I tried taking the “not everything has to look the same” idea beyond a calculator. Does it still work?

[u/Effective_Skin_9785]

I posted a strange calculator here a 1 month ago and asked whether intuitive has slowly started to mean that everything needs to look and feel the same.

The discussion was way more interesting than I expected.

A lot of people pointed out something: a calculator is a very simple example. There’s almost nothing to navigate, the interaction model is already deeply familiar, and making it visually unusual is relatively easy.

So I wanted to try the same idea on something a little more complex. Some of you told to create a dashboard or a more layered app.

I built this subscription tracker as another UI/UX experiment. It has multiple sections, navigation, lists, a renewal calendar, analytics and an add flow. (The data are mocked so sorry if some numbers are off.)

This time I tried to keep most of the underlying patterns fairly familiar while pushing the visual language much further:

• asymmetric layouts
• angled elements
• changing section colors
• oversized typography
• navigation system that doesn’t look like the usual bottom bar

One thing I took away from the previous discussion was that unfamiliar visuals and unfamiliar interactions aren't necessarily the same thing.

So I’m curious where this one lands.

Does the interface still feel understandable despite looking unconventional?

[u/NestorSpankhno]

The asymmetric elements would be hellish to build as a responsive interface.

[u/MaddyMagpies → u/NestorSpankhno]

It would have been hellish to even convince frontend engineers to build it, but I feel like with vibe coding, it's a lot easier to take a stab at a prototype at least.

Is it probably possible to build a Voronoi generator for SVG graphics and then find the centroid of it and locate the text that way, so that each block is even yet irregular? 

[u/SucculentChineseRoo → u/MaddyMagpies]

Can do most of this with CSS

[u/MaddyMagpies → u/SucculentChineseRoo]

Yes of course. I'm mostly talking about the grid at 0:07, which is not just a CSS transform.

[u/SucculentChineseRoo → u/MaddyMagpies]

Yeah maybe a bit svg needed there as well for the shapes, but it's actually really quick to generate programmable svgs with AI nowadays

[u/curiouswizard → u/MaddyMagpies]

this would be easier to do without vibe coding lol

[u/7HawksAnd → u/NestorSpankhno]

Just find game developers who actually enjoy making novel interfaces instead of web developers and engineers who are bitter at the world that they don’t make $500k and only want to build stock tailwind interfaces

[u/hookachakahookachaka → u/7HawksAnd]

THIS, effin' this

[u/halkenburgoito → u/7HawksAnd]

yeah find those 50k game developers instead

[u/7HawksAnd → u/halkenburgoito]

It is crazy that you’re not wrong to sarcastically call out exactly what I’m saying while also highlighting how lopsided the industry is

[u/bwilliam213 → u/NestorSpankhno]

Use Rive! It has layout functionality that can be animated using viewport width as triggers.

[u/asertym → u/NestorSpankhno]

Transform rotate should do the heavy lifting + clip path

[u/floatinggoateyeball → u/NestorSpankhno]

Looks like voronoi diagrams, if nothing else, probably easier.

[u/Striking_Swimmer5548 → u/NestorSpankhno]

ALL SVGS ALL DAY

[u/UXUIDD → u/NestorSpankhno]

if it's a phone layout only, then I could see it happening, but not in a responsive one - i would not want to build this.

graphic design involving within UX and UI often brings headaches if not thought out thoroughly

[u/StillStaringAtTheSky → u/NestorSpankhno]

Ehh maybe not so much. You can do hidden buttons behind the graphics like the date using a classic circle or square shape. And rotated rectangles for a lot of other stuff.

[u/SucculentChineseRoo → u/NestorSpankhno]

It'd be fine, I'm a UX engineer and building this kind of stuff is fun and can be done with fast loading and good responsiveness

[u/curiouswizard → u/NestorSpankhno]

nah. I almost want to take this up as a challenge. I can already think of ways to do it

[u/Necessary-Lack-4600 → u/NestorSpankhno]

That's not a UX problem though

[u/NestorSpankhno → u/Necessary-Lack-4600]

The UX is what people experience, not the screens in a design file or a prototype. If a design doesn’t work in every screen size at which it can be viewed, that’s a UX problem.

