Some excellent design ideas for the iphone platform

This article attempts to combine some of the iphone platform design experience with some of the iphone platforms to extract some of the best design ideas of the iphone platform for you to do mobile Internet device design reference.

1. The difference between mobile internet devices and traditional mobile phones

In the traditional mobile era, the standard call key, Hanging machine key, menu key is the standard mobile phone, the user was taught to use the keyboard to manipulate the data, so we have developed the habit of using the keyboard, the classic case is the Nokia-led era.

In the mobile internet era, especially the large-scale application of touch screen, the function of the mobile phone has changed, the browsing, downloading and consumption of Internet content becomes the main application scene, the touch screen becomes the industry trend, the content is operated directly, and the clicks within the screen becomes the main operation. Most operations are done through direct and content interaction and do not allow users to control indirectly through intermediate devices.

So, you can understand why Apple is so aggressive that it retains only one home key, and all other functional operations are on the screen.

At the bottom of the few keystrokes (return, menu, home, search), Android seems to be somewhere between the traditional phone and the iphone, preserving some of the features of traditional handsets, but also learning the iphone's touchscreen approach. From Apple's minimalist design approach, the iphone is more thorough and more extreme.

2. Highly intuitive interface

Apple uses metaphors to hint at the user's actions, the goal is to reduce the user's learning threshold, so that users know how to use the iphone at the first glance, the typical case is the lock screen to unlock the interface, and the operation of scaling photos.

iphone uses a full touch screen operation, most of the operation through direct touch, only provide a real button of the home button, this approach with multi-touch technology, whether the completion of a task or experience the game, the operation of the greatest degree of simplification of the user's operating path.

To this end, the iphone also provides a variety of rich gestures, based on which developers can create a rich operating experience. For example: Tweetie 2

3, when needed to guide me, and tell me where to go

On the iphone platform, if the application has information-level relationships (such as mailbox > Inbox > Mail), use title to navigate, the navigation bar to the left is always the return button, the right if necessary, can be placed on the content of the operation control, the middle of the title.

For the navigation buttons here, there is always a return to the previous level of functionality and clearly indicates what the title is at the top level.

So, the other question is, what if the information level is too deep? Whether you need to give back to the first page, such as buttons or longer breadcrumbs path, you need to consider how to reduce the information level of the program rather than blindly to complicate the navigation here.

The iphone advocates working directly on the interface elements, returning to the previous level, without having to switch pages with other physical buttons, all you need to do is click directly on the screen.

Navigation Bar

4, stable interface structure delimited bar,toolbar position

The interface structure of the iphone's typical application is very stable, and the location of the navigation bar and the tab is not changed because of the application, and the user can form a more consistent experience.

The Android platform is less prescriptive than the iphone:

A Andorid the title of the treatment of strange, some programs have a title bar, some places do not conform to the principle of consistency; In addition, there are two sizes of the title bar.

b The position of the tab bar. Some applications at the top, some on the bottom, experience inconsistencies.

In addition, for handheld devices, the focus is from the top down, the focus of the tab bar is not as high as the content, in fact, only when it is necessary to easily switch is enough, placed at the top of the handheld device for the operation is very inconvenient.

5, do one thing at a time, to avoid a key to carry too many functions

Android Menu key is a global button, the use of high frequency, depending on the different scene features, users are more difficult to form a consistent experience, system-level menu and Context menu is also easy to confuse users.

Apple's approach is to break down the functions of the menu, the important operations users can directly operate (such as the Add contact person Address Book, the iphone is put out directly, Android is put it into the menu), other operations or focus on the setting or through the sliding and other interactive way to expand. (Tweetie 2 shows more actions for the current contact by sliding operations)

6, enhance the user experience

The iphone has a lot to learn about enhancing the user experience. For example, the core animation provides a lot of elegant animation can be used directly to achieve gorgeous animation effect.

Why animate?

In the process of the entire interface conversion, Apple will add some animation elements, the effect of three:

A to ease the anxiety of users waiting, such as: Classic program Login interface animation.
b indicates the source of the user's current interface. Such as: There is information-level relationship between the left and right to toggle animation.

C to enhance the user experience

With what animation?

Several common animations for the interface:

A the information-level relationship is used to toggle animation.
b The operation of the current view content is commonly used in the model view from the bottom upward animation. such as: Write mail, action sheet.

Quasi physical and chemical design

In addition, there are sound elements, transparent design and other means to enhance the user experience.
(This article originates from Tencent CDC Blog, please indicate the source when reprint)