feed filled with the same exact sentiment (also proving the point that there is truly nothing new under the sun):

Some history

In 2018 Apple introduced iPhone X and with it the controversial “notch” area reserved for the front-facing camera system. Snap, Instagram, and BeReal have ensured that front-facing imaging is not going anywhere. It’s only growing. Essentially it was a dead area of the screen that had to be tolerated and accepted. If the usable phone screen was a continent, the notch was an annoying gulf that interrupted content on the phone.

After sitting with the “bug” for 5 years, Apple has decided to what good designers often do: embrace constraints instead of tolerating them.

The anatomy of an embrace

What do designers mean when we talk about “embracing constraints”? To put it simply, we have two essential choices when presented with inputs or factors that constrain our ability to choose freely from the field of available options:

1. We can choose to fight constraints and use our energy…