Designing the iPhone User Interfaces – Case Studies (1 – 6)

Presenter: Tony Chiou

A Look of Designers’ Strategies and Approaches to Develop App.

• Designers’ inspiration to design apps• Initial approach to the project.• Effects of research impact initial design.• Testing the apps to user and gather feedback.• Testing that impacts final design.• User Response to final product• Other questions (Big lesson learned, How it

works, etc.)

Approaches to Development

• Begin by researching user experiences.• Create initial designs and show them to user

for feed back.• Create prototype and test them to users and

gathered their response.• Create final product based on feedback along

with continuous support and updates.

Case Study 1 - WindSpire • Measuring wind speeds in local area• For people to decide if they can be

benefitted by wind turbines.• Ethonographic–style interviews:– Green Tribe and Easy – Eco Tribe.

• Develop a Prototype for both users– App to capture wind noise and convert to decibel

rating that corresponding to wind speed.• Test and fine tune app to users.

– Incorporate messages to phone for instructionsand encouragement to use turbines.

Case Study 2 - Aardvark• A tool for asking questions to knowledgeable peers and get responses.• Inspired for on-go-situations and popularity of

iphone market.• Start with product design with user studies

– Recruit and interview users about mobile apps and their appeal

– Create mock-up app design and core design foruser reaction

• Goal to development : enable main functionality withoutconcern of secondary features.

– “Asking a question and get answers push notifications (pg 7)”

• Thorough iterated testing with each new updated version of the app and gathering feedback.

Case Study 3 - FoodSpotting• A local visual guide that helps you seek dishes instead of restaurants .• Inspired by a user designer who saw a users’

need for a food-focused dining guide.• Pitch idea by showing concept posters to users.• Testing possible user design interfaces using deck of sketch cards and show to users how the app works.

– Provide scenarios to users and walk them through it to knowwhat screens or components app might need for users.

• Challenges to development include technical issues, app becoming too generic ( straying away from idea: “tantalizing collection of the best foods and where to find them (pg 11)”).

Case Study 4 – Not for Tourists• Guide for exploring city like a local• Inspired by on-the-go situations with app features (gps, wireless connections)• Always start with user-experience

– Interviewing people (editors to readers)– Create personas and scenarios

• Design sketches of Apps screens and create flow charts of activities.• Test App by giving to users and watch how they use it as well as asking questions on their experience.• Big lesson learned in developing apps: That Apps are never finished

because they get updated constantly.

Case Study 5 - MUSE• A media player interface that shows your music track as dots and they all

play simultaneously. Listen to each track by touching the dots and app will build tracks off the genre.

• Inspired by creativity of designing sophisticated interfaces with the idea of listening to songs on radio as you tune into a station.

• Incorporates a unique interface that separate itself from traditional interfaces.– Follow Design Pliability, which lets content control the interface.

• Approach to project is by designing prototypes and use them to emulate functionality and behavior.

• Main point: Developers can create unique interfaces that involves different functionality and activities. SDKs supports elements that may not

fulfill your requirement for interaction.

Pictures of MUSE

Case Study 6 – Prototyping at Dan4 Inc.

• 3 Ways of Prototyping– Use in design process. Developers can create, research,

communicate, and collect ideas. It helps them establish their concepts effectively as design progresses.

– Use as test device. Given to users as a test and collect their feedback and reactions. Use the data to find problems or new discoveries.

– Reused for future uses. Use as specification document in design process. Add value to marketing or use as demo.

Credits:

• Ginsburg, Suzanne. “Designing the iPhone User Experience: AUser-Centered Approach to Sketching and Prototyping iPhone AppsDesigning”. 2011. September 11th 2011. http://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/9780321699435/casestudies/0321699432_Ginsburg_full-length_CaseStudies.pdf