Observation Log
I'm naturally curious about the little details in design — things we often miss, things that shape our behaviour. This is a space where I jot down small design observations and try to reason why they might be done that way. Some are just guesses. Some shaped with help from ChatGPT. But all of them reflect how I try to think beyond the obvious and learn as I go.
This section gives a peek into how I notice patterns, stay curious, and try to understand the "why" behind everyday design.
Remember, all of these are my thoughts and interpretation and can be totally wrong from the actual reasons.
Why does YouTube’s fullscreen icon have that subtle scaling/pulsing animation while other icons in the player don’t?
The fullscreen button gets that extra animation because it represents a significant, infrequent action that alters the user’s mode of engagement.
Clicking fullscreen dramatically changes the viewing experience — it shifts the user from a regular windowed view to an immersive, distraction-free mode.
A small animation (like scaling or pulsing) signals to the user that this button triggers something special or more significant than a basic action (like pause or volume).
Actions like pause, next, volume, and subtitles are expected to be quick and frequent. Adding animations to these would slow down rapid interaction and create visual clutter during frequent playback adjustments.
Fullscreen, on the other hand, is typically toggled less often — so a tiny delay or animation feels acceptable, even pleasant.
Why Apple might not have included a "Select All" and delete functionality for iOS messages, despite it being a seemingly useful feature
This Apple’s decisions typically revolve around maintaining a balance between user control and security.
User Safety and Accident Prevention: Apple might prioritise preventing accidental deletions. "Select All" for mass deletion in messages could lead users to inadvertently erase important conversations or data without realising the consequences.
Encouraging Archival vs. Deletion: Apple may want users to archive or keep their conversations rather than deleting them entirely. In some messaging apps, important information or history could be lost if "Select All" was too easily accessible.
Why sometimes UI elements intentionally do not have hover states.
In the above example if you notice, Apple doesn't show any hover on it's settings page or even in finder side panel.
Reducing Visual Clutter
Too many hover effects can create unnecessary distractions or make the interface feel overly animated.
Performance Optimisation
Hover effects, especially with animations, can increase rendering load and slow down performance. On complex UIs, reducing unnecessary state changes can improve responsiveness.
That said, hover states are generally useful for buttons, links, and interactive components to provide feedback. If they are missing in areas where users expect them, it might be a design oversight or an intentional trade-off.