Flyosity: Mac & iPhone Interface Design Blog by Mike Rundle

Design by Chris Messina

One of the largest remaining questions about the Apple slate device (aka, the iTablet, Mac touch, or my favorite, the iPod maxi) is its operating system. Why? Because the iPhone's main selling point is the App Store and last I checked, apps listed in the App Store only run on the iPhone OS. So does this guarantee the Apple tablet will run jumbo-sized iPhone applications on a larger screen? I'm not so sure. Here are some potential scenarios:

It Runs iPhone OS With Scaled-Up Apps

If Apple were rushing to get this product to market then this could be a possibility: iPhone apps scaled-up to fit the larger screen resolution of a tablet. Everything would look the same except everything is bigger — perhaps exactly 2x as large with a 640x960 resolution screen.

Advantages:
If all UI elements are automatically scaled then nearly every currently available iPhone app would immediately be available on the new tablet.

Disadvantages:
This seems like a half-assed solution. A tablet's screen resolution is much larger than the iPhone and merely scaling existing apps is a cop-out. It doesn't use the advantages of a tablet-sized device so why pay extra for a tablet-sized device? Also, the normal way to interact with an iPhone is to hold it in one hand in portrait orientation. The normal way to interact with a tablet-sized device is to hold it in two hands in landscape orientation. Most iPhone applications are made to be used in portrait orientation so if they're scaled to tablet-sized proportions and not rotated then you'll have to hold the Apple tablet like a Kindle and not like a normal tablet to use any of the apps. This isn't optimal for a variety of reasons.

It Runs Customized iPhone OS With Multiple Running Apps

If the resolution of the tablet's screen is 960x480 then you could potentially run multiple iPhone apps at once, side by side, on the screen all at the same exact pixel dimensions for which they were designed.

Advantages:
Developers wouldn't have to rewrite their applications and users could finally run multiple applications at once.

Disadvantages:
This still doesn't let individual apps take advantage of the larger screen resolution — they'd still be locked into 320x480. Also, this would only really work if the apps were all using portrait orientation so they could be tiled side by side when holding the tablet horizontally. If an application was built to be used in landscape mode then it'd throw off the other applications on the screen and would look cluttered and messy.

It Runs Customized iPhone OS For Usage On Larger Screen, No Third Party Apps To Start

This seems like the most Apple-like solution to me. When the iPhone first launched there was no iPhone SDK, there were only Apple-created apps. Developers were clamoring for an SDK and by the time it was introduced there was a feeding frenzy — it was a gold rush.

The apps included on this tablet device would be a small assortment of Apple-created apps like Mail, Safari, iTunes, etc. These would all have redesigned user interfaces that would use the entire resolution of the new screen. Imagine iTunes LP format on a beautiful, new, widescreen display or Mail with multiple-panels just like its Mail.app big brother on the Mac.

Advantages:
Totally redesigned applications made for a larger screen open up a world of possibilities for user interaction and functionality. There's no doubt that the ones Apple redesigns (or, more accurately, re-develops) will be beautiful and will be a wonderful showcase and selling-point for the tablet.

Disadvantages:
If Apple's trying to keep the tablet a secret then there will be no publicly-available SDK at launch and therefore no third-party, tablet-centric redesigns of App Store gems when the tablet first goes on sale. This is a big disadvantage but it could be downplayed in a few ways: 1) large App Store developers (EA comes to mind) would gain early access to the SDK and could rewrite some key iPhone apps to be included in the "Tablet-Only" section of the App Store at launch or 2) Steve Jobs announces the tablet and sets a launch date a few months in the future, just enough time for serious iPhone developers to get an early, tablet-centric version of their app completed for launch.

It Runs Mac OS X

An unlikely scenario is that the tablet simply runs Mac OS X at a smaller resolution than normal.

Advantages:
Running full-blown Mac apps would be great in some ways, especially for the creative crowd. Developing for it wouldn't require any new SDKs and Snow Leopard already has multi-touch support built-in.

Disadvantages:
No App Store, no access to the current 85,000 apps is a gigantic negative. Other problems include the fact that a finger is a lot larger than a cursor and Mac OS X interface elements are designed for cursors so expect a lot of misplaced touches.

It Runs Some OS X & iPhone OS Hybrid

This would be the best of both worlds but it'd be very tricky to get exactly right. Do you launch iPhone apps from the Finder? Do you launch OS X apps from Springboard? Do iPhone apps run in little simulator rectangles? Do you use AppKit or UIKit to code interfaces?

Advantages:
The key advantage is that you'd still be able to access the full App Store catalog but also run full-blown Mac apps if needed.

Disadvantages:
Jack of all trades, master of none. If the tablet isn't 100% focused on a singular type of application user experience then there will be problems. Tiny buttons on Mac OS X apps would be frustrating to hit but then when running iPhone apps UI elements are correctly-sized — the dichotomy would be very annoying. The overlapping APIs would also be really tricky for developers to figure out.

