The iPhone App Design Manual: Create Perfect Designs for Effortless Coding and App Store Success

307 Pages·2014·8.37 MB·English

by  Dave Brown

the iPhone app design manual
create perfect designs for effortless coding
and app store success
dave brown
with vicky roberts
CINCINNATI, OHIO
WWW.HOWDESIGN.COM
App creation is now a huge, global business, with hundreds of thousands of
developers, entrepreneurs, and companies attracted by the potential rewards.
But games, functional apps, and promotional apps alike depend on attractive,
intuitive design for their appeal, and most fail to find a significant audience.
With this book, you’ll be able to turn your great app idea into a functioning
design ready for coding, or apply graphic design skills to this exciting new field,
and create an app that will stand out in a market that is worth over a billion
dollars every year.
• Understand the design process that underlies the best and most successful apps
• Learn how to create a friendly interface and smooth user experience, and avoid
the pitfalls that plague first-time designers • Master the tricks of the trade that
make apps stand out: effective visuals, punchy copy, and attractive colors
Copyright © 2014 by The Ilex Press Limited.
All rights reserved.
No other part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means
including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher,
except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by HOW Books, an imprint of
F+W Media, Inc., 10151 Carver Road, Suite 200, Blue Ash, Ohio 45242. [phone]. First edition. For
more excellent books and resources for designers, visit www.howdesign.com.
Print ISBN: 978-1-4403-3299-9
PDF ISBN: 978-1-4403-3490-0
ePub ISBN: 978-1-4403-3491-7
This book was conceived, designed, and produced by The Ilex Press, 210 High Street, Lewes, BN7 2NS,
UK
For ILEX:
Publisher: Alastair Campbell Creative Director: James Hollywell Managing Editors: Nick Jones and Natalia
Price-Cabrera Commissioning Editor: Zara Larcombe Editor: Ellie Wilson
Art Director: Julie Weir
Designer: Lisa McCormick
All images © their respective copyright holders. Every effort has been made to credit the works
reproduced in this book. We apologize for any omissions, which will be corrected in future editions, but
hereby must disclaim any liability.
Color Origination by Ivy Press Reprographics
For my mum and late father.
Thank you for always supporting me and for giving me the love and belief to succeed. I’ll always love you more
than I’ll ever be able to say.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1:
WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT DESIGNING MOBILE APPS?
Designing for Mobile Vs. Web
How We Access the Web Via Mobile
How App Design Differs from Web Design
Characteristics of a Successful App Designer
How to Transition from Web or Print Design to Mobile Design
CHAPTER 2:
HOW ARE APPS MADE?
App Design and Development Process
The Different Types of Apps
Programming Languages
Custom-designed Vs. Template Designs
When to Use Apple UI Elements
CHAPTER 3:
DEFINING THE APP’S PRIMARY TASK
What Task Does Your App Accomplish?
More Things to Think About
Removing Function Overload
CHAPTER 4:
MARKET RESEARCH
Concept Research
Look at Existing Solutions
Compare Solutions Against Each Other
Uncover Technical Limitations
Plan for Future Functionality
Define Your Target Audience
What Do They Want?
The iPhone Demographic
How Your Target Audience Affects Design
CHAPTER 5:
INTERACTION DESIGN
What is Interaction Design?
Designing for Gestures
The Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, and Inclinometer
The M7 Co-processor
How to Use Other Software/Hardware Features
CHAPTER 6:
USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN
What is User Experience Design?
Navigation Elements and Styles
iOS View Controllers or Navigation
Temporary Views
Controls
Transitions and Animations
Content Views
Settings
Use Case Scenarios
Paper Prototyping and Defining the Flow of the App
Wireframing and Storyboarding
CHAPTER 7:
INTERFACE DESIGN
What is Interface Design?
Custom Interface Considerations
The Future of Screen Sizes
The Anatomy of an iPhone UI
App Design is Changing …
Key Design Factors to Consider for iOS 7 and Above
Key Technical Factors to Consider
CHAPTER 8 :
ICON DESIGN
iOS 7 Icon Design
The Different Types of App Icon
Our Top Tips for iOS 7 Icon Design
Icon Sizes and Placements
Key Factors to Consider for Icon Design
CHAPTER 9:
SCREENSHOT DESIGN
How We Decide Which Apps to Buy
Selecting Your Screenshots
Our Top Tips for Screenshot Success
Screenshot Specifications
CHAPTER 10:
PREPARING FINAL ARTWORK
Slicing Graphics
Preparing Files for the Developer
CONCLUSION
Glossary
References
Index
Acknowledgments
INTRODUCTION
When I founded Apposing back in 2009, the app world was a much less
congested space. The boom had not yet begun and the way that we interacted
with technology was infinitely more stationary.
With a background in web design, I was well-versed in the processes and theories
which led to a great website and experience for the user, but the advent of the
mobile application posed a new area of interest. I became obsessed with the
power that these apps held within their tiny frameworks. Carried in the pocket of
the user wherever they went, apps allowed the mobile phone to become
whatever it needed to be. You no longer needed to carry multiple digital, and in
some cases physical, tools; they could all be neatly housed in one pocket-sized
package.
Apps presented an exciting opportunity to connect with customers for brands
and companies across the world, but more importantly, they offered designers a
method of changing the digital landscape for the better. Age-old processes could
be revisited; app designers had the opportunity to study the way we interact with
things to see if they could be improved. Good app design was about more than
taking the internet and making it accessible on your phone, it was an art form in
its own right.
I founded Apposing with the notion of creating truly useful apps with the user in
mind. I wanted to make valuable apps that generated excitement, pushed
boundaries, and which solved problems that people might not have known that
they had. A fledgling soldier on the digital frontline, Apposing was at that time a
one-man band with a vision.
Fastforward to 2014, and I’ve achieved what I set out to do. We get to work with
some of the world’s biggest brands, creating apps which have evolved the way
that customers shop, work, and play. We’ve managed to amass over one million
downloads across Android and iOS. Now a team of thirteen, our ethos remains