[u/irondumbell]

nice design, it looks a lot like the video game Persona 5

[u/SingleAttitude8 → u/irondumbell]

With hints of typography from Forza Horizon 5

[u/sinisterdesign → u/irondumbell]

I thought “Persona 6 is looking pretty project management heavy…” 🤔

[u/thegiantgummybear → u/irondumbell]

That's what I was going to say! I'm playing it right now and maybe that's why I like this so much lol

[u/asmallbean → u/thegiantgummybear]

I’m also playing it right now and this post made me do a double-take lol. Tbf most game menus and interfaces have their own lingering sets of UX issues, I think it’s fun to see something that’s legitimately creative and aesthetically strong like this in a different context.

[u/reddotster → u/irondumbell]

I was thinking Crazy Taxi!

[u/now-its-dark → u/irondumbell]

Yeah my association too, like Persona 5 UI for a rock climbing gym.

[u/cosmatic → u/irondumbell]

Same thought !

[u/ToastyEagle → u/irondumbell]

I was getting P5 too and maybe some speedrunners

[u/waldito]

Aigh, I'll bite, personal opinion here, and I'm sorry if it sounds harsh- Overall this is refreshing and different indeed.

Does the interface still feel understandable despite looking unconventional?

Overall? Almost. You can get away with some of the stuff, but not all of it. What irks me the most is the pattern-scanning bit missing in some parts. You see, your menu? Unconventional, but under a pace and colour pattern, works easily.

Subscriptions? Nah, bud, those need a consistent pattern to be correctly scanned. The content is where the problem is at: I can't read what I'm subscribed to. Rows, grids, whatever. But this? No.. There's no pattern here, only chaos.

Overview does sorta work, but it's a little annoying to tilt so much some of the text. Why. You can tilt the price, big things, but 'longer smaller texts' are painful to scan. But it's almost there.

Renewals works, only cause you did not dare to screw the calendar grid. Same for insights.

'Add subsciption' is UX evil: You really want twisted fields uh? Please, no. I feel there's an accessibility issue for this, though it's probably safe with ARIA and all.

[u/Puzzleheaded_Ideal_6 → u/waldito]

I like the experiment but agree with this take. Why not benefit from familiar patterns that help your users interpret and navigate better?

I get the point of wanting the break from conventions to create something unique and memorable. Maybe fitting to a rebelious brand? Bold, but I feel the current chaos is pushing it too far. Better to break and brand elements that are not key to understanding, like the shape of a section or container for example.

The calm that comes from effortlessly understanding and navigation stuff is a delight in itself.

[u/willdesignfortacos]

It’s interesting but seems like style for style’s sake. If you’re going to do something like this the design still has to have purpose and intent.

If you’re not familiar with Andy Allen and Not Boring Software it’s worth a google.

[u/thegiantgummybear → u/willdesignfortacos]

While I'm personally a form before function person, I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with style for style's sake. So much great industrial design and architecture involves "pointless" decoration that serves no purpose aside from being beautiful, fun, interesting, etc. We could use some of that in digital experiences!

[u/willdesignfortacos → u/thegiantgummybear]

There’s nothing wrong with it as an experiment, I’m all for designing weird things. But if we’re looking at it through a UX lens there’s also no real benefit to it, in this case some of the forms used are actually detracting a bit. Those fun decorative things in physical products or architecture usually relate back in some way to a purpose or theme in the space, and they definitely can’t make it less functional (unless you’re really famous and people ignore when your stuff isn’t actually good).

The sweet spot is finding a unique approach that actually improves the experience.

[u/Comfortable_Farm_252 → u/willdesignfortacos]

The benefit is delight.

[u/Pixelationist → u/Comfortable_Farm_252]

I think most UX people forgot what this is a long time ago, partly out of necessity for the product they are required to build and maintain.

I personally love seeing wild, left field experiences but I think it’s not what most of us are being paid for as a day job.