Other Tricky User Experience Issues

The form-factor of a tablet is fascinating because it surfaces so many user interaction dilemmas that haven't been totally solved yet.

For example, the simple act of entering text via an on-screen keyboard. When holding the device in portrait orientation then the on-screen keyboard could be essentially the same as the iPhone's in concept, but what about when you're holding the tablet horizontally with two hands? How does the keyboard work in that scenario? If you stretch the keyboard across the device's screen when in landscape orientation then your thumbs won't be able to hit the middle keys without stretching and reaching. This orientation works on the iPhone because the screen is only 480 pixels wide but what happens when the horizontal dimension of the screen is 800px or 1200px? This same layout just doesn't work.

One idea is to split the keyboard and have the left side anchored to the left side of the device and the right side anchored on the opposite end with a large, open gap in the middle. It might look funky but now your thumbs can easily reach the middle keys since they're physically closer to where your hands are located.

Another issue is how you watch movies. The natural angle of the screen is to be flat whereas a traditional laptop's screen is angled up which increases visibility. How do you watch movies on a 7-10" tablet screen that has no keyboard? I know how much of a pain it is to watch movies on an iPhone since I usually do that when I fly — most times I end up holding it front of my face with one hand for an hour or so. I imagine that the tablet will come with some sort of stand — either built into the back like a picture frame or external like a small wedge — because otherwise users will have a hell of a time getting it at the correct viewing angle for prolonged interaction.

Fascinating Time To Be An Apple Fan

The build-up to the launch of the original iPhone was unprecedented. Years of rumors, tidbits, second- and third-hand accounts all culminated with the famous Steve Jobs unveiling of three magic devices that were actually one iPhone. I remember where I was when I first saw the magic text stream across MacRumors' live feed and how I felt, it really was magical. I think I'll have the same feeling when the Apple tablet is unveiled because it's Apple and I can't see them launching something that's not incredible. It won't just be a device to surf the web in the bathroom, it will be a new way to consume media that will revolutionize many industries.

Categories: Apple Application Design Mac OS X Tablet iPhone

Update: Changed the blog entry title to reduce confusion.

The iPhone is one big constraint — no keyboard, small screen, few buttons — so designing applications for the iPhone is an exercise in building smart, simple software. Bloated apps on the iPhone? You won't find many. Most applications pick one feature or group of related features and centralize the product around that central theme.

When Apple began crafting UIKit, the set of APIs used to build the user interface for an iPhone app, they had to see into the future and predict what the most common application design models would be and make sure those could be accomplished easily. It may seem obvious to us now because we're so used to iPhone application design but the high-level navigation and interaction concepts available to iPhone application developers are really quite brilliant:

• Dive deep into hierarchical levels of application information and then surface back to the top easily
• Switch between different main pieces of functionality without losing your place on one when moving to another
• Edit and adjust information without losing your place contextually
• Display a list of information or choices

These three main interaction concepts correspond to three different types of View Controllers: Navigation Controllers, Tab Bar Controllers, Modal View Controllers and Table View Controllers respectfully. These are the building blocks for crafting iPhone applications.

Displaying Main Application Features

Displaying a list of available features of your iPhone application so the user can navigate through your app is a common practice. But given the variety of ways to display structured information in an iPhone app, which is the best way? What's the best way to present entry points to an app's main features? There is no best way but there are a variety of established patterns you can learn from.

Things, iStat & Birdfeed

Things, iStat and Birdfeed are three iPhone applications that have a variety (or variable number) of main views, too many to fit inside a Tab Bar Controller on the bottom of the screen. How do they deal with this? They use a Table View Controller as the application's main screen and list the main features there in a scrollable panel. Each table row would normally display a Navigation Controller once tapped.

Advantages:
Main app features available in a simple, clean list design. Order & grouping connotes importance of features.

Disadvantages:
No way to directly move from Feature 1 to Feature 2 if within Feature 1's Navigation Controller hierarchy, takes extra taps to get back to main screen.

Squirrel, Tags & Tweetie

Squirrel, Tags and Tweetie utilize a Tab Bar Controller as the main navigational pivot for the application. (Note: Squirrel & Tweetie have an initial view before their main Tab Bar Controller view. Squirrel has a vault passcode lock and Tweetie has a Table View of your saved accounts.) Typically when using a Tab Bar Controller each tab item would display a Navigation Controller and have a full feature hierarchy beneath it. When pushing & popping views within a specific tab, you can choose to hide the main Tab Bar to give your new view more room on the screen.

Advantages:
One-tap access to switch between main application features. Switching back keeps your place within the Navigation Controller hierarchy (if used).

