RTFM: Things You Missed in the HIG

The human interface guidelines are the fundamental document for designing and developing for iOS, but how many of us have read it cover to cover?

I did, 5 times.

There are dozens of design problems that iOS and Mac developers run into every day that have already been solved right within the pages of the HIG. I’ll walk through these commonly missed gems and explain why I think the HIG should win (most) arguments on your team.

Transcript

1. Rules
6. SHOE SLIDE
8. 0. Do not die. 1. Be yourself. 2. Love. 3. Matter. 4. Be honest and clear. 5. Earn trust. 6. Believe in something. 7. Be courteous to others. 8. Have a few good friends. 9. Have good intentions. 10. Make things. 11. Do what you enjoy. 12. Enjoy what you do. 13. Treat people like equals. 14. Be neither bored nor boring. 15. Waste no time. 16. Do more than the minimum. 17. Be empathetic. 18. Be funny. 19. Laugh. 20. Break the rules.
9. RTFM things you missed in the HIG
10. @mb
11. matthew bischoff
12. matt
14. Velocity Quotebook
18. Guidelines
19. “But the HIG says…”
20. Being an iOS developer without reading the HIG is like being a priest without reading the bible.
21. Why?
23. Arguments
24. “Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.”
25. 0 1.75 3.5 5.25 7 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Mac iOS
26. 49,642 words
27. typing speaking reading presenting 14 hours 6 hours 3 hours 50 minutes ?
28. Vocabulary
29. Taps ≠ Clicks Screens ≠ Pages Customers ≠ Uniques Buttons ≠ Links Interface Builder ≠ CSS Apps ≠ Websites
30. App Definition Statement
31. An app definition statement is a concise, concrete declaration of an app’s main purpose and its intended audience.
32. Examples
33. Mail.app
34. Mail on iPhone is designed to help mobile users handle their email while they’re standing in line or walking to a meeting.
35. Mail on iPad is efficient enough for people to use on the go, but its rich experience also encourages more in- depth use.
36. It’s a free, fun, and simple way to make and share gorgeous photos on your iPhone.
37. A new way to fund and follow creative projects from your iPhone.
38. A social magazine that lets people discover and share content in beautiful, simple, and meaningful ways.
39. Powerful collaboration, review, and code management for open source and private development projects.
40. Lightning fast translation without an Internet connection.
41. A simple tool to save and optimize web pages for reading later.
42. An app that shows students what they need to score on their next exam.
43. A simple way to journal for people who want to write and recall more information about their lives.
44. The best way to read news for people who rely on their phone as the primary source of news.
45. Basil is a single place for your favorite recipes and makes it easier to cook them.
46. Paper is where ideas begin.
47. Focused, gorgeous and aggressively fast to-do list app for iOS, Mac, and the web.
48. 1. List all the features you think users might like 2. Determine who your users are 3. Filter the feature list through the audience definition 4. Don’t stop there
54. Deference, Clarity, & Depth
55. Deference
56. Clarity
57. Depth
58. Layers
60. Blur
61. Start
62. Start instantly
63. Launch Images
66. Dare to be boring
67. “If you think that following these guidelines will result in a plain, boring launch image, you’re right.”
68. “Onboarding”
71. Your tutorial screen is just a list of ways you’ve failed.
72. Don’t make me type
73. 20% 80%
74. I’m on a smartphone
77. Don’t make me login
79. There is no filesystem
80. Text
81. Dynamic Type
83. Animation
84. Animation should be subtle
85. Motion & Physics
86. Avoid Settings
88. Branding
92. Sound
94. Controls
95. Buttons
96. Embrace borderless buttons
97. Embrace borderless buttons
98. But sometimes borders are okay
99. But sometimes borders are okay
101. Text vs ‗︎
103. < Back
104. Tab Bars
105. Popovers
106. Alerts
108. Avoid single-word titles Use fragments No message Avoid “your” & “my”
109. When the alert title... Use... Is a sentence fragment or a single sentence that is not a question Title-style capitalization and no ending punctuation Is a single sentence that is a question Sentence-style capitalization and an ending question mark Consists of two or more sentences Sentence-style capitalization and appropriate ending punctuation for each sentence
110. No title? No problem.
112. Text Fields
113. The API is there to help you
114. Copy
115. Think like a newspaper editor.
116. Errors
119. Ads
121. Notifications42
124. In-App Purchase
126. G E S T U R E S A R E K E Y B O A R D S H O R T C U T S
127. UI Review
128. Not just for  nerds
132. Other Resources
133. Design is in the details
134. Rules
135. Thank You
136. matthewbischoff.com/rtfm