Resources for Design Fundamentals

List of Resources to learn the fundamentals of design

 

In the spirit of the famous quote by Steve Jobs “It’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our hearts sing“, we cover several aspects of the principles and fundamentals of design during the UI Design session in my course #HKUiSAD. Below is a list of links to various resources used in the session:

 

1. Wikipedia Page on Principles of UI Design

 

2. Mac Developer Library’s “The Philosophy of UI Design: Fundamental Principles” Page (under the OS X Human Interface Guidelines)

 

3. Mac Developer Library’s “User Experience Guidelines” Page (under the OS X Human Interface Guidelines)

 

4. Audio Podcast on “Design Fundamentals for Everyone”

“Stuff Designers Do” is a series of video tutorials that will help you learn the fundamentals of design. Whether you’re interested in graphic design, art, photography, or anything where design fundamentals can help — this series will be helpful. Brent Spore, the host, is a professional designer who is passionate about making things look beautiful.

 

5. An article on the evolution of Foursquare’s mobile app towards a simple design titled “The hardest trick in mobile design: making the product simpler“

The company’s dilemma, though, is that new features typically add complexity, which is the Achilles’ heel of mobile products. Apps that succeed on phones are often simple in the extreme, hiding their intricacies from the main view. What’s remarkable about Foursquare is that the company has managed to add features and make its product simpler at the same time.

 

Image via Quartz

 

6. An article listing “20 Incredibly useful tools and resources for Web designers“

Technology Trends

Key tech trends include wearable computing, contextual apps, big data and maturation of social networks.

 

Futurologist Robert Scoble has predicted four major tech trends – wearable computing (see my previous posts here), contextual apps, Big Data (see previous posts here), and social network maturation.

future (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)

 

While these trends will surely change commerce practice in the coming years, the nexus of these trends will be immensely disruptive. Think convergence – contextual apps on wearable computers that provide services based on real-time analysis of social and location data, delivered via omnipresent wireless internet access.

 

Wearable computing: Think Google Glasses or Motorola Solutions’ new HC1 headset computer that you attach to your head and operate with voice commands

The “open world”: Android’s relative openness has encouraged “contextual apps” to emerge from the woodwork. “Apple doesn’t let them [developers] talk to the WiFi radio or bluetooth radio,” said Scoble.

Weird databases and the rise of “big data”: “We are seeing weird databases spring up like mushrooms,” said Scoble. These include NoSQL, Firebase, and MongoDB.

The maturation of social networks: The leading social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are accumulating a massive store of user-generated data. What will they do with it?

 

Read more at http://venturebeat.com/2012/10/24/scoble-kawasaki/#B8hsX6orKpglPyWy.99

Platform Wars 3.0: Resources for making Windows Apps

A list of resources for building Apps for Windows 8

 

One of the biggest criticisms of Windows 8 has been the lack of apps for the platform. [Besides the confusion that is reigning supreme due to Microsoft launching 3 different operating systems and app stores with the same / similar names].

 

Image via Microsoft

Microsoft has been ‘priming the pump’ by releasing a series of resources for developers. The ongoing BUILD development conference in Redmond is the first in a series of steps in this direction. Microsoft is also hosting Windows Store App Labs in 30 other physical locations around the globe.

 

With 10,000 apps and counting, the Windows App Store seems set for explosive growth. Below is a list of resources from Microsoft to help you get started:

 

1. The BUILD website

 

2. Windows Store App Labs

Windows Store App Labs are physical locations in more than 30 cities where you can access Windows 8 devices, get design help, and meet with Windows experts to make your app great. All for free!

 

3. Sample code for printing from a Windows 8 App

Basic code for printing from a Windows 8 App is below:

To get your printing support started, all you need to do is to add these lines of code to your app.

// Register for print contract
var printManager = Windows.Graphics.Printing.PrintManager.getForCurrentView();
printManager.onprinttaskrequested = onPrintTaskRequested;
    function onPrintTaskRequested(printEvent) {
        printEvent.request.createPrintTask("Print Sample", function (args) {
            args.setSource(MSApp.getHtmlPrintDocumentSource(document));
        });
    }

 

4. Code samples for Windows 8 Apps

This sample pack includes all the app code examples developed for Windows 8. The sample pack provides a convenient way to download all the samples at once. The samples in this sample pack are available in C#, C++, VB.NET, and JavaScript

 

5. Documentation for the Windows 8 App Store

Includes a Getting Started article.

Begin building Windows apps quickly and easily. Our getting started guide walks you through the essentials of writing your first app.

 

6. Code samples for Windows Phone 8

 

7. SDK for Windows Phone 8

The Windows Phone SDK 8.0 enables you to develop apps for Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 7.5 devices

 

8. To top it all registration for the Windows Phone 8 Developer Center has been dropped to $8 for the next 8 days (instead of the usual $100).

Windows Phone 8 is out, the tools are available, and devices are about to be released—it’s time to get coding. As an added incentive, for the next 8 days individual developers can register for a Dev Center account for just $8 (a 92 percent savings). Please note because this is a very limited time offer. You’ll be charged $99 USD or equivalent in your local currency, and we’ll refund the difference in the next 30 to 45 days. Watch for more details on Dev Center soon.

