To celebrate the launch of Oomph iOS7 the Oomph Design team have created a list of things to keep in mind when designing for the new platform.
1. Keep content at the forefront
We have always promoted content as the hero at Oomph and with the update to iOS7 we have cemented this into the platform even further. When designing your content always keep in mind the idea of clarity, where you place only the most important elements on your page to make it easy for users to engage with your content.
2. Use depth and layering to achieve content hierarchy
Flat design negates many design tools like textures and shadows that was used in abundance in skeuomorphism to make elements jump off the screen. When designing for iOS7 though, depth and layering becomes your new tools to guide your users to the most important parts of your design.
3. Keep things simple
This is a good time to get rid of those decorative elements on the page with no purpose. Review and refine your designs to identity how you can eliminate clutter within your page views.
4. Stay true to your own design
Make sure you stay true to your design and your brand personality. Focus on tweaking your design by simplifying elements, introducing more white space and refreshing prominent fonts for titles and headers. You will be surprised how these small changes will invigorate your design and make it feel more at home within the new iOS7 ecosystem.
5. Go back to design basics
The minimalist design of iOS7 has actually made our jobs as designers even harder! When implementing flat design principles you really need to go back to graphic design 101 to distill elements to their minimal form and function, whilst still making them recognisable and visually engaging.
6. Make navigation a no brainer
Navigation should be simple and intuitive and in no way disruptive to your content. Make sure you have a natural flow throughout your app so that the user at no stage feels lost but rather can get immersed within the experience.
7. Reconsider the use of navigation icons
Reconsider where and when you use navigation icons and ask yourself if they are really needed. Again just because Apple has chosen to make all their icons outlines doesn’t mean that is the only way to achieve a clean design. Consider flat filled or even flat stylised icons to reflect your own design personality.
8. Give your users more credit
When tablets first launched it was a very new and foreign way of consuming content. As designers it was our job to guide them through using these new devices by referencing familiar paradigms from the world around us as well as plenty of navigation cues. With tablets and smart phones now being the go to device for the masses though, it is safe to assume that users have caught up and are very comfortable navigating through the mobile world.
9. Consider your content on other devices
More and more users are expecting to have tailored solutions for different devices. With Oomph iOS7 we have now created a universal app which means you have one app with the ability to show content for both iPad and iPhone. Consider how your content will be consumed in each of these formats and design for both if possible.
10. Take users on a journey
With the explosion of apps on the App Store users are getting overloaded with content so it is important to get them engaged with your brand from the get go. The new features page in Oomph iOS7 its the perfect canvas to do just that by highlighting specific content to take them on your brand’s journey from the first time that they enter the app.
That wraps up our top ten tips – we hope you find them useful and that they give you a good foundation to start designing for iOS7!
Resources:
There are lots of talented and generous designers out there that are sharing some awesome free resources for anyone designing for iOS7. Here are a few of our favourites!
App Icons
App Icons Template – By M18 on Dribble
IOS 7 Guide Freebie PSD – Seevi Kargwal on Dribble
Navigation Icons
Flat Design Icons Set Vol 1 – Pixeden
Flat Design Icons Set Vol 2 – Pixeden
Flat Design Icons Set Vol 3 – Pixeden
Flat Design Icons Set Vol 4 – Pixeden
Tab Bar Icons iOS 7 Vol 1 – Pixeden
Tab Bar Icons iOS 7 Vol 2 – Pixeden
Tab Bar Icons iOS 7 Vol 3 – Pixeden
Tab Bar Icons iOS 7 Vol 4 – Pixeden
iOS7 UI
iOS7 iPad UI – By Kim Ruello on Dribble
iPhone iOS7 UI – By Kim Ruello on Dribble
If you would like to find out more about a tailored training session from one of our Oomph Design Gurus to get your content ready for iOS7 please contact us.