THE UX REFLEX THEORY: LESSONS FROM APPLE'S SEARCH BAR EXPERIMENT

Summary from the TLDR Design newsletter

Apple and Amazon faced user backlash for moving the search bar to the bottom of their interfaces. Users resisted the sudden changes due to their conditioned reflexes and muscle memory. While new design patterns can be met with reluctance, users may adapt over time. Experimenting with novel designs is often more accepted in AI platforms, games, and new hardware.