Your first project in iPhone UI design normally comes about in one of two ways. Maybe your client has entrusted you with their iPhone app after completing a website for them. Or maybe you’ve been a bit cheeky and enhanced your skill set a tad because it’s an area that interests you, and you now find yourself with an app to design, wondering where to start. Either way, designing for iOS4 devices is totally different to the web and shouldn’t be launched into by simply opening Photoshop, as tempting as it may be.
Your mantra should be: keep it simple. You won’t be able to provide the exact same experience someone might be used to on the web, or deliver hundreds of complex functions in a single app without overloading the user. Make peace with this and strip out functions as necessary. Work out what will be the core functionality. What will people use your app for, above all else?
Remember, the best apps respond to the following questions:
● “I’m bored: how can I pass the time?”
● “Where am I?”
● “How can I make this task easier?”