iPhone and iPad design inpiration
As Thomas Edison (pretty much) said, “Invention is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration”. I’ve been designing mobile interfaces for over 10 years but it’s only in the last couple of years that the high-resolution screens of iPhone, iPad and Android devices have provided designers with an opportunity to create stunning experiences. However, faced with a blank canvas and the prospect of trying to create something stunning is often a little daunting, not least because whilst creating your next stunning interface masterpiece your new mobile interface should also remain flawlessly functional and conform to various interface standards – technically and/or from a usability perspective.
Fear not though. Indeed, were Thomas Edison around today I suspect he’d amend his proportion of effort to something like 1% inspiration, 79% perspiration and 20% internet-based research! To that end, here are some initial resources for when a blank canvas gets the better of you…
- pttrns.com provides a categorised collection of iPhone screens which demonstrate some of the design patterns becoming established for common interfaces such as splash screens, friend lists, profile screens, etc. There’s something similar at lovelyui.com too.
- Or perhaps you’re trying to break from common patterns and see what other designers are producing. Dribbble has categories for iPhone and iPad [oh, and Android too]. Naturally you should ideally give something back too – though it’s hard to get an invite.
- Of course, sometimes it’s the little details that matter. Or rather the Little Big Details.
- Or maybe it’s not the details. You just need a plethora of interface examples to help you find that elusive inspiration. The general app showcases can be fairly hit and miss, but if it’s screen overload you need, try app.itize.us, tapfancy.com, IOSpirations or IOSinpires.me. Obviously every tech-related blog has done a roundups of the “20/30/50 best apps ever” at some time too, but you’ll have to Google those.
- Pixel overload? This article on designlanguage.com might help you to forget about the pixels and instead consider the interaction and movement of the user’s gestures as they interact with your interface.
It goes without saying, as demonstrated by a recent trend towards “tactile” interface metaphors, the inspiration for your next iPhone or iPad app is just as likely to come by looking away from your screen rather than at it, but for the times when you just need to see a few examples the above resources might be a good start.
