iOS App Development Portable Genius

Appreciating Graphic Design

You need to understand the mechanics of UI design—views, controllers, and nib files—to build a working app. To build a successful app, you must make the UI appealing and easy to use.

Apps that use the default objects in the Xcode library don’t stand out in the App Store. For maximum impact, you should customize the look of your app with creative use of color, text fonts, logos, and custom design elements. Aim for a consistent color scheme, and use original graphics where you can. Don’t be afraid to borrow ideas from your favorite apps.

The ideal UI is so simple that it doesn’t require instructions. Aim to eliminate redundancy, so users have to do as little as possible to perform the task they want. Keep the app concept as simple and clear as you can, so it’s obvious how the different features of the app work together.

It’s a good idea to use icons instead of text labels in your UI. Icons and graphics have international recognition. Text labels have to be localized—translated into different languages—as described in Chapter 11. This can create lots of extra work.

If you’re not a designer, you can find many online sources that offer original free backgrounds and graphics for iOS. Search for “iOS graphics” to find examples. If you have a development budget, consider hiring a professional graphic designer.

Customizing graphics takes time, but the results ...