Apple’s 27 guidelines for mobile user experience design
People appreciate mobile apps that feel as though they were designed expressly for the device. For example, when an app fits well on the device screen and responds to the gestures that people know, it provides much of the experience people are looking for. And, although people might not be aware of human interface design principles, such as direct manipulation or consistency, they can tell when apps follow them and when they don’t.
A great user experience is rooted in your attention to detail.
The user experience of iOS-based devices revolves around streamlined interaction with content that people care about. Below are Apple’s 27 guidelines for mobile UX design:
- Focus on the primary task
- Elevate the content that people care about
- Think top down
- Give people a logical path to follow
- Make usage easy and obvious
- Use user-centric terminology
- Minimise the effort required for user input
- Downplay file-handling operations
- Enable collaboration and connectedness
- De-emphasise settings
- Brand appropriately
- Make search quick and rewarding
- Entice and inform with a well-written description
- Be succinct
- Use UI elements consistently
- Consider adding physicality and realism
- Delight people with stunning graphics
- Handle orientation changes
- Make targets fingertip-size
- Use subtle animation to communicate
- Support gestures appropriately
- Ask people to save only when necessary
- Make modal tasks occasional and simple
- Start instantly
- Always be prepared to stop
- Don’t quit programmatically
- If necessary, display a license agreement or disclaimer
You can find more on these guidelines in the iOS Developer Library.
There are 5 additional guidelines for iPads:
- Enhance interactivity (don’t just add features)
- Reduce full-screen transitions
- Restrain your information hierarchy
- Consider using popovers for some modal windows
- Migrate toolbar content to the top