IOS App Design & Development Services in San Francisco, California

iOS is an operating system designed by Apple for their mobile devices. Get IOS App Design & Development Services in San Francisco, California which powers iPhones and iPods; it’s also the base of three operating system iPadOS, tvOS and watchOS. iOS is the second-biggest mobile operating system in the world. iOS app design is done on many different software whiles::

Most iOS apps are developed in the Swift language moreover you must have an Apple device for development. Other than that, there are many different languages in which we can develop iOS apps like Flutter, C#, Python etc.

This article will cover all the aspects of iOS app design, including guidelines, tools, and much more.

iOS App Design Guidelines

Apple has many guidelines that a designer must follow to develop and publish an iOS app on the App Store.

Here are some iOS design guidelines for apps.

Consistent Design

The consistent app uses consistent language and visuals. It means that items with similar functions should have a similar appearance, i.e. they have homogeneous colours or icons. Consistent design clarifies the user interaction and creates a sense of familiarity with the app for new users.

Feedback

Apple likes feedback in between operations. Designer can display feedback in many different methods, like a progress bar or by using audio. Feedback keeps the user informed about actions and show the results of an operation.

Direct Manipulation

iOS app uses direct manipulation because it helps the user see the immediate results of their actions. Direct manipulation is essential when OS use gestures to understand the users’ command.

User Control

A good iOS app provides the course of actions that puts the user in control of the situation. It is a good practice as it prevents the user from making any mistakes.

Interface Essentials

This will define the essential elements of an iOS app page.

Bar: It provides status like where are we in-app, provide navigation, search option and allows us to take some actions. It is present at the top of the app.

View: It is the part of the app where all the information is displayed; this part displays texts, images, animation etc.

Controls: Basic function of the controls is to initiate actions and project information. It’s located at the bottom of the app.

Top five iOS App Design Tools

Designing an app requires good taste, knowledge about the app and most importantly lastly a functional app design tool.

Below are the five best iOS app design tools.

Sketch

The sketch is a vector-based design tool focusing on interface design available for macOS users only. It has gained quite popularity among designers because of its easy to use and solid tools. The sketch is very easy to learn and growing rapidly.

It was developed in 2010 and worked only with macOS.

InVision

Another app design tool specifically developed for macOS users. It is one of the most powerful design tools on the list; Amazon, HBO and Lyft use it for their app designs. InVision allows you to easily animate transitions and add micro-interactions to turn a static screen into a working prototype.

InVision was specially developed for macOS users in 2011.

Adobe XD

Adobe is very well known for its powerful and convenient design and editing tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects etc. XD is another addition to this incredible lineup. XD is a swift way of designing, prototyping and sharing your design. It has an interactive and easy to understand interface.

The interactive tool was developed in 2016 for Windows and iOS; now, we can even download it on Android and iOS.

Framer

A framer is one of the most advanced design tools for interactive iOS apps. It doesn’t require any coding because you can simply design by dragging and dropping the UI elements. Prominent features of Framer are automatic grouping, flexible stacks and adaptive layouts.

The tool was developed in 2014 and worked only with macOS.

Justinmind

Justinmind is incredible software for mobile app wireframes and prototypes. It has built-in UI kits for iOS, Android and the web. The main features of Justinmind are defining interactions, simulating tab controls, database simulation with actual data and annotating widgets.

The software was developed in 2007 and worked with both Windows and macOS.

Commonly used iOS app design Templates

Templates are the working prototype of a previously designed app; it allows the designer to meet short deadlines as everything is there, and with minor changes, he/she has their iOS app interface.

We so not recommend this, but the deadline is short, or the budget is less; you can use this approach for iOS app design.

WooCommerce iOS App

WooCommerce by WooBox is the best iOS template for an eCommerce app. The template has around 40 well-designed pages to feature products. Moreover, it has both light and dark theme with AdMob integration and wishes list functionality.

PikLab

PikLab template is inspired by another iOS app called PicLab. The template has all the key features of a modern photo editor with easy and quick photo editing.

Salient features of the app include text collages, sticker creation, filter, contrast, texture photo editing and background insertion. Moreover, you get a PSD file of icons.

Ridemate

Ridemate is a ride-sharing app template that you can use to develop a taxi or delivery application. It is a completely working app developed in Swift language with a customizable interface through PSD files.

The template also supports login through Facebook and Google.

Events

It is an event iOS app in which a user can share and store happening events around the world. Swift language is used in the template’s development. It allows the end-user to add events that you can approve and add.

The app has buttons that will automatically mark the event in the calendar and open Maps for directions. Moreover, you can also share events on social media.

Instagram Mobile Template

This template is for Instagram lovers; the iPhone template allows you to develop your photo and video sharing app.

The app allows users to log in with their email, Google account, or Facebook and supports push notifications.

Best iOS App Design Practice

iOS app design practice is very similar to Android app design.

Minimalism

Minimalist designs are getting more and more popular because of two reasons. First, they look beautiful and second; they are easy to design. You can make your app minimalist by using these two basic approaches.

• White Space is the main character of minimalist design. The interface doesn’t have a lot of elements which makes it easier to understand information.
• Another way to do this is by hiding the navigation panel and bars under a single icon. The other example of a hidden element is liquid swipe, where a swipe brings out new options.

Dynamic UI

Dynamic UI makes the app responsive, as a dynamic app can change itself according to the type of device. It makes the app interactive on every screen, from wide to small screens.

Neumorphism

Neumorphism is a design principle in which interface elements replicate real-world objects. It takes a lot of effort however the end results really worth that. The shadows, lights and detail of the elements drastically enhance the experience.

Do not Hide the Status Bar

Never hide the status bar in an iOS app. Because it seems awkward but it has some practical advantages. You can use many innovative ideas to fit the status bar in your interface like putting a background or using a frosted glass design.