Design for users-Apple's user experience design philosophy

Creating an application that only works is not enough. Users expect a Mac application to be powerful, intuitive, and attractive. In every aspect of the application you design, you must consider the user experience, from the features you choose to the display pointer.

Although users may not know the human-machine interface design guidelines, they can know when your applications follow the guidelines and when they do not follow them.

Following the principles and conventions stated in the man-machine interface wizard, you can design superior user interfaces and user experience for your products.

The success of a Mac application depends greatly on the quality of the user interface design. If a user cannot be attracted or easily used by an application, even if it has the fastest speed, powerful enough, and many features, it can only be forgotten in the Mac application repository.

There are many ways to succeed from initial inspiration to becoming a popular application, and there is no separate path to success. However, there is a guiding rule on which a successful application should be developed: Design for the user in the mind. The following is a summary of the policies and best practices based on this guidance. They are manifested in the principles and guides that need to be followed to design an application. When preparing for development, make sure you have read the man-machine interface wizard.

1. Understanding the OSX Environment

If you are a beginner in OSX application development, the first step is to become an OSX user. Then try to explore the features of the OSX platform as much as possible as a user rather than as a developer. Whether you are a veteran of Mac or a new user on a platform, it is worthwhile to spend some time summarizing your expectations and analyzing your behavior during your exploration.

For example, consider how the following Platform features affect user experience:

1. OSX includes many features that help you implement common application management tasks. For example, different versions and easy-to-use Version Control of automatic saving and saving of documents enable users to focus on their content.

2. Place menus for all applications in a separate menu bar. With a separate menu bar, you always know where to find the Application Command.

3. The OSX application can respond to gestures, clicks, and buttons without making any assumptions about the type of the input device used by the user. Users expect to interact with their Mac using the input devices they select.

4. OSX supports an immersive, full-screen window environment. The experience of a full-screen window environment makes sense for applications that users want to focus on specific tasks and avoid being distracted.

5. OSX is a multitasking system. Supports different user accounts and allows multiple users to log on simultaneously. Users expect to quickly share the same computer without logging off.

6. The settings allow users to customize different aspects of the user experience of an application. In addition to built-in system settings, Mac applications can also provide their own settings, allowing users to make some changes to the specific behavior and appearance of the application.

A great application can leverage platform features to provide a user experience that is seamlessly integrated with the OSX environment.

2. Learn Basic human-machine interface rules

As a user, you notice that when an application is difficult to tell whether it has received your input or when you cannot find a standard menu item, you know that applications do not follow the basic principles of human-machine interface design.

In this scenario, human-computer interfaces refer to the interaction between people and computers, including software on computers. When an application's human-machine interface is built in the way people want to do it, it is an application that makes people easy and happy.

Apple's man-machine interface design principles are categorized into several major aspects of man-machine interaction that can produce predictable user experience. When designing your applications, remember these top-level principles in your mind.

1. Metaphor. The virtual objects and behaviors of an application are the metaphor of objects and behaviors in the real world. Using the metaphor, users can quickly learn how to use an application. Most appropriate metaphor suggests a use or experience that does not impose limits on objects or behaviors in the real world they are based on.

2. Psychological Model. Most users already have a mental model that describes the tasks executed by an application. An application should be built on the psychological model of its user trend, so that it is intuitive for people to use.

3. explicit and implicit actions. Each OSX operation corresponds to an object operation that uses one action. Explicit actions clearly declare the results of an object operation, and implicit actions convert the results of an action through visual clues or context.

4. Direct operation. When people directly manipulate objects on the screen, changes are immediately displayed ,. People are more attracted by tasks, so they are more willing to understand the results of their own actions.

5. User Control. Although an application can recommend an operation guide or give a warning about incorrect operations. However, it is usually an error that the application decides for the user. The best application should find a correct balance between providing people with the capabilities they need and helping them avoid unwanted results.

6. Feedback and communication. Feedback responds to people's operations and ensures that an operation is ongoing. For example, when people wait for immediate feedback when operating a control, they appreciate the indication of status update during a long period of operation.

7. Consistency. Interface consistency allows people to switch their knowledge and skills from one application to another. Ideally, an application should be consistent with the OSX standard, and be consistent with its own and earlier versions.

8,WYSIWYG (WYSIWYG ).The user expects the application to display the actual results of their operations and provide a precise preview of the content they have created. For example, when a user customizes a document displayed on the screen, they are expected to see the changes in the printed version of the document.

9. Wide.People need some testing: they can test something without disrupting the system or damaging their content. Successful applications encourage users to explore and make most of the actions easy to flip through the construction of the bulk.

10. Predictable Stability. To give users a sense of reliability, interfaces need to provide a set of clear and limited object sets and a set of action sets on these objects. Standard elements and actions create a familiar environment where users know what things are and what they can do.

11. aesthetic integrity.Aesthetic integrity does not measure how beautiful an application is; it measures the degree to which the appearance of an application matches its functions.

3. Follow the wizard

The OSX human-machine interface Wizard includes the following features: Recommended user experience, OSX control technology, and specific rules on the use of screen elements. This section is not a combination of OSX human-machine interface wizard, but a preliminary experience for helping you design a successful application of various types of wizard.

Great OSX applications provide people with seamless access to their content of interest. To achieve this goal, these applications use the following user experience Wizard:

1. Focus on the solution rather than the features.

2. Proper gesture processing.

3. Use gorgeous images.

4. Use standard UI elements correctly.

5. Use the correct pointer for the job.

6. Help Users improve their real-time work effectiveness.

7. Explore Security

8. adapt to changes in the user environment.

9. gain user trust through reliability, predictability, and stability.

The user expects the features of the application integration platform, such as automatic storage, recovery, and full-screen window. Even though users may think that these features are automatically available, application developers know that they must do some integration work. To ensure that applications provide these features and the expected user experience, developers must follow the following OSX technical wizard:

One pair of document applications support automatic saving and versioning.

2. When processing local and push notifications, it must comply with the user's notification center settings.

3. When interacting with the dock menu, make sure your application meets your expectations.

4. Provide appropriate information to the Finder to ensure that your application can be well integrated with the file system.

5. Pay attention to user system settings. If necessary, allow them to customize the appearance and behavior of your application.

6. help users when they have difficulty completing a task-use help tags and Apple Help.

7. Users can easily interact with their content through drag-and-drop operations.

When an application correctly uses UI elements, such as buttons and toolbar, users may only pay attention to the application as expected. However, when an application uses the UI element incorrectly, users often quickly state their dissatisfaction and leave negative comments in the Mac application repository. Great Mac applications should carefully follow the UI element usage wizard, for example:

1. Use the buttons and icons provided by the system according to the document.

2. When designing custom icons and images, use all images that users can understand to avoid copying Apple's UI elements or products.

3. Use only the first-level sub-menu as much as possible.

4. Create a toolbar to present features that are frequently needed by users.

5. Name a new window.

6. Use popover instead of source list, panel, or changeable pane.

7. Make sure that a specific progress bar is accurate in time and relevant to the progress.

It is reiterated that the wizard listed in this section is only part of the OSX human-machine interface wizard. It is necessary to fully read this document during application development.

 4. leverage proven design strategies

Most successful OSX applications are designed repeatedly. When developers focus on directors and continuously refine their feature list, they can create an application with a high user experience. The strategies summarized in this section can help you extract your inspiration, review design options, and integrate them into applications that people will expect.

1. extraction feature list

2. Environment Design

3. prototype and iteration.