From The Mobile Design Uprising (http://mobdup.com) Conference at San Diego State University -- Video of this talk (with these slides interwoven) is available at http://bit.ly/mobdupweeds -- From when the Apple AppStore first launched back in 2008, we have had the official HIG (Human Interface Guidelines, http://bit.ly/higapple) for mobile apps. It told us what to do to ensure that your app would not only pass Apple screeners to be on the AppStore, but also what really makes a killer app -- so killer that Apple would think about featuring it. But what gems are hidden in the HIG? It is after all a daunting 219 pages. Do you know the mistake 95% of companies make in regards to the launch image (aka "splash screen") in iOS apps)? Do you know exactly how many icons and how many pixels in dimension need to be provided just to submit an app? In the last year, Google has published their version of the HIG, called Android Design http://developer.android.com/design, that goes a long way towards taming the "wild west" of Android apps. Is it enough? What's a "dp" (density-independent pixel) and what does that mean for the actual pixels of assets I need to submit to Google Play for my app? -- Besides all of that, what even makes a good mobile icon? What metaphor should I use for navigating through my app? Can I design the next Instagram for Video superstar app? Get the answers to all of these questions and more at the "Mobile Design in the Weeds" workshop at Mob'd Up with @philohme. -- 27 July 2013

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The mobile design uprising
Phil Ohme 27 July 2013
Design Strategist & Interaction Designer, Intuit
Mobile Design
in the
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Video at bit.ly/mobdupweeds

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What do you want to get out of this workshop?
• What are some words you use when in the “weeds”?
• Pixels
• AppStore submission
• AppStore rejection
• Detailed horror stories
• Platform use of audience (phone):
• iPhone - 90%
• Android - 10%
• Windows Phone - 0%
• Blackberry - 0%
• Feature Phone - 0.01% (1 person)
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My Mobile Journey
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Ericsson R520m
Motorola RAZR
Nokia 6800Sony Ericsson T68i
Motorola A630 Nokia E61i

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My Mobile Journey (cont’d)
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iPhone 3G
HTC One X
iPhone 4
Samsung Galaxy SIII iPhone 5

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Client List Screen
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Changes E-File Status View
(Swipe also changes)
Toggles Individual
On / Off
Toggles Business
On / Off
Activates Search
Activates Quick-
Contact Views
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Standard Quick-Contact Screen
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Menu Button Pressed
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Refresh button Settings button
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Search Activated
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Voice dictation button
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Search Query Added
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Clear Query button
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Client Overview Screen
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What the heck is “dp” though?
• Density-independent pixel (dp)
• A virtual pixel unit that you should use when defining UI
layout, to express layout dimensions or position in a
density-independent way.
• The density-independent pixel is equivalent to one physical
pixel on a 160 dpi screen, which is the baseline density
assumed by the system for a "medium" density screen. At
runtime, the system transparently handles any scaling of the
dp units, as necessary, based on the actual density of the
screen in use. The conversion of dp units to screen pixels is
simple: px = dp * (dpi / 160). For example, on a 240 dpi
screen, 1 dp equals 1.5 physical pixels. You should always
use dp units when defining your application's UI, to ensure
proper display of your UI on screens with different densities.
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but why?
• To make objects appear roughly the same size on various
screen sizes
• A set of four generalized sizes: small, normal, large, xlarge
• A set of four generalized densities: ldpi (low), mdpi
(medium), hdpi (high), xhdpi (extra high)
• Illustration of how Android roughly maps actual sizes and
densities to generalized sizes and densities (figures are not
exact):
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http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/screens_support.html

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More Weeds and the dirty work of mobile
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Launch Image (aka Splash Screen)

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Launch Image (aka Splash Screen)

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Launch Image (aka Splash Screen)
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Launch Image (aka Splash Screen)
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App Icons / Launcher Icons
• iOS - name it whatever you want
• Android - must be the same name (just in different folders)
• Over-invest
• Don’t reuse your iOS icon for Android
• Same but different
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Ratings and Reviews
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Ratings and Reviews
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Ratings and Reviews
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Pop Quiz: Android Versions
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Pop Quiz: Android Versions
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Pop Quiz: Android Versions
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Pop Quiz: Android Versions
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Pop Quiz: Android Versions
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Pop Quiz: Android Versions
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Pop Quiz: Android Versions
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Pop Quiz: Android Versions
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Pop Quiz: Android Versions
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iOS Human Interface Guidelines (HIG)
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http://bit.ly/higapple

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Android Design Guidelines
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http://developer.android.com/design

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In Summation
• iOS and Android matter
• Specs & getting into the nitty-gritty
• iOS uses pixels (px)
• Android uses density independent pixels (dp)
• Don’t make a splash, use natural launch images
• The app icon - over-invest, for each platform
• A better way for getting Ratings and Reviews
• Android version numbers and “Tasty Treat” nicknames
• User Interface Guidelines
• Apple HIG
• Android Design
• Flat vs. Deep, Skeuomorphic vs. Stylized
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The mobile design uprising
Thank You!
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Video at bit.ly/mobdupweeds