Apple is offering registered iOS developers a new microsite collecting in a central location videos, documents, and whitepapers about User Interface design for iOS 7. The new site aims at providing developers with the necessary information "to build polished, engaging, and intuitive apps for iOS 7."
The site collects a few fundamental documents for iOS development, including:
- iOS Human Interface Guidelines, which has been completely overhauled to take into account the new iOS7 UI paradigm;
- iOS 7 UI Transition Guide, summarising all visual changes introduced with iOS 7, like borderless buttons, translucent bars, and fullscreen layout for views;
- UIKit User Interface Catalog, a catalog of most common UI elements used in iOS apps and a guide to how configure them;
- UI Design Dos and Don'ts, a collections of tips organised in four categories: interactivity, readability, graphics, and clarity.
Besides this, the site lists a selection of videos from 2013 Apple World Wide Developer Conference or Tech Talks which are considered particularly relevant in the context of UI design for iOS 7:
- What’s New in iOS User Interface Design, a tour of iOS 7 illustrating its design principles through a review of the apps that Apple redesigned specifically for it;
- Best Practices for Great iOS UI Design, aiming at teaching how to avoid common pitfalls and providing insights into what makes an intuitive and beautiful app in Apple's view;
- User Interface Design for iOS 7 Apps, describing new iOS 7 features about layering, tinting, typography, motion effects, dynamics, and animation.
The above material is just a selection of material that the Apple developer site offers. In particular, the Apple Developer site makes available to registered developers all session videos from WWDC 2013, where iOS 7 was presented and more UI related videos can be found exclusively there:
- Getting Started with UIKit Dynamics, focusing on animations and transitions powered by new iOS 7 physics engine;
- Implementing Engaging UI on iOS, teaching how to achieve responsive animations and transitions;
- Introducing Text Kit, about the new text engine in iOS 7, providing sophisticated text handling and typesetting capabilities.
- Advanced Techniques with UIKit Dynamics, going beyond the basics when applying dynamics to views and view controllers;
- Advanced Text Layouts and Effects with Text Kit, going into detail about advanced text handling;
- Custom Transitions Using View Controllers, teaching how to define custom transitions between view controllers;
- Customising Your App’s Appearance for iOS 7, about customisation capabilities for views and controls to adopt the UI of iOS7.
According to Darrell Etherington writing for Tech Crunch, the new Apple microsite, though not offering any new material, can help developers refine their products and provides non developers with a look at how Apple views iOS 7 app design and which UI traits are specially relevant to it.
