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. (800) 289-0963. 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