LinkedIn Integration with Outlook

 

LinkedIn has shared some more details about its ‘native integration with the new Office experience’. The LinkedIn App on Microsoft’s App Store will integrate with the new Outlook email and calendar to pull information from public LinkedIn profiles. Excellent idea – except that folks will have to careful while putting ‘looking for an opportunity’ as their LinkedIn headline! Get the app here.

 

Now every time you send or receive an email or check with whom you’re meeting with that day, you’ll see relevant information to help you be better prepared and armed for your work day, such as:

• Their LinkedIn profile, including photo
• Any professional updates or information shared on LinkedIn
• Common connections and professional groups
• Information about the person’s company and ability to follow that company
• Ability to like or comment on their professional activity

 

Image via LinkedIn

 

See the original post here.

Related articles

• LinkedIn Joins the New Office App Store (linkedin.com)
• One-click LinkedIn Integration with the new Office (linkedin.com)
• LinkedIn Will Integrate With The Next Version Of Microsoft Office (LNKD, MSFT) (businessinsider.com)

 

Apple to make iOS app development easier than ever?

AppleInsider.com has reported that Apple has filed a patent for a WYSIWYG editor of sorts, that will enable non-programmers to create iOS apps. This proposed digital content authoring tool would use pre-defined app templates to make app creation easy for people who don’t wish to code.

 

In other accompanying art, the filing shows a number of examples of software that could be created with an amateur-friendly content creation tool. One simple example is a game of tic tac toe, another shows a menu from a coffee shop, and a more complex example features the ability to purchase video of live performances from the show “American Idol.”

Creating these applications would be a simplified process in which the user could select a template for their software. From there, they would begin to fill in the pieces and build their own iOS application, webpage, or advertisement.

 

Image via AppleInsider.com

 

While this is still just a patent filing, it does fit in with Apple’s objective of reducing the friction in bringing Apps to the App Store. As building apps becomes easier, a proliferation of localized apps will increase the network of the Apple ecosystem as well as provide a nice launch pad for their (app embedded?) NFC based payment system.

 

Image via AppleInsider.com

 

Read more at Apple wants to make it easy for non-programmers to build iOS apps.

The Enterprise App Opportunity

Nuance, the folks whose voice recognition technology drives Dragon’s Naturally Speaking and Siri, have released an inforgraphic that summarizes key numbers regarding Enterprise Apps. Critical stats include the fact that 70% consumers have more than 10 apps, and 55% have an app to do business with their bank or retailer. Convenience and availability are the two key drivers of enterprise app adoption and enterprise apps increase customers’ positive views of the firm!

 

 

See the original infogaphic here.

Microsoft Courier Redux

Microsoft Courier, the cancelled rumored tablet form PC is here. Kind of.

The capabilities showcased in the Courier videos have been incorporated into an iPad app, Tapose. Folks associated with the Courier project have funded Tapose, which is available as a $2.00 download on the App Store.

Image via Tapose.com

Compare the original Courier capabilities and the features of Tapose in the videos below.

Original Courier Video -

Tapose Video -

Related articles

• The iPad app that will remind you of Microsoft’s old Courier project (news.cnet.com)
• Former Microsoft Courier team members launch iPad apps (news.cnet.com)
• Taposé: bringing Microsoft’s Courier to the iPad (hands-on) (theverge.com)

Devs, here's your 6 month window for mobile app success

Reblogged from GigaOM:

Wouldn't it be nice if there were a crystal ball to predict the potential success for a mobile app? Unfortunately, there isn't (yet) but the next best thing might be here: A look at the success rate over 6 months from more than 100,000 Android(s goog) apps in 200 countries.

In-app monetization exchange inneractive worked with AppsGeyser to find out the percentage of apps that gained wide adoption within a half-year of launch, noting that the chances of getting 50,000 downloads has diminished over time.

Read more… 52 more words

An analysis of Android Apps shows that the best way to combat the App Deluge is to create a network of Apps that cross-promote each other. In other words, with App Discovery becoming more and more difficult (especially in the Android ecosystem), if customers find one of your apps, make it count by cross-selling your other apps to them!

Mobile App Strategy

The rapid proliferation of smartphones demands a rethink on the IT strategy front. This article suggests that CIOs should designate a ‘CMO’, who is responsible for taking advantage of the powers of customer engagement and empowerment that are provided by mobile apps.

 

The first step in CIO’s mobile strategy is to create the office of the chief mobility officer and a supporting mobile architecture team.

 

Apple iPhone 3GS, Motorola Milestone and LG GW60 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mobile apps give rise to several challenges, including multi-channel conflicts, a deluge of data and activity, and transaction-based business process atomization. This requires changes to the business (transaction-based interactions thinking) and technology (scalable architectures) fronts of the firm’s strategy.

Read more at Page 1 Five tips on developing a mobile app strategy – CIO UK Magazine.

The App Economy

This infographic summarizes some key points about the App Economy, such as the half a million US jobs created by the App Ecosystem, the key players in the ecosystem and that more than 50% Android apps are free versus just 25% for iOS apps.

Via Frugal Dad

See the original infographic here.