New Innovations in iPhone app designs

The virtual world created by iPhone apps is a wonderland full of surprises which keeps working professionals as well as kids equally engulfed in it. The wide variety and range of functions provided by the iPhone are unparalleled by any other device. It is true indeed that Android rules with a bulk share of the world smart phone market, but Apple’s iPhone is a unique device in every way. A user’s addiction to a particular device is a common factor when it comes to choosing a smart phone. People, be it adults or kids get so much emotionally attached to a particular device that they tend to choose a newer model of their same smart phone over another platform or device. You shall find it very hard to convince a diehard iPhone fan to replace his device with an Android or any other platform device. The fingers of such iPhone users start working around their device as soon as it is held into their hands. Such people cannot even begin to imagine their lives without their iPhone.

The feature loaded iPhone with an HD screen offers an amazing visual experience while gaming or browsing the internet. Application developers for iOS platform are always occupied with the task of creating new applications for the iPhone to do complete justice to the features and functions the device offers. New iPhone models are coming up with newer features and newer designs which include a much bigger screen as compared to the older models. The demand for more innovative and functional apps form users keeps iOS developers on their heels to ensure that consumers don’t switch loyalties to other platforms. Each passing year brings in new design ideas for iPhone apps fast replacing the older ones.

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Let us look at a few new innovative iPhone app designs trends which have emerged as clear winners.

1) The changing colour feature of App UI

A notable change has been seen in iPhone device designs with the arrival of the iPhone 5C. The new iPhone 5C was launched in a variety of colours like anodized gold colour version whereas theearlier models of the iPhone were available only in black or white. Now you will begin to wonder as to what a device colour has got to do with the iphone app designs. Everything if you ask me. Every iPhone app developer is trying to match the app theme colour to make the hardware device look as invisible as possible. The only possible solution employed by designers is to provide a theme colour changing option in the app to match with the device hardware colour. A user gets the freedom to choose the best colour for the phone UI matching with the device colour. Right now only a few apps provide this feature, but the trend seems to be catching on with iOS 7 becoming popular. Tweetbot 3.0 and Fantastical are two standout apps which use this feature. Another option for making the iPhone device invisible is the usage of a white theme colour in apps which suits every iPhone colour.

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iphone App design

2) Finger gesture feature

As I have already discussed in the earlier part of this article that an iPhone is an addictive device for some people and the reasons are its unique features which no other device offers. One such feature of the iPhone is the touch screen finger gesture. This is one area which iOS app developers have been able to exploit due to hardware enhancements of the new iPhone. New applications are being designed to use hardware interfaces and even the users are taking on to them like fish takes to water.

3) Excessive use of Layers and depth

iOS has prompted the change of introducing the visual flattening of the GUI of the iPhone. This visual flattening has led to the possibility of creating more depth and layers between the iOS 7 and the third party app. Defining and displaying hierarchy in a 2 dimensional screen becomes difficult, so creating artificial layers in the UI solves this problem. This design idea can be very well seen on the iPhone home screen with the parallax turned on. This provides a third or the z axis which provides a 3D experience on a 2D screen. Although this provision of layers and z axis offers many opportunity to app developers, but an app which can use this design features hasn’t been created yet.

4) The Blurring effect

This design effect seems to be catching on like a forest wildfire which refuses to die down. This design effect is just a simple word in English so there is not much to explain about it. This design trend means blurring out or fading out certain layers of the UI of the application to provide a blurring effect. What this ensures is that the UI remains at the minimal and the upper layers like the written part gets highlighted in the process. This blurring effect is being used by many designers to increase the style quotient and the aesthetic appeal of the apps.

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5) Newer navigation systems

With each changing year the methods of navigation change in apps. A new one replaces the older one. The iOS 7 has also prompted and influenced certain changes in the navigational systems that apps use. The navigational designs of the UI of the past two years like the drawer and the hamburger menu icon and tabs have already made their exit and 2015 seems to be a year filled with trial and errors to find a new navigational system.

Some design trends are web related, some are app design related and a few which are related to design elements. But when all these trends collaborate and come together, new doorways to ideas open up, further expanding possibilities. To be honest the possibilities of design ideas has reached such a level that you do not know as to what you will get to see next.The new design trends to watch out for this year are plenty and discussing them in detail will be time consuming. But I would surely like the readers to provide their valuable inputs if they have any on the topic of discussion.

[su_box title=”About the Author” box_color=”#005885″ title_color=”#ffffff”]

Macy Jonesis an iPhone app developer based in Melbourne, Australia. Her obsession forher iPhone since childhood later turned into her profession.

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