iPhone - Human Interface Guidelines

iPhone -Human Interface Guidelines

Martin Ebner

The presentation bases on http://developer.apple.com/iphone/library/documentation/userexperience/

conceptual/mobilehig/Introduction/Introduction.html

http://developer.apple.com/iphone/library/documentation/userexperience/conceptual/mobilehig/Introduction/Introduction.html




Do we need Usability?

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The future is mobile

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Fun - just in time - for your target group

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iPhone / iPadjust another device?

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iPhone Human Interface Guidlines - Martin Ebner 2011

http://metrics.admob.com/

„The iPhone generates 33% of all smartphone traffic worldwide and 50% in the US“ (AdMob Mobile Metrics, Febr. 2009)





„The iPhone generates 33% of all smartphone traffic worldwide and 50% in the US“ (AdMob Mobile Metrics, Febr. 2009)

• The Symbian OS is still number one with 43% share and six of the top 10 handsets. Windows Mobile and Palm each lost half their worldwide share over last six months.

• The Top 5 US smartphones - Apple iPhone, BlackBerry Curve, BlackBery Pearl, Palm Centro, and HTC Dream (G1) - generated 77% of traffic in February

• The iPhone is now the number one device by usage in Western Europe with 21% share of total requests





„91% of iPhone users and 88% of iPod touch users would recommend their device, compared to 84% of Android users and 69% of webOS users“ (AdMob Mobile Metrics, January. 2009)





„91% of iPhone users and 88% of iPod touch users would recommend their device, compared to 84% of Android users and 69% of webOS users“ (AdMob Mobile Metrics, January. 2009)




http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/08/14/apples_iphone_3gs_has_99_percent_satisfaction_rate.html

A total of 99 percent of 200 respondents to a RBC/IQ ChangeWave survey in August said they are satisfied with their

iPhone 3GS, with 82 percent of those "Very Satisfied."




http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/08/14/apples_iphone_3gs_has_99_percent_satisfaction_rate.html




Apps usable for everyone?


Application Definiton Statement

{your differentiator} {your solution} for {your audience}

ADS„ ... pick the few features, most frequently used, by the majority of your users, most appropriated for the mobile ...“


{easy to use} {digital photo sharing} for {casual iphone users}

Example:

{easy to use} {digital photo sharing} for {professional iphone users}

Note - this is a new app




• Elegant solution: you must solve a user's problem and solve it eleganty

• Great usability: solide app hierarchy, clean layout

• Gorgeous application icon: hey, the icon is the brand of your product!


iPhone - HI Guidelines

Planning your iPhoneSoftware Product

Designing the UserInterface of youriPhone Application






iPhone OS PlatformRich with Possibilites

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Platform Differences„An iPhone OS-based device is not a desktop or laptop computer, and an iPhone application is not the same as a desktop application.“

• Compact Sreen Size - 480*320 pixels (iPhone 3 and lower) or 960*640 pixels (since iPhone 4)

• Memory is not unlimted

• One Screen at a Time • One Application at a Time (since OS 4.0 not, but

suggested)

• Minimal User Help


What Are Your Options?„Depending on the implementation details and its intended audience, some types of software may be better suited to your needs than others.“

• An iPhone Application (available in App Store)

• Web-only Content (compare http://itunes.tugraz.at): - Web Application - Optimized webpage - Compatible webpage

• Hybrid Applications (access to web content)


3 Application Styles„... applicaton styles, based on visual and behavioral characterstics, data model, and user experience.“

• What do you expect to be the user‘s motivation for using the application?

• What do you itend to be the user‘s experience while using the application?

• What is the goal or focus of the application?

• How does the application organize and display the information people care about?


