October 1, 2013
Is iOS7 Making People Sick?
I learned a long time ago never to install the first generation of any new software released. There are always bugs to work out and .3 or .4 is certain to result in fewer headaches and upset stomachs. Little did I know that in the case of iOS7, this could literally be true.
Last week, I had three people between the ages of 20 and 40 mention they had downloaded Apple’s new mobile app and were regretting the decision. Their iPhone screen was making them feel queasy. A little research online found my friends had plenty of company. Here are a few comments from discussions on the Apple site’s Support Communities pages.
- "I’ve experienced nausea and motion sickness and headaches since last week when I installed iOS7, all due to the apps zooming in and out animation."
- "I haven’t had motion sickness for 20 years, but now I get it from using my phone."
- "I don’t need a doctor. I need my phone to not take me on a virtual roller coaster every time I open and close an app."
A report on the Quartz website suggests that the issues some people are having with iOS7 will only get worse as video games, 3D movies, Google Glass and other technologies more closely resemble real life and, in turn, make people feel queasy.
Cynthia Ryan, executive director of the Vestibular Disorders Association, told The Guardian that people get their sense of balance and spatial awareness from the vestibular system, which works or doesn’t based on the functioning of fluid-filled canals in the middle ear. When someone combines inner ear issues with trouble processing visual images, the result can be "intense nausea, dizziness and vertigo."
According to Ms. Ryan, "An estimated 69 million US adults aged 40 and over — 35 percent of all Americans — experience vestibular system dysfunction."
While it may feel like motion sickness, the actual condition is known as simulation sickness, according to the Quartz report. Depending on conditions, simulation sickness can affect between 13 percent and 90 percent of the population, according to a 2005 report by the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences.
- iOS7 induces motion sickness – Apple Support Communities
- iOS7 zooming induces nausea + motion sickness – Apple Support Communities
- Digital motion sickness will be the occupational disease of the 21st century – Quartz
- Why iOS7 is making some users sick – The Guardian
- iOS 7 Design Is Giving Some People Motion Sickness And Vertigo – Newsy/YouTube
BrainTrust
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
How will vertigo issues related to iOS7 and other technologies affect device and app sales in the future? Does simulation sickness pose a threat to the development of high-involvement marketing techniques such as virtual reality?
Poll
The old saying of “an apple a day will keep the doctor away” may no longer be true if the Apple is iOS7. The reported instances of vertigo have been limited but I expect them to grow if for no other reason than once people hear about it, they will suddenly experience it.
The human body is amazingly adaptive. A driver of a Model T would not have been able to react fast enough to drive today’s modern car. I expect we will continue to adapt and be able to use the new tech as it rolls out. This may not be true for us mature individuals and frankly, I as part of that segment can state I don’t have a great desire for 3D or Google Glass.
The simple answer is that technologies that make people sick fail over time. That said, people are evolving from text based thinking to more visual stimulation.
If Grandpa had to deal with Grand Theft Auto XXIII in the same way his four year old grandson did, he might have trouble keeping up. We’ve taken our visual cues from static text for so long it may be hard to recognize that younger – and especially very young – people are learning to process external input in far different ways.
The interesting test will be to see if the vestibular problems are inherently human or merely generational. If it’s the former, it could slam the brakes on much of the new development in entertainment and information technologies. If it’s the latter, then we will have created an insurmountable visual technology generation gap.
I turned off the parallax view right when I did the install on my devices, so I’m not seeing quite as much jiggling as people report. And I’m definitely not getting vertigo.
But what really befuddles me is why Apple gave so few choices in icons, screen style, etc. Most people really hate the icon colors and designs, and you have to work a bit to find a wallpaper that works with them (the old default of bubbles does not). I mean, Windows has been giving choices in icons for 20 years. How hard can it be to provide different “skins” for different audiences?
I think the biggest threat is failing to innovate in a good way.
On the technical side for retailers, avoid kiosk and tablet interfaces using flashy transition effects similiar to what is seen in PowerPoint slides. A simple fade-in, fade-out is good enough for transitions.
Gmail has made some major changes to their interface over the last few years that I found annoying. On the one hand they modified their changes a bit over time. On the other hand I adapted to their changes over time. I wonder if the same will be true of vertigo problems – is it a matter of adjustment or is it a physical or generational or learned issue? As for the icon choice I would expect Apple to adapt to customer choice over time – if they are the consumer-centric company as mentioned in the previous topic.
I ditto Paula’s comments. If I’m going to upgrade, I’d like it to be because I’m getting something better. I didn’t need faster, jiggling, bland colors, swipe to close an app instead of just tap the X, huh? So what was the upgrade for?
We can adjust ourselves to accept new technology if it adds value and/or provides service. Can’t say that’s the case here.
Not very customer-centric, haha (see another of today’s discussions on our definition of customer-centric), if you ask me!
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The old saying of “an apple a day will keep the doctor away” may no longer be true if the Apple is iOS7. The reported instances of vertigo have been limited but I expect them to grow if for no other reason than once people hear about it, they will suddenly experience it.
The human body is amazingly adaptive. A driver of a Model T would not have been able to react fast enough to drive today’s modern car. I expect we will continue to adapt and be able to use the new tech as it rolls out. This may not be true for us mature individuals and frankly, I as part of that segment can state I don’t have a great desire for 3D or Google Glass.
The simple answer is that technologies that make people sick fail over time. That said, people are evolving from text based thinking to more visual stimulation.
If Grandpa had to deal with Grand Theft Auto XXIII in the same way his four year old grandson did, he might have trouble keeping up. We’ve taken our visual cues from static text for so long it may be hard to recognize that younger – and especially very young – people are learning to process external input in far different ways.
The interesting test will be to see if the vestibular problems are inherently human or merely generational. If it’s the former, it could slam the brakes on much of the new development in entertainment and information technologies. If it’s the latter, then we will have created an insurmountable visual technology generation gap.
I turned off the parallax view right when I did the install on my devices, so I’m not seeing quite as much jiggling as people report. And I’m definitely not getting vertigo.
But what really befuddles me is why Apple gave so few choices in icons, screen style, etc. Most people really hate the icon colors and designs, and you have to work a bit to find a wallpaper that works with them (the old default of bubbles does not). I mean, Windows has been giving choices in icons for 20 years. How hard can it be to provide different “skins” for different audiences?
I think the biggest threat is failing to innovate in a good way.
On the technical side for retailers, avoid kiosk and tablet interfaces using flashy transition effects similiar to what is seen in PowerPoint slides. A simple fade-in, fade-out is good enough for transitions.
Gmail has made some major changes to their interface over the last few years that I found annoying. On the one hand they modified their changes a bit over time. On the other hand I adapted to their changes over time. I wonder if the same will be true of vertigo problems – is it a matter of adjustment or is it a physical or generational or learned issue? As for the icon choice I would expect Apple to adapt to customer choice over time – if they are the consumer-centric company as mentioned in the previous topic.
I ditto Paula’s comments. If I’m going to upgrade, I’d like it to be because I’m getting something better. I didn’t need faster, jiggling, bland colors, swipe to close an app instead of just tap the X, huh? So what was the upgrade for?
We can adjust ourselves to accept new technology if it adds value and/or provides service. Can’t say that’s the case here.
Not very customer-centric, haha (see another of today’s discussions on our definition of customer-centric), if you ask me!