[lgg3]

I love MobileSheets and have been successful in getting several of my friends and colleagues to adopt it as well. The one consistent piece of feedback is that they don't like the design of the Interface.

"It looks old."
"It looks like Windows 8."
"Is this software kept up-to-date?"

What are the chances of seeing a revamp of the UI framework for MobileSheets? I know that more technically savvy folks can get over/around the UI but I know a lot of people who have shied away from MS because of the interface. I'm not saying it has to be specifically Material You or Fluent Design, but a more modern-feeling app would go a long way in helping with evangelization.

[Zubersoft]

I am going to work on the UI in one of the next major updates (3.10.0 or 3.11.0). The problem with feedback like, "It looks old", is that it's very vague. I've always focused on the functionality first, and in the case of Android, I just used the built-in theme over the years, which changed as the OS changed. I then modeled the UI in the Windows and iOS versions after Android so that they would have a consistent look and feel. I am definitely not a user interface expert and that has never been my forte, so I've been waiting for constructive criticism that points out specific things that can be adjusted to get the "modern" look that some people are wanting, but over all these years, I still have yet to have anyone point out specific things they want changed. So my plan is to just to try to switch the Android version to material design 3, add theming options for light vs dark, and to try to find opportunities to switch around UI layouts to make it cleaner. If you have specific feedback about particular UIs, or things you'd like to see, please let me know.

Thanks,
Mike

[lgg3]

Fair points. I get "It looks old" is really vague, but it's also an accurate descriptor. Describing visual elements is like describing sound.... It's always "like" something else. Windows 11's Fluent Design incorporates semi-transparent elements in windows, Material 3 includes smooth motion effects, color pallets that integrate with the system and the like. I'm excited to hear that you'll be moving the Android version to Material 3. I may have more constructive feedback once I see what that looks like. Thanks for being open to the feedback.

[McAroni]

For me as a musician, the most important thing is that the app works reliably. I've seen it in many other apps: Fancy designs often slow down the app or don't run properly on older and even newer devices. Most of the time I just look at my scanned sheet music anyway. So for me, reliability is the most important thing. Since I've been using mobilesheets on my current tablet (galaxy tab s7 fe) there hasn't been a crash as far as I can remember. And that really speaks for the app and for Mike's work.

[lgg3]

I don't disagree. As a more "savvy" user, the interface doesn't bother me much. Would I like to see it be more visually appealing? Sure. As I said in my original post, it's hard to get less technologically savvy musicians on board with it because of the belief that it looks antiquated, especially compared to other products like MuseScore or Forescore.

[McAroni]

Musescore is the best example: until the beginning of this year I was the owner of an outdated PC. Until the end of version 3, everything worked reasonably well, but from version 4 onwards with the new design, it simply no longer ran smoothly on my computer.

[lgg3]

We'll agree to disagree. I'm looking forward to the Material Design 3 UI updates.

Also, stability and a modern ui are not mutually exclusive.

[GraemeJ]

I'm largely in agreement with McAroni.  

I'm a member of the "If it's not broken, don't fix it" school.  This is particularly true for mission critical software, which I consider MS to be.

[Zubersoft]

This is a tough one - as mentioned, I've always tried to prioritize functionality over aesthetics. However, if I'm losing potential customers because the app looks outdated and they don't give it a chance, then that makes it a bigger issue, as I want the app to stay successful long term. So I will have to find the balance between modernizing the UI and keeping things largely the same as it is now in terms of performance and functionality.

Mike