Productivity Applications„ ... enables tasks that are based on the organization and manipulation of detailed information“

• Organizing the list

• Adding and subcontracting

• Drilling down, performing tasks on reached level


Utility Applications„ ... perfoms a simply task that requires a minimum of user input.“

• visually attractive

• enhancement of information display

• Organize of information into a flattened list of items; no hierachy


Immersive Applications„ ... offers a full-screen, visually rich environment that‘s focused on the content and the user‘s experience with that content“

• tends to hide much of device‘s user interface

• use of nonstandards controls appropriate

• information presentation in the context of game-play, story or experience


Choosing an App Style

„When in doubt, keep it simple.“

• Pare the feature list to the minimum

• To bring ideas from you desktop application to an iPhone application, apply the 80-20 rule (the largest percentage of users will use a very limited number of features)

• Find the core tasks


Case Study: Mail„ ... when people are mobile, their needs for an email application are simpler, and they want access to core functionality quickly.“


Human Interface Principles

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Great User Interface„ ... follows human interface design principles, that are based on the way people think and work, not on the capibilities of the device.“

• Methaphors (playback control, sliding on-off switching, ...)

• Direct Manipulation (with the Multi-Touch Interface)

• See and Point (Presenting choices or options in list form)

• Feedback (must be immediate)

• User Control (user, not the application must initiate and control actions)

• Asthetc Integrity (how well the appearance of you application integrates with your functionality)


Characteristics of Great iPhone

Applications

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Build in Simplicty/Ease of Use„ ... users are probably doing other things while they simultaneously use your application“

• Make it obvious

• High level Information near the top of the screen (independent of how people tap on screen, top is most visible)

• Minimize text input

• Keep essential information succinctly

• Provide a fingertip-size target area for all tappable elements (calculator example: 44*44 pixel)


Focus on the Primary Task„An iPhone Application that establishes and maintains focus on its primary functionality is satisfying and enjoyable to use“

• What is most important in each context?

• Is the provided information essential, does a user need this information right now?


Communicate Effectively

„ ... avoid technical jargon in the user interface“

• Feedback is important

• use user-centric terminology


Support Gestures Appropriately„To ensure that your application is discoverable and easy to use, therefore, try to limit the gestures you require to the most popular.“


Handling Common Tasks

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Starting„iPhone Application should start instantly so users can begin using them without delay“

• Specify appropriate status bar styles

• Display a launch image

• Avoid displaying an About window, splash screen or another tpye of startup experiences

• Launch in portrait orientation


Stopping„iphone Applications should never quit programmatically“

• Be prepared to receive an exit or terminate notification at any time.

• Save the current state when stopping

• Avoid alerts

• User has to decide if continuing you application or pressing the Home Button


Settings and Configuration„It‘s best when iPhone application do not aks users to specify any settings at all“

• Focus your solutions on the needs of 80 percent of users

• Get as much information as possible from other sources

• If you must ask for setup-information, prompt users to enter within your application

• Offer configuration options in the main user interface or on the back of a screen


....„Don‘t provide a button for a built-in action, because users will wonder why there are two ways to do the same thing in your application“

• Support Copy and Paste

• Support Undo and Redo

• Enabling Push Notifications (delivery is not guaranteed)

• Providing Search and Displaying Search Results

• Using the User‘s Location


Using Sound„ ... users always expect to hear alarms that they have set.“

• Ring/Silent Switch (avoid sound if it is not explicity set)

• Volume Buttons (the user always decided the loudness)

• Headset and Headphones (plug in headsets means sound has to be set privately)

• Wireless audio (disconnection = pause, connection = no pause)

• Defining the Audio Behavior is essential task


Multitasking„ Multitasking allows people to switch quickly among recently used applications, because apps can be suspended in the background when they are quit.“

• Be ready for interruptions, and ready to resume

• Make sure your UI can handle the double-high status bar

• Be ready to pause activities that require people’s attention or active participation

• Ensure that your audio behaves appropriately


Multitasking„ Multitasking allows people to switch quickly among recently used applications, because apps can be suspended in the background when they are quit.“

• Use local notifications sparingly

• When appropriate, finish user-initiated tasks in the background.