Disadvantages:
Only works well when there are less than 5 main application views. If an app has more than that then the Tab Bar would typically show a More tab item as the 5th, and secondary application features would be tucked away below that tab.

ESPN ScoreCenter, Phases & Weather

ESPN ScoreCenter, Phases and the default Weather app are examples of a flattened navigational hierarchy where there's a single type of main view and a variable number of them showing. Applications using this design pattern are normally information-rich and designed to be utilities rather than applications you spend a lot of time in.

Advantages:
Natural gesture interface for navigating between views, quickly display structured information.

Disadvantages:
Getting from Card 1 to Card 4 takes a variety of swipes. No direct access between views more than 1 card away. Useful only for flattened (or nearly flattened) navigational hierarchy.

Follow The Leader Or Blaze Your Own Trail?

The application design patterns and examples shown above work with nearly-default navigational models that Apple has provided. They may customize the interface elements but the general interaction concepts are stock UIKit. There's nothing wrong with following standard Apple conventions for navigating around your app but what if you need to go beyond? What if you have a totally custom paradigm? The following are examples of applications that have defined their own interface paradigms.

Weightbot & Convertbot

Arguably two of the most tactile and beautiful applications available for the iPhone, both the applications from Tapbots have completely custom interfaces that center around a specific interaction point they designed from scratch. For Weightbot they use a horizontally-scrolling picker wheel and in Convertbot they have a mechanical, spinning dial for selecting units. There's a great behind the scenes entry at their blog about the making of the Convertbot dial.

Collage & Fortune

Tapulous has been making fantastic applications for the iPhone for awhile, and both Collage and Fortune are less well-known than their big brother Tap Tap Revenge. Fortune is a simple application that lets you crack open a fortune cookie and read the message but instead of going the simple route they designed a totally custom interface for what is essentially a fairly simple application. Simple concept + brilliant interface = winner.

Collage is a social picture-sharing app that redefines what a Tab Bar Controller paradigm can end up as. Their totally custom film strip interface and sliding, animating panels is some of the finest UI work you'll find in the App Store.

Beats

Beats by Bjango is a beat and key-matching app for DJs and musicians. There are a variety of custom elements but the main screen design emulates a Tab Bar Controller in the middle of the screen with the main content areas extending above and below this tab bar.

Postage

Postage by RogueSheep is an Apple Design Award Winner and has an iLife-feel to the entire application. Postage uses standard Apple UI conventions with a totally custom implementation that perfectly matches the app's postcard-creation workflow. An important part of Postage's interface is the custom horizontal slider letting a user choose a specific style or font from a group of choices.

Choose What Works Best

There's nothing wrong with using unmodified Apple UIKit elements and paradigms, in fact most of the applications in the App Store and those coming from Apple get along fine with the built-in interface paradigms and objects. Apple's built a solid framework to use when creating applications, but some app developers aren't fully satisfied so they take designs and interaction paradigms into their own hands. This was a showcase of some beautiful interface design decisions but be careful as it's easy to go overboard and screw things up.

A good rule of thumb is this: if you can't design something better than Apple, don't do it.

Categories: Apple Application Design iPhone

One of the most anticipated web-based applications of this past year was the debut of 280 Slides, a presentation application whose interface matches or rivals Apple Keynote. Beyond it having a beautiful (and desktop-like) interface was the architecture that powered the app. It wasn't written like other web applications, it was written using Cappuccino, an open source application framework that marries the elegance and sophistication of Cocoa programming using Objective-C with Javascript allowing Cocoa programmers to create web-based applications the same way they'd write normal desktop apps.

The 280 Slides interface isn't like normal web applications — it's designed to look like a desktop-class Mac application with typical Mac-like interface stylings, and more specifically, it was designed so that Keynote users would feel at home.

The extremely talented Miles Ponson designed the 280 Slides application icon as well as the entire user interface and was kind enough to answer a few questions I had regarding his work with the 280 North team.

Me: So Miles, how'd you get hooked up with the 280 North guys?

Miles: Well, almost a year ago, I got an email from John Hering about a UI project to design for developers who worked with the iPhone team. I didn't know a lot until I had a video conference with Francisco and Ross. and then I got really interested in designing the User Interface for 280Slides.

Me: For the application's interface, it sounds like it was important to make it look as "Mac-like" as possible, as if a Mac application suddenly landed in your browser. Have you worked on the UI for Mac software in the past? How did the process of designing a browser-based "desktop" application work compared to normal web-based design projects?

Miles: I started to design icons for desktop customization a few years ago, just for fun, and I really loved it. I enjoyed drawing my ideas and then share the shiny icon with everyone to enjoy. And then I started working more seriously for software developers, and open-source such as OpenOffice project.

