This document provides an overview of best practices for tablet app design. It discusses trends in tablet use, with tablets most commonly used for games, social media, music/videos and online banking. The document outlines key considerations for app design, including ensuring the app content is enjoyable and incentivizes return use. It recommends the app have clear goals or calls to action for users. Usability best practices discussed include making the app learnable, memorable and simple to use with familiar design conventions. Specific tips provided include making buttons large enough to tap easily and allowing for intuitive navigation and screen rotation.

1. Module 2 - Week 4
Tablet App Design
“So capable, you won’t
want to put it down.“
Apple website

2. What we’ll cover today
Independent reading for this week
covers tablet app design
concepts.
Today we’ll talk about:
• Trends in tablet use
• Tablet use
• Best practices for tablet app
design

3. Why learn about
app design?

4. Why learn about app design?
• Apps are the close cousin to web design
• They’re really popular
• You may need to do this on the job
• Most important: they’re really cool and fun

5. Sales growth of tablets

6. What are tablets used for?
Vs.
The microwave became a staple in practically every
home, because people kept finding new ways
to use this technological wonder.

7. What are tablets used for?
Vs.
The tablet’s main appeal lies in the approachable
touchscreen interface that just about anybody at any
age can pick up and figure out. A tablet doesn’t need to
do everything that a more powerful PC can.

8. What are tablets used for?
• 70% play games
• 66% access social media
(33% doing so daily)
• 50% listen to music and watch
videos/TV
• 1 in 4 pay to watch videos
(e.g. Netflix)
• 44% access bank accounts
• 39% purchase physical goods
• clothing and accessories top the
list, followed by books and tickets

9. What are tablets used for?
http://www.wired.com/2011/03/ipad-usage/

10. In class survey:
If you have a tablet,
what do you use it for?
Participate now at:
PollEv.com/hipstream594

11. Designing apps for tablets
• Look at the constraints: things
you have to do and things you
can’t do
• Consider the tradeoffs: the
less-than-ideal choices to live
within the constraints
Constraints can be helpful.
Knowing what they are allows you
focus on what you can do.
Designing for usability means
making good tradeoff decisions.

12. Why are we studying app design?
Learning to work within constraints is an
essential aspect of online design

13. App usability best practices
Content
Apps often provide an alternative way to do
something that’s already available on the
web. Why would they use the app?
• An app needs to be enjoyable, fun, clever,
simple, exciting (etc.) to make people want to
download, try and return to it
• Content is the most important part of an app
• everything else - design, navigation - exists
to get users to the content

14. App usability best practices
Pleasure
Apps often provide an alternative
way to do something that’s
already available on the web. Why
would they use the app?
• An app needs to be enjoyable,
fun, clever, simple, exciting (etc.)
to make people want to download,
try and return to it
Positivity
Surprise (unexpected and new)
Uniqueness (interesting)
Attention (incentives help)
Attraction (make it look good)
Anticipation
Exclusivity
Be responsive (show reaction)

15. “Shazam is the best way to identify music and TV around you.”

16. App usability best practices
Goals
…other side of the coin… what do we
want the user to do?
• Is there a call to action? If yes, make it
clear and bold and consistent
• What do we want the user to do? Eg.:
• Register, buy, subscribe…engage
with advertising?
• “In App Purchases”

17. App usability best practices
Learnability
• How complicated is it?
• Does it have special features
that users will need to master?
• How is help accessed?
• Does it use standard
navigation, terms, icons that
people are already familiar with?

18. “Paper is the simplest way to express your ideas.
You don’t need to know how to draw. “

19. App usability best practices
Memorability
• When you’ve returned, will you
remember how to use it?

20. Good apps are about simplicity
and doing a few things well.
This means you have to be
selective about the functionality you include
and not throw in the kitchen sink.

21. How to Tips to improve app design

22. Use familiar design
• Users expect behaviour
based on conventions
and what they see and
use every day
• Use familiar, standard
design features:
• buttons look like
buttons
• links look like links
• form boxes look like
form boxes…etc.

23. Simple rules!
• Cool features can
add complexity
• Strip the app,
screens and
elements to their
essence
• Remove visual
clutter
• simplicity rules!

24. Make buttons big enough
• Make targets/buttons big so that
they’re easy for users to tap
• Small touch targets:
• can lead to touch errors
• make users work harder because
they require more accuracy to hit
• How big?
• iOS: 44 pixels wide 44 pixels tall
• Windows: 34px
• Average index finger size:
45 – 57 pixels

25. Moving back & home
• Ensure there’s a way
to get back to the
home or main
screen
• easily move back
and around in the
app
• Undo or redo
• Quick access to
settings

26. Consider movement
• Decide if the app
will allow for
rotation
• How will the
layout adapt?

27. App redesign assignment
In-class Exercise 2:
• Your “client:” Bean House Coffee Co.
• Design brief and assets are in eLearn
• Goal: create a portfolio-worth design
concept for an iPad app
• Demo in class: how to get started