Printing

„ ... users can wirelessly print content from your application“

• Use the system-provided Action button

• Display the Print item when printing is a primary function in the current context

• If appropriate, provide additional printing options to users

• Don’t display print-specific UI if users can’t print


iAd„ ... you can allow advertisements to display within your application and you can receive revenue when users see or interact with them“

• size 320*50

• Place the banner view at or near the bottom of the screen

• Ensure that banner views appear when it makes sense in your application

• As much as possible, display banner ads in both orientations


iAd„ ... you can allow advertisements to display within your application and you can receive revenue when users see or interact with them“

• Don’t allow an ad to scroll off the screen

• While people view or interact with ads, pause activities that require their attention or interaction

• Don’t stop an ad, except in rare circumstances






Brief Tour of the Application User Interface

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Main parts of application screen„Every application, regardless of type, has an application window“

• Status Bar

• Navigation Bar

• Tab Bar

• Toolbar


Users are accustomed to the look and behavior of standard views and controls

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Status Bar„People expect to see the current battery charge of their device; hiding this information [...] is not an ideal user experience“

• hiding status bar in case of immersive application (carefully decision)

• important bar (cell signal strength, network, battery)

• three possible colors


Navigation Bar„ ... appears at the upper edge of an application screen, just below the status bar.“

• enable navigation among different views in an application

• provide title and controls that manage the items in a view


Tool Bar„ ... performs actions related to objects in the current view.“

• constrain the number of items (44*44 pixels)

• use the predefined buttons

• colors blue and black


Tab Bars„ If you application provides different perspectives on the same set of data, ... .“

• icons and text, all equal in width and black background

• tab does not change its opacity or height, regardless of orientattion

• more than five tabs, iPhone OS add a „More“ tab

• badging a Tab is possible to communicate in a noninstrutive way


Alerts, Action Sheets, Modal Views„ ... appear when something requires the user‘s attention ... “


Alerts„ ... give users criticial information in a highly visible way. “

• minize the number of alerts

• ask for confirmation

• single / double button alert


Action Sheet

„ ... appears as the result of a user action ... “

• no display of a textual message

• two different backgrounds

• the closer the top, the more visible

• be aware of mistakenly tapping the bottom button instead of Home button


Table View„ ... presents data in a single-column list of multiple rows.“

• provide feedback when user select a list item

• display content immediately

• plain / group style

• different table-view elements


Text View

„ ... is a region that displays multiple lines of text ....“


Different Application Controls„Remember that users expect familiar controls to behave as they to in the built-in applications.“

• Activity Indicators

• Date and Time Pickers

• Disclosure Buttons

• Info Buttons

• Labels

• Page Indicators

• Pickers

• Progress Views

• Rounded Rectangle Buttons

• Search Bars

• Segmented Controls

• Sliders

• Text Fields


Sytem Provided Buttons„ ... promote a consistent user experience and make your job easier.“


Creating Custom Iconsand Images

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Application Icons„This is a place where branding and strong visual design should come together into a compact, instantly instantly recognizable, attractive package.“

• rounded corners, drop shadow, reflective shine automatically added

• measures 57*57 pixel (114*114 for high resolution)

• small icon for spotlight search (29*29; 58*58 high resolution)


Launch Images„To enhance the user‘s experience at application launch ... .“

• should not an about window, branding elements

• measures 320*480 pixel (640*940 high resolution)

• it is solely intended to enhance the user‘s perception, as quick launch, ready for use


Icons for ...

„do not redesign standard buttons“

• simple and streamlined

• not easily mistaken

• readily understood and widely acceptable


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdExukJVUGI

iPad - New Way for Applications




http://elearningblog.tugraz.at/archives/2994

What happens when you hand a 3-year-old an iPhone?



Graz University of Technology

SOCIAL LEARNINGComputer and Information Services

Graz University of Technology

Martin Ebner

http://elearning.tugraz.at

http://elearningblog.tugraz.at

Grab and Search your Tweets http://grabeeter.tugraz.at

Slides available at: http://elearningblog.tugraz.at

mebner

[email protected]











iPhone - Human Interface Guidelines

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