ELCA Web and Multimedia Development Blog

Continuing my recap of sessions I attended while at SXSWi, I wanted to address the iPad, the new tool from Apple. I say new, because as ubiquitous as it seems to be, it has only been around for a year. As with any new device, it takes a while for developers to get used to their new “canvas.” They have a set idea based on past experiences with other smaller devices, as to how design should take place on the iPad. Also, they look to the new device as the answer to problems they had been having with past devices.

But the canvas the iPad offers developers is much more than just more space. It is a new experience.

Speaker Josh Clark gave a great presentation and pointed out common mistakes or pitfalls that iPad developers can make when designing for the iPad.

I think this will benefit not just designers and developers but those of you looking to hire a developer. Read these pitfalls and know what to expect from your developer.

1. Greedy Pixel Syndrome. This is the irresistible urge to  use every pixel on the screen. It’s tempting for developers coming from an iPhone design background to want to go hog-wild! We need to strive for thoughtfulness and art. Don’t feel you have to present all the content at the same time. Let it unfold. Complexity is okay. Just make it uncomplicated. There is a question/answer relationship we need to build with the app user. This means they click, you reveal. Then they click, and you reveal more. This works much better than displaying all the info at once on the screen. While this may be poor design for websites, it is an excellent strategy for tablet design.
2. Frankeninterface.  This was Josh’s way of addressing metaphor clutter. Metaphor, as you may know, as it applies to design, is the bridge we use between analog (what is familiar) and digital (what is new). So, a drawing app may have pictures of different colored crayons that you instinctively “pick up” to begin drawing with. This metaphor is not just eye candy… it must work the way people expect it to. Clutter occurs when you have too many metaphors at once. If you are going with the drawing tablet metaphor, don’t introduce another metaphor on top of that. Some of you will understand this problem from your experience with website design. But don’t get so literal that you are trapped by analog limitations. Don’t abandon the digital advantages. The eReaders that use a page-turn animation when you want to go to the next page, are a perfect example. There is no need to see the page actually turn. It is a waste. As Jer Thorp, contributing writer for Wired UK, tweeted: “Why does an e-book reader need a page flip animation? It’s like having a fake needle on a CD or like horse s#!t coming out of the back of a car.”

These are just two of his points. The rest were more detailed and geared for the developer, but I think you can see that we need to expand our ideas of what a tablet is and what it can be used for. And what it should not be used for.

Do you have an iPad or other tablet project coming up? What do you think of these pitfalls? Please comment below.