Designing for apps is a fluid process. As time passes, system updates and new design conventions mean we have to master new techniques to ensure our apps remain in the forefront of the industry. As we evolve, so do our resources. Since releasing the Savvy Sketch iOS Wireframe Kit in June 2016, we've noticed a few opportunities to update the kit to meet designer expectations. These changes also come from our experiences using the wireframe kit on new projects.
Many customers come to us at Savvy Apps with a set of unknowns and an unclear path to obtaining their goals. Through the years, we've honed our discovery process to solve this problem. We start by casting a wide net, gathering as much information as possible, and then whittle things down into actionable takeaways. In this article, we've outlined why this process, which we like to call a “discovery kickstart,” is critical for your app. We run through the three stages of this process and how each stage is structured to set your app up for success.
Late last year, we decided to standardize on Sketch as our tool of choice for creating low-fidelity wireframes. Previously we were fans of Balsamiq, mostly because it had a number of pre-built app elements that could be dragged and dropped into a mockup. While we enjoyed the polish and precision of Sketch, not having a similar feature required us to spend valuable time on creating and recreating the same elements in our wireframes.
A quick way to ruin a user's experience is to mishandle the way your app requests permissions. These permissions, like access to location, the camera and camera roll, push notifications, and calendar are often needed for an app's core functionality. Without the approval and access to these system services, the app won't work as it's meant to, making it less valuable to users. That will also cause confusion for users, and runs the risk of losing them entirely.
As a creator of apps, it's not every day that a new platform gets dropped into your lap by the most influential and powerful company in the world. Apple announced the new Apple TV and tvOS yesterday, along with the tvOS SDK. With the tvOS SDK, third-party developers can now design and develop apps for the Apple TV. I couldn't help but spend countless hours learning more about the platform. It's going to have a significant impact on Savvy Apps'current and future customers and the industry as whole.
When a mobile app is first conceptualized, it's like a giant puzzle made up of a number of pieces of complicated, sometimes conflicting, information. At Savvy Apps, we start organizing these puzzle pieces in a meaningful way at the very beginning of the app creation process. This allows us to connect a number of complex, cross-discipline inputs before design and development begins so our team can hit the ground running with a clear vision of the app in mind.
We'll be speaking at ModevUX, one of the premier mobile user experience and design conferences that also happens to be in our backyard. Our 30 minute workshop is on May 19th, the first day of the event. The title of our talk is "Taking the Guess Work Out of Your Design Process."
This behind the scenes look into the UI elements created for the latest Star Trek movie is sure to excite the Techie-Trekkie in all of us. Highlights on process sketches and insight into the heads-up display work are valuable to anyone looking to design or develop for the future of apps.