Designing the iPhone User Experience A User-Centered Approach to Sketching and Prototyping iPhone Apps

by Ginsburg, Suzanne

• ISBN13: 9780321699435
• ISBN10: 0321699432
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-08-12
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional

Summary

With over 150,000 apps in the App Store, it has become increasingly challenging for app designers and developers to differentiate their apps. The days are long gone when it was possible to crank out an app over the weekend and refine it after receiving a few not so flattering user reviews. Users now have choices -- lots of them. If your app is difficult to use or doesnrs"t meet their needs, finding another one is just a tap away.To illustrate, consider the ever-growing field of Twitter clients. There are hundreds of variations in the App Store but only a handful stand out from the pack (such as Tweetie or Twitterific). For most apps, it boils down to one thing: the user experience. The same is true for countless other categories within the App Store; well-designed apps are more likely to attract and retain users. Of course there are other critical aspects of iPhone app development: the coding, the marketing, the customer support. All of the elements must come together.Designing the iPhone User Experiencewill help you tackle the user experience part of the iPhone challenge. Three key themes will be reinforced throughout the book: Know thy user, the Design Lifecycle, and Attention to Detail: Know Thy User Millions of people depend on iPhone apps to get them to work, find their next meal, and stay in touch with family and friends. Professionals of all kinds also rely on iPhone apps: doctors look up drug interactions; photographers fine-tune lighting; cyclists find the best routes. To truly understand how your apps can fit into their lives, designers and developers must learn how users do things today, whatrs"s important to them, and what needs have not been met. Part II,Introduction to User Research, will introduce a variety of user research methods. The Design Lifecycle Award-winning designs rarely happen overnight; they usually only occur after many rigorous design cycles. To illustrate this point, consider USA TODAY's iPhone application, which went through at least seven iterations for the article view in their app. These kinds of iterations should happen before you launch your app, since it will save valuable time and money, not to mention the headaches a bad design could create for your user. More importantly, you may only have one chance to impress your users -- you do not want to sell them half-baked ideas. Part III,Developing your App Concept, will explain how to iteratively design and test your app concepts. Attention to Detail Most professionals know that attention to detail is important, but hundreds of apps fail to incorporate even the most basic design principles. This lack of attention is not merely an aesthetic issue (which is important) it also affects the way apps function. For example, a news article without proper alignment will be difficult to read, and a poorly rendered icon will be challenging to interpret. Apps with a razor sharp attention to detail will stand out because their apps will look good and perform well. Part IV,Refining your App Concept, will show you how to make to your app shine, from visual design and branding to accessibility and localization.Mastering these three areas will help set your app apart from the crowd. You may not have an award-winning app over night. But knowing your users, iterative design, and attention to detail are important first steps.

Author Biography

Suzanne Ginsburg is a user experience consultant based in San Francisco, California. She helps companies conceptualize and design software. She works with many different kinds of organizations, from established technology companies to small iPhone startups.

One of her favorite aspects of user experience design is exploratory user research which helps uncovers users’ unmet needs and inspires innovation. She has conducted exploratory research for online communities, home networking software, and several iPhone apps. Sketching and prototyping also play a big role in her design process. Suzanne is constantly exploring new approaches and evolving her prototyping tool kit.

Suzanne is most passionate about products that connect people, such as messaging and social media. These projects often involve cross-platform design which looks at the user experience across the web, desktop and iPhone. Suzanne is also interested in the field of augmented environments, particularly software that helps users learn about the people, objects, and places around them.

Suzanne is an experienced speaker and writer. She regularly presents at meetups, UX book clubs, and conferences. She also maintains a UX blog, iPhone UX Reviews , where she reviews iPhone apps and provides advice on iPhone app design.

Suzanne has a Masters Degree in User Interface Design from UC Berkeley’s iSchool and an undergraduate degree in Business Management from Cornell University. You can learn more about Suzanne at Ginsburg Design .

