I've never loved, or even liked for that matter, the iOS Settings app. I've felt for a long time that it's a navigation nightmare and that some user customizability was sorely needed. That's why I was so excited to see that Timotheus Wischniowski went through the trouble last month of putting together an amazing map of iOS 6.0.1 settings on an iPhone 5. The map is a work of art by itself.

What I've always felt, but never verified in any way, is just how spartan some main settings sections are (Twitter, Facebook) while others (General) are completely overloaded. There must be a better way to get at these settings for users.

I'd love to see a similar map for iOS 1.0 at the launch of the original iPhone. Obviously, it was a much simpler time, but there has been an option explosion in the last 5 years that require a rethinking of the Settings App. An ideal system would distribute the myriad of settings in a more equitable way. Much like it's a good idea to rebalance an investment portfolio on a regular basis to ensure a desirable allocation of risk, Apple would be well served to take a hard look at the Settings app to make things a lot more balanced.

One thing that I'd love to see is a user definable menu towards the top of the Settings app. This would be a place that each person could place shortcuts to the settings they use most frequently. Because there are so many ways to customize the behavior of an iPhone, there's no chance that all people place the same value on a particular setting. My phone usage and need to interact with settings are vastly different from my dad's needs.

I would hope that Jony Ive and his team will be taking a look at Settings as an opportunity to improve the platform for all users.

Hat tip to MacStories