Introduction to the Application Design Process for Windows Phone
March 22, 2012
This section contains information about how mobile application design can affect the utility of a Windows Phone. Many of the principles described in this section aren’t obvious, but all have emerged from everyday use. Together, these usability principles can help designers solve problems, simplify tasks for users, and take full advantage of the platform.
This section does not cover programmatic principles or proper use of controls and navigation. For information about these topics, see Application Structure and Navigation Models for Windows Phone and Controls Design Guidelines for Windows Phone.
The process of planning an application is performed through a combination of interaction design and visual design, carried out in an iterative manner. Interaction design refers to the taxonomy of behaviors, gestures, and responses you design into your application. Visual design brings those elements to life on the screen with color and original art. Both of these facets of design deserve careful thought and planning before programming begins. Plan both interaction and visual designs ahead of time by doing mockups, drawings, and wireframes, then begin development. For more information about prototyping, see Implementing Windows Phone Application Design.
Visual design can add beauty and branding to the user experience; however, it should never distract from the content or muddle the navigation. A successful visual design for Windows Phone applications creates an experience that subtly prompts users where and how they should touch, drag, and flick objects. Plan your visual designs so that they help users understand how to interact with your application.
Just as you would when you design applications for any human-computer interface, strive to create an engaging visual design consisting of shapes, forms, colors, and controls that help guide users through tasks.
No matter your background, this guide will likely present you with information that’s not familiar to you. Some of it will ask you to reconsider assumptions and principles discovered on other platforms, because visual and interaction designs for quality Windows Phone applications share little in common with traditional computing. Spend as much time as possible interacting with a Windows Phone device during planning; get a feel for the platform, and consider the applications that ship with Windows Phone to be paradigms that can help inform your design process.