Table of Contents

Preface xv

We’d Like to Hear from You xxvii

Acknowledgments xxix

About the Author xxxi

 

Part One: iPhone Application and Device Overview 1

 

Chapter 1: iPhone Application Overview 3

Utility Apps 4

Productivity Apps 7

Immersive Applications 12

Summary 17

 

Chapter 2: iPhone Device Overview 19

Reviewing the iPhone and iPod Touch’s Features 20

Multi-Touch Display 21

Light, Proximity, and Motion Sensors 27

Location and Compass Information 29

Bluetooth 30

Still and Video Cameras 31

Microphone and Speaker 33

Summary 35

 

Part Two: Defining Your iPhone App 37

 

Chapter 3: Introduction to User Research 39

Common User Research Questions 40

Shadowing and User Interviews 43

Documenting User Interviews 47

Diary Studies 49

Choosing a Research Method 53

Planning Your Research 54

Recruiting 60

Facilitating Interviews 63

Related Research Activities 67

Summary 67

 

Chapter 4: Analyzing User Research 69

Share the Wealth 70

Analyze Notes 71

Document Implications and Ideas 74

Report Findings 75

Create Design Tools 79

Revise the Product Definition Statement 86

Summary 86

Case Study 1: Windspire 88

Case Study 2: Aardvark Mobile 90

 

Chapter 5: Evaluating the Competition 93

Benefits 94

Apps to Include 95

Methods 95

Choosing a Method 105

Impact on the Product Definition Statement 106

Summary 107

 

Part Three: Developing Your App Concept .109

 

Chapter 6: Exploring App Concepts 111

Creating a Design-Friendly Environment 112

Effective Brainstorming 113

Sketching Your Concepts 117

Common Questions 128

Summary 129

Case Study 3: Foodspotting 130

Case Study 4: Not For Tourists 132

Case Study 5: MUSE 134

 

Chapter 7: Prototyping App Concepts 137

Why Prototype? 138

Common Questions 139

Prototyping Approaches 142

Summary 157

Case Study 6: Prototyping at Dan4, Inc 158

Case Study 7: What’s Shakin’ 160

 

Chapter 8: Usability-Testing App Concepts 163

What Is Usability Testing? 164

Why Usability Testing? 164

Role of Context 166

Usability-Testing Methods 167

Usability-Testing Timeline 169

Planning Usability Tests 169

Recruiting Participants 173

Drafting the Discussion Guide 174

Pilot Session 177

Facilitating Usability Tests 178

Analyzing Usability Tests 179

Presenting Usability Findings 180

Guerrilla Usability Testing 181

Beta Testing 183

Choosing an Approach 184

Summary 184

Case Study 8: REALTOR.com 186

 

Part Four: Refining Your iPhone App 189

 

Chapter 9: User Interface Design 191

User Interface Best Practices 192

User Interface Q&A 207

Back-End UI Checklist 215

Summary 217

Case Study 9: Sonos 218

Case Study 10: FlightTrack 220

 

Chapter 10: Visual Design 223

The Importance of Visual Design 224

When Should Visual Design Begin? 224

Visual Structure 225

Color 230

Type 234

Icons and Other Imagery 237

Summary 245

Case Study 11: USA TODAY 246

Case Study 12: Voices 248

Case Study 13: Convertbot 250

 

Chapter 11: Branding and Advertising 253

What Is Branding? 254

Brand Expressions 257

Mobile Advertising Formats 261

Summary 263

 

Chapter 12: Accessibility and Localization 265

Accessibility 266

Internationalization and Localization 270

Summary 273

 

Looking to the Future 275

Handheld Forms Will Evolve 276

Mobile Payments Will Become Ubiquitous 277

Health Care Monitoring and Delivery Will Improve 277

Environmental Monitoring Will Lead to Scientific Discoveries 278

Privacy Issues Will Come to a Head 278

Conclusion 279

 

Index 281