Christmas came and went, but the iPhone I received as a gift is here to stay thanks to the LifeProof case. LifeProof cases are known for the protection they offer phones especially in water. This case waterproofs the phone in water up to two meters deep! The design finds aesthetic beauty in simplicity. This is a good approach, since the simple design conveys the message that the case is here to do business and protect the phone.
Installing the phone in the case is very easy, and the case does a great job of providing feedback by clicking together to let the user know that they have fully secured a connection between parts of the case. One noticeable downfall of the case after installation is the presence of a bubble between the phone's screen and the clear layer of the case that goes over the screen. This makes it looks like it barely fits a little wrong. The main problem with this bubble is that it interferes with the interaction between user and phone. This bubble turns the touch screen into more of a "press" screen as the user has to push the clear layer down in some areas to make contact with the phone's screen.
The other points of interaction besides the screen are around the side of the phone including the headphone port, charger port, and various buttons. The buttons such as ringer volume and power work great and are easy to use and provide tactile feedback when you have pressed them fully. The headphone jack is very unique. It can be a hassle sometimes because there is a screw-in cap that covers the headphone jack to make it waterproof. The hassle is whenever I want to use my headphones I have to unscrew this cap and screw in a special headphone adapter as shown below. Part of the hassle is keeping track of the small screw cap and headphone adapter. The small screw cap is also hard to operate because it has the small ribs on it which you have to use with your fingernails to screw in and out of the case. This small cap provides no feedback to let you know if you have screwed it in far enough to make the case waterproof. Since there is no feedback, I tighten this cap as much as I can which then leads to the cap being hard to unscrew! The small flap that opens to allow the phone charger to be plugged into the phone works great. It is attached to the phone and clicks shut when you close it. It would have been nicer if the headphone jack worked in a similar manner.
The case has a great design overall though because it accomplishes its main functionality of protecting the phone completely. The screwing headphone adapter makes sense in this aspect because it waterproofs the headphone jack when in use. The screwing headphone jack and bubble in the phone screen can be annoying at times, but this case's design is awesome because it accomplishes its main goal. It is quite amazing that this case can stop all water yet let sound travel clearly through the case, and these little nuances are worth having a phone with that kind of protection.
For some reason when I originally posted a comment on this it didn't show up. However, I will again expound upon my personal dislike for the bubble on the screen. Part of what makes Apple so great is the sleekness and simplicity of their products. The iPhone is such a catch because it easy to use but also because it is down right beautiful. As someone who care very much about the appearance of the phone, this little bubble would drive me crazy. Not only because it looks awful, but because it gets in the way of functionality. I will say though, that the idea of a "life proof case" is wonderful because iPhone's are not cheap and accidents do happen. All in all, I think the design is great. Great design requires compromise, meaning that I suppose the upsides to the case strongly outweigh the negatives such as this pesty little bubble.
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