I did not find any huge difference between a desktop and web-based app, simply because 280Slides is built on a powerful foundation, Cappuccino, that makes 280Slides amazingly behave and work the same way as a desktop class Mac application and therefore, makes the task of designing UI elements natural, as if it would be for a regular app. It worked the same for me. The toolbar icons are in 32 pixels, the buttons in 3 elements, etc... It's just great!

Me: When it came time to integrate it into the application, what was that like? Did you hand over PNGs or any HTML/CSS? How did you have to slice up the various UI widgets, if at all?

Miles: When the time has come to integrate everything, you have to slice the pizza, the buttons must be in 3 elements, left corner, right corner and 1 pixel wide middle, the HUD window was in 7 elements, the top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right corners, bottom-center and top center part, and body middle part. When it comes to slice all the elements, I got some sweat on the forehead and a load of tiny 1x30 windows open everywhere in Photoshop. The hardest is to keep track of all the elements, put them in assigned folders and make sure that you did not forgot a piece of the puzzle, hehe. I did not hand any kind of code over though. The 280 North team made an incredible job at coding everything.

Me: Thanks Miles!

(See more of Miles' work at Californian Design or follow him on Twitter.)

Categories: Apple Icons Interview

Designing icons for Mac OS X is an intricate and painstaking process because the maximum resolution is so high, up to 512x512 pixels. At that size, Apple suggests that your icons be as photorealistic as possible, which calls for a lot of design talent. Icons for OS 9 and earlier versions of Mac OS X didn't need to be so incredible detailed as they were never shown at large sizes — letting a designer get away with some pixel imperfections here and there.

The current school of icon designers aren't typically at 1600% zoom in Photoshop placing each pixel precisely, but are using scalable vector illustrations and 3D renderings to produce the realism they desire. I've talked to many icon designers and although rendering icons in 3D is the ultimate way to get photorealism in an object (shading, lighting, perspective, etc.) many are still using Illustrator and Photoshop to work their magic. The last few versions of Photoshop have offered vector drawing tools similar to Illustrator, so now even Photoshop allows you to design nicely-scalable graphics which are very important when designing application dock icons.

I download applications all the time — normally to actually use the program — but sometimes just because I like to study the dock icon at full-size and see how certain lighting and shading scenarios were created. In case you're not aware, here's a quick way of viewing the full .icns file with the high resolution icons:

1. Download the application, find the main .app bundle.
2. Right-click on it, go to "Show Package Contents".
3. Navigate to Contents > Resources and find the .icns file for the app.
4. Open the file in Preview to see all sizes.

Shown above are some beautiful application icons I've seen recently. In numerical order is 1) Relationship designed by Icon Drawer, 2) Architect & 3) Bowtie, both designed by Laurent Baumann, and 4) CSSEdit.

I've spoken to Laurent and he's told me that he still works completely in Photoshop for all his icon work, even though his designs look beautifully photorealistic. The chess pieces in the Relationship icon look very real, so I'll guess that it was easier to accomplish that realism by using a 3D rendering app like Cinema 4D. The CSSEdit icon has some great hidden text on the bottom left if you're viewing it at full-size.

Seen any other great icon design work recently? Let me know!

Categories: Apple Icons Mac OS X

I've been blogging since 2003, but this is my first "brand new" blog I've started in a few years. So why did I do it?

To learn, to teach, and to explore the realm of software interface design.

I've been working on my first Mac OS X application, and off the bat I learned that there weren't a lot of resources to show you the best practices of designing a Mac-like interface. Obviously there are the Apple Human Interface Guidelines, but when comparing the layout and positioning of similar UI elements in Apple-made applications like the Finder, Address Book, and iPhoto, I found that they were all slightly different. Sometimes, more than slightly different. Apple doesn't follow their own standards, so how was I to know what the best place for a particular button is?

When designing a Mac OS X application, I've found the goal isn't to follow the Apple HIG to the exact letter, but to make your app look "Mac-like". Here's a quote from John Gruber:

"Anyone involved in Mac software development is familiar with arguments over whether a particular app is "Mac-like". In the early days of the Mac -- the first decade or so -- the entire Mac community was largely in agreement about just what this meant. To be un-Mac-like was to be ignorant of the fundamental concepts and norms of the Mac OS. It was something you could spot in an instant -- software designed by engineers who just did not get it."

"In the last decade, however, accusations of "un-Mac-likeness" have largely degenerated into meaningless hand-waving. You still occasionally see UI mistakes that are genuinely un-Mac-like -- like, say, outright Windows-isms such as ordering dialog box buttons OK/Cancel rather than Cancel/OK -- but in most cases, when someone complains "that's not Mac-like", what they really mean is "I don't like that."

This blog will attempt to discuss what makes interfaces and icons "Mac-like" and how you achieve that look through articles and tutorials.

Here we go!

Categories: Apple Mac OS X iPhone