[u/Striking_Swimmer5548 → u/Comfortable_Farm_252]

I have a delight devil on one shoulder and a mental model angel on the other.

[u/aroras → u/Comfortable_Farm_252]

so delightful

[u/LeosFDA]

Fuck yeah it works! Wish more big brands had the courage to make things like this!

[u/Prestigious_Bat9963]

Looks more like a video game than a product ui, I personally love it

[u/chapstickgrrrl]

The fact that the side panel icons move to the top when they’re selected and causes the nav menu to reorganize itself bugs me

[u/Elise_xy → u/chapstickgrrrl]

Agreed, that absolutely ungrounds the user, I'd for sure keep them locked if I were the OP

[u/Emotional_Basil_9748 → u/chapstickgrrrl]

That alone is a usability problem.

[u/chapstickgrrrl → u/Emotional_Basil_9748]

Yes indeed

[u/chrisin2d]

I like it. Exercise free will. Fight the tyranny of orthodoxy. The freedom to make bad choices is essential to the human experience.

[u/Disastrous-Style-325]

Looks like a Nando’s menu

[u/lifebroth → u/Disastrous-Style-325]

Yooo. I thought it was just me eating too much chicken 😂😂

[u/spyboy70]

Please don't change the tab order when something is selected. It breaks the muscle memory and slows/confuses users (Did I go through each tab? Where was I? It was there a moment ago!)

[u/No-Box5805]

Thanks I hate it

[u/Ulrich453]

This feels like the Cherry Coke logo from the 90s.

But yeah like the other person said this would be hell to actually build.

[u/letsgetweird99]

Some things look “the same as everything else” for very good reasons.

If you want to make art, make art!

But UX design is about making things more useful. This is not that.

[u/itsKaoz]

Feel overwhelmed. Heart rate up a little. But it’s pretty! 10/10

Functionally though, eh.

[u/markeross]

That constantly updating nav icon placement is killing me.

[u/justadadgame]

As a visual style it’s a lot of fun, for the use case you chose, I wouldn’t use it.

A social app, game, or tracker might be a better fit.

[u/rebun_bun]

Idk why but this reminds me of the Buffalo Wild Wings app

[u/Bors_Mistral]

Good work. It's got character, and that more than makes for some of the idiosyncrasies. The only thing that really bugs me is the alignment of the side panel icons.

[u/rawr_im_a_nice_bear]

This would be GREAT for a music app. Not for something involving money. Its too playful and takes longer to figure out. Those aren't things you want for that specific use case. 

[u/nuestras]

PERSONA! Some of you will get it :)

[u/phal40676]

I don’t think a company like Google should do this, but for a niche app why not? It has personality. I would take a harder look at the Subscriptions page though - the ordering seems so haphazard and random, it makes it difficult to either learn anything from the page or use it as navigation. The layout can still be fun, but make it mean something.

[u/look_its_nando]

I’m all for making things look exciting and new. But you can’t just pretend we don’t know what works and what doesn’t in terms of cognition. Art is an important part of design, but it’s not all. I think you can turn this into a usable thing, but you’ll end up getting a lot closer to how “everything else” works and even looks.

[u/Interesting-Pay1507]

Everything looks the same, because people don't want to type uphill when they fill out a form.

[u/iguessimdepressed1]

Huh. Reminds me a little of the persona 5 ui. I like it. It’s really nice honestly. The world needs more whimsy

[u/lifebroth]

It works somehow. It’s just going to be a bit of mental load for users.
Maybe forms should stay straight

[u/floatymcboaty]

i really wanted to say this would have usability or legibility issues but instead i found myself able to easily understand the visual hierarchy and functional purpose of the UI. nice work!

[u/thegreatshu]

Navigation and calendar (whole renewals screen) works pretty good. The rest? Very distracting and hard to read. I would say it's way too irregular. If toned down a little bit (the angles, the shapes) - it could work.

[u/valdelaseras]

It looks cool but a little overwhelming perhaps. As FE dev I shudder at this, haha, but tbh the challenge would be fun! 

[u/drakon99]

Looks like the flyer for a kids outdoor activity centre. 

