iPhone User Interface Cookbook

iPhone User Interface Cookbook

By : Cameron Banga

Buy this Book

iPhone User Interface Cookbook

By: Cameron Banga

Buy this Book

Overview of this book

The incredible growth rates for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad have pushed consumers to a new “App” economy, with developers racing to the platform. Mobile touch-centric interfaces vary greatly from traditional computing platforms, and programmers as well as designers must learn to adapt to the new form-factor.The iPhone User Interface Cookbook offers a complete breakdown of standard interface design on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. You will learn the tools behind the trade, how to properly utilize standard interface elements, and custom UI tricks that will help your work stand out on the App Store.The book is designed to be a complete overview of interface design on all iOS platforms, offering insight and an inside look into app design. A variety of topics are covered, starting with an overview of tools for the app interface designer, touching upon popular interface components such as the Tab Bar, and offering suggestions for complex game interfaces. Whether you’re new to the platform or a seasoned developer with numerous applications in the App Store, this book strives to teach everyone simple and easy to implement tips for iOS interface design. Regardless of skill level, the iPhone User Interface Cookbook offers a detailed breakdown of all things interface design.

iPhone User Interface Cookbook

Credits

About the Author

About the Reviewers

www.PacktPub.com

PacktLib.PacktPub.com

Preface

Free Chapter

Getting Started: Prototyping, Proper Tools, and Testing our Design

Introduction

Starting with the sketch

Developing a rapid prototype

Migrating to the high-resolution Retina display

Getting our work onto a device

Taking a screenshot of an application on our device

Working within Apple's guidelines

Customizing our Icon, the Navigation Bar, and the Tab Bar

Introduction

Designing an application icon and preparing it for the user home screen

Creating the rounded edges effect on our icon

Removing the app icon's gloss effect

Optimizing our newspaper or magazine app's icon for Newsstand in iOS 5

Creating a custom Tab Bar for our iPhone application

Different Ways to "View" our Application

Introduction

Properly utilizing modal views

Getting quick updates with Alert Views

Improving our application through Table Views

Integrating Web View into our app

Including Twitter in iOS 5

Determining which view is better for our app

Utilizing Common UI Elements

Introduction

Implementing application functionality using a Navigation Bar

Providing variety through a Tab Bar

Speeding up data entry through pickers and custom keyboards

Simplicity in the Slider control

Offering complex control through an Action Sheet

Using UI to keep our user inside our application

Making text fade in or out of view

All About Games

Introduction

Planning your game around touch

Using control techniques that are optimized for touch

Designing HUDs with limited real estate

Accounting for the lost Status Bar

Starting, Stopping, and Multitasking

Introduction

Starting the application with a proper Default.png

Planning our application UI for a first impression

Dealing with phone calls or text messages

Working with multitasking in iOS 4

Periodical downloads and Newsstand in iOS 5

Making accommodations for other apps that are multitasking

Notifications, Locations, and Sounds

Introduction

Integrating push or local notifications into our app

Using badges to draw attention to new content

Managing audio properties and keeping silent

Locating the sweet spot when handling location services

Making an app usable without location data

Making cents with proper ad placement

Accessibility, Options, and Limited Opportunity to Help our User

Introduction

Using the 80 percent rule when developing optimal settings

Properly supporting copy and paste

Supporting undo and redo

Configurations in, settings out

Cutting features when in doubt

Supporting VoiceOver and other accessibility features

Migrating to the iPad

Introduction

Migrating our app to the iPad

Experiences that are possible on the iPad, but not on the iPhone

Accounting for resolution and aspect ratio changes

Managing our app for use with two hands

Designing our app with all orientations in mind

Including Popovers and new UI elements for the iPad

Designing an app using skeuomorphic designs

The Importance of Direct Manipulation

If you need a stylus, you blew it

Customer Reviews

5 star

4 star

3 star

2 star

1 star

Migrating our app to the iPad

Upon its unveiling, the iPad was written off by critics as no more than a large iPod touch. It wasn't until the typical users were able to use the device that people soon realized that the device wasn't a magnifed version of the iPhone or iPod touch. The screen resolution, form factor, and portability of the device lent the iPad a completely different usage experience.

Let's take a look at different ways in which a user can use our app on the iPad and how this affects interface design.

Getting ready

For this application, we should have an iPad device on hand with several iPhone-only applications loaded, along with several iPad-optimized applications as well. Several well designed iPad-optimized applications to consider include Pages, GarageBand, Keynote, GoodReader, Penultimate, iMovie, and MLB.com At Bat.

How to do it...

In designing an application that we want people to use on the iPad, we're given three different types of applications that we can build, depending...

iPhone User Interface Cookbook

By : Cameron Banga

iPhone User Interface Cookbook

By: Cameron Banga

Overview of this book

Related Content you might be interested in

Current Title:

iPhone User Interface Cookbook

Migrating our app to the iPad

Getting ready

How to do it...