If you are interested in designing an iPhone app, the Apple iPhone Human Interface Guidelines is a must-read doc. It’s available free and can be downloaded from the iPhone Developer Center (registration required).
I was recently talking to someone about time estimates for designing an iPhone application. I was of the view that a minimum of 30-40% the total development time should be allocated to design, whereas the other person was of the view that only 5-10% was necessary. My estimate was based on my experience as a design practitioner, keeping in mind the issues involved in creating a good user experience, whereas the other person’s estimate was based on his primary background as a software programmer.
For iPhone/iPod Touch applications, Apple recommends that you spend approximately 60% of your time on design.
Apple recommendations:
- Design 60%
- Code 15%
- Debug 15%
- Test 10%
Design is not just about making pretty icons and graphics – it’s much more than that. The design process is comprised of four primary phases:
- Familiarize
- Conceptualize
- Realize
- Finalize
In traditional approaches for software development on mobile platforms, typically 5% of the development time is spent on design.
Typical software development approaches:
- Design 5%
- Code 45%
- Debug 25%
- Test 25%
To me, Apple’s 60% recommendation for design is not at all a surprise. To create a truly amazing application with a great user experience requires considerable effort and focus. The alternative – with 5% design effort – invariable results in mediocrity and a lame product, and is typical of software engineers’ philosophy of build first and fix/design later approach.
[via iPhone User Interface Design podcast]
The User Experience Treasure Map, by Peter Morville and Jeffery Callender, is a neat diagram that illustrates some of the deliverables that can be created during the user experience design process.
In traditional software development environments, there is an emphasis on creating specifications (SRS) and modeling (use case diagrams). While these type of documents are important, they don’t help in fully understanding and effectively capturing user needs and behaviors which are so important in creating a well-designed interactive product. Developers would do well by integrating the artifacts mentioned in the UX Treasure Map into their existing software development methodologies.