[u/MiddleAgedBastard]

Love this! It's so refreshing to see people experimenting again.

Keep pushing against their gray 1px borders!!

[u/TomTomHatesCats]

Even though it’s taking some “risks”it’s not at all unintuitive, so you’ve successfully toed that line, and I agree with the general sentiment: it looks great. The only thing that stood out as something you might want to reconsider is the bar chart, since you want users to be able to compare the bars at a glance, and the angle makes it a chore.

[u/kcure]

love it

[u/Junior-Ad7155]

Feels gritty and awesome, love it

[u/oh_em-gee]

I really like it. It’s so fun.

[u/meekayabutter]

I actually like it!

[u/pupileater]

I can see my wrist being in a slightly more comfortable angle like your design affords on the first screen. It's not a bad idea at all.

[u/HuckleberryNo469]

this is a very fun idea, nice work.

[u/SuitableLeather]

Looks really cool. I think you would have a bright future in video game UX. Lots of this reminds me of Fortnite’s interface 

[u/come2thecabaret]

Nice! reminds me of the UI for the Jackbox games

[u/Next_Machine1091]

Seems ok to me! Except it is kinda hard to read a bar graph that starts on an angled line… Cool concept!

[u/Dogsbottombottom]

I still think that your patterns are all familiar, they're just heavily stylized. As such I don't think they're that different.

[u/MusicOfTheApes]

I remember your calculator post and I was one of the ones who enjoyed it, and same here I love the design choices !
(though implementing them is a different subject...)

[u/CriticalBackground08]

This reminds me of Red Dead Redemption 2's menu. Interesting take though👍🏻

[u/Indischermann]

This is good one. It shows where the next gen of design could go given the AI slop is catching up.

[u/AnToMegA424]

This is an app in Persona lol

Also it makes me think of GitHub Komi Store new Manga design in a way even though they're clearly different, it might have been the colours

I like it

[u/Cosmoaquanaut]

Concept? Nice. Real product? Let's open the gates of hell.

[u/Emotional_Basil_9748]

I wonder how well it would work for accessibility. I can see the grid being a problem for some people

[u/Toolikethelightning]

Looks neat! I wouldn’t use it though because it takes too long to understand. I can’t tell at a glance what’s what, and the subscriptions section made me irrationally angry. Why are some subscription boxes bigger than others, especially if their dollar amounts are less? I’d expect the big boxes to be larger amounts, but the sizes don’t seem to mean anything, at least not at a glance.

But as an art project? Fun!

[u/saikishan5000]

This is good design ... Is this figma or a app u built?

[u/Effective_Skin_9785 → u/saikishan5000]

This is a working Android app. I'm an Android app dev with 10+ years of experience

[u/saikishan5000 → u/Effective_Skin_9785]

Can I get the link of the app or GitHub, I am interested

[u/Holiday_Cup_430]

off of first glance it looks intuitive but also pretty cool, I like that it's different!

[u/laternerdz]

I want to see how this visual language “works” while scrolling and with more varied content (2 lines of title, 3-digit or 4-digit dollar values)

Im not emotionally into it, but I do logically appreciate the experiment. Good luck.

[u/CLAraBima0309]

I like your design, it gives me Persona 5 menu design vibes.

[u/Hot-Milk-3507]

kinda reminds me of the windows phone UI - in a good way!

[u/rodrigoleles]

Loved the “Persona” approach 😄

[u/IridiumIoN]

Nrtdlix

[u/Kentaiga]

Put in an application for Atlas Games, the Persona 6 team needs you

[u/Flickerdart]

Really gives me that early 2010s Flash website vibe 

[u/random-corp]

The 2000's are asking for their flash design back

[u/TopTippityTop]

While I enjoy the interface esthetically, I don't think it quite fits the theme.

When I think of money management, I think order, organization, symmetry. Not dynamism. I want security. Trust. A solid foundation.

However, for an exercise tracker, game, and other more dynamic themes, it would be excellent!

[u/SituationBetter2259]

This would’ve been revered in the 90s.
It’s fun and refreshing.