If you want to master iOS application development, you should be giving the design aspect of your app a lot of thought. One of the major reasons people use Apple devices is the elegant User Interface and smooth navigation. So make sure you get it right in your application as well. Here are some basic design strategies you as an iOS application developer, must master.
You are NOT building a website
Yes, it seems very obvious, but most iOS application designers end up creating applications that feel just like a mobile website. Understand your medium and platform completely. The interface of an application and website vary greatly. You will have views not pages, buttons not links, taps not clicks and so on. Even your navigation would be different from that of a website. Keep each view simple, do not overload your view with too much information or too many options. Remember, your users prefer to navigate through a number of pages than see a cluttered page offering too much.
Design to fit all devices
Build your iOS application such that it looks great on every screen. Do not restrict your designing for just an iTouch or an iPad. This is going to throw a bunch of problems your way, thanks to the variation in sizes of Apple products available in the market today.
One simple thing you can do to ensure an increased usability across devices, is make sure your buttons or tap targets are large enough for users to handle with ease. Keep the size of all tap-able elements at least 44 points wide and tall. Do not forget that they are using their fingers for navigation, not a cursor, which is far less precise and a lot more clumsy.
Work with a variety of testing devices
Your simulator is not going to give you an accurate image of how your designs would look on an Apple device. Render your designs on a number of Apple products of varying sizes and types like Retina/Non-Retina, tall/short, iPad/iPhone and so on to ensure your application looks exactly how you planned it to be. Check out your app across brightness levels and background colors as well to make sure it always looks good.
Apart from these issues, you might also have problems with the Apple App Store if you do not stick to their design regulations. Do give their guidelines a thorough reading to ensure you do not have to go back and change portions of your application later.
Designing an iOS application is no easy task. If you are looking to build a custom application make sure you hire the best iOS developers in the business who know their designing well.
