The trick is to create an app that viewers will enjoy, that will also not distract too much from the program they are watching. Wireframe software is being used by some developers to draft smartphone and tablet applications quickly and at reduced cost. An app designer could use wireframe software to create a prototype of an app that gives bonus information about the television show, or even draft a game that can be used to play along with a TV show. A social media app that enables viewers to comment on shows could also be something designers might want to draft with wireframe software. As this is a relatively new field, there is a wide potential for apps to create. With wireframe software, designers and other stakeholders can be creative in the apps that they draft, which can help lead to a product that viewers and advertisers will love.

One of the challenges of creating apps for newspapers and magazines is that it can be difficult to organize information in a way that seems logical to the reader. While a newspaper has different sections, such as current affairs, international affairs, sport and comment, it can be interesting to experiment with how the information within these sections is organized and whether some articles should feature in more than one category. The home page of a mobile app is also important and prototyping software can be used to sketch out where different content should be positioned. With many types of prototyping software, you can use different sized headlines and edit text. You can even add text boxes and images with many types of prototyping software. If you are thinking of transforming an existing magazine or newspaper to a mobile app, I would strongly recommend taking an existing edition of your magazine and using prototyping software to upload the existing images and headlines. Even if you decide to use image holders, rather than the images themselves, this will give you an idea of the structure of your final application. With prototyping software, you can create professional-looking wireframes that can help you visually structure the content of your application. You can then show these wireframes to end-users for feedback to ensure that your app meets the expectations of your users.

A Gizmodo blogger decided to try the next best thing, which was to run iPhoto ‘11 on the iPad via remote desktop software. The result showed that the user interface design of the Mac app is definitely iPad ready. This tells us two things, the first of which is that Apple clearly has transmedia user interface design nailed. Transmedia user interface design is the creation of UI designs across different types of screens (i.e. desktops, smartphones, tablets, etc.). The second thing it tells us is that the speculated merging of Operating Systems into unified OSes that work across devices might be closer than we think.

The latest Mac OS X has already paved the way by incorporating iOS functionality and user interface design elements. One of these is the new Full-Screen Apps view that iPhoto has implemented. When viewing iPhoto in full-screen mode on the iPad through the remote desktop one can be fooled into thinking it is an actual iPad app. From the icons to the layout everything about the user interface design is already optimized for iOS touch operation. This is surely not happenstance. Considering that the ‘Mac’ has been dropped in OS X these new full screen apps could just be the fist port of call to a unified OS and user interface design.

To provide concrete UI design examples, the report gives  the example of the ABC News iPad app. The user interface design of the ABC News app’s default home screen features a globe. At first the globe is interesting because users can spin the “world” to see what stories are making the world go round (excuse the pun). In the long run it becomes annoying as the user interface design means only one story is visible at one time. Users turn to the alternate home screen user interface design as soon as they find out how to. In short, the best way for UI designers to not waste screen space is by creating user interface designs with higher information density. This approach to UI design increases the chances of users seeing the content they want and thereby scrolling around less. However, care must also be taken to not cram the user interface design with too much information that it becomes overwhelming.

In the meantime those looking forward to an updated Craigslist user interface design will have to settle for Craiggers. What Craiggers does is to simply present Craigslist data in modern user interface design using the 3taps API. Navigating the user interface design is made easier by a three-column interface design with a search bar and utilities at the very top. The left column is used for the main navigation using collapsible lists of Craigslist categories.  The center and right columns of the user interface design are used to display the content of the classified ads. The center column shows a detailed list while the right column displays the ad in full. This way you no longer have to hit the back and forth buttons, or open ads in another tab. Searches can be saved so that you can return to them to, for example, see if there are new job postings. Users can also sign into Craiggers with their Facebook, Twitter or Google accounts. The only downer, at least for me,  was that Craiggers was only compatible with classifieds from the USA.

The previously separate mail search and web search have been unified into a single search box  at the top right of the user interface design. This part of the user interface design is conventionally used for web searches and so to make it clearer the search box features two large buttons for mail and web searches. The attention to detail is evident as the Search Web button’s color always blends with the background theme color while the Search mail features a distinct yellow color. Narrowing search results is also better as the right of the user interface design offers you the chance to narrow searches based on sender, attachment file type, folder, or read and flagged status. Photo attachments can be viewed in a slick Slideshow user interface design whereas Youtube videos are now embedded into a mail. Changes to the user interface design like this are welcome and they ensure the webmail war is far from over.

Although tablets seem to have swept the rug from under the netbook’s feet I found the user interface design of MeeGo for netbooks very appealing. So much so that I was somewhat disappointed that the user interface design seen in the video wasn’t closer to the netbook version of MeeGo. The dividing of the user interface design into zones makes sense and this is also well executed on the tiled user interface design of Windows Phone 7. The bar at the top of the user interface design could even be kept pretty much as is for quick easy access. This could even work better than on the user interface design of WP7 or iOS for that matter because,for example, you could just jump straight into the desired zone without having to go back first. That would also leave space for widgets or apps to populate the rest of the user interface design.

Regarding user interface design the tiles are now more widgety, if such a word exists! Apps now show more information, e.g. real-time flight information from British Airways, on the tiles themselves making them even more useful. The social integration pioneered by the ill-fated Kin phones really shines here. None of the other major smartphone OSes offer such a comprehensive integration of social networks into its fabric and user interface design. Messages are now threaded across platforms meaning that someone can send you an SMS, chat, email or Facebook message and it will all be displayed neatly in a single place of the user interface design without having to launch the separate apps. Photos taken from the phone can be added to Facebook with faces tagged natively. Similarly Facebook events are integrated into the Calendar app from where you can RSVP, take that iPhone! With improved multitasking and a more forward thinking Bing, Mango makes Windows Phone 7 worthy of purchase. The question is will the improved features and user interface design of iOS5 and Android 4.0 squeeze all the Mango juice dry!

Both the iPhone and the Windows 7 phone offer users a variety of apps to choose from. Both have a consolidated place for users to find apps: the iPhone “App Store” and the Windows 7 “Marketplace”.  Users are able to purchase apps from these stores, both through their smartphone or computer.  So what is the main difference between the two?  The number of apps available and the user interface display.  Apple offers users a much more vast selection of apps in their store.  Additionally, the iPhone offers user the ability to use and manage their apps from both their phone and their computer—currently, Windows 7 apps are only available to users through the phone’s user interface.  Thus, the iPhone is better organized and more diverse.  However, this does not mean that the Windows 7 phone will not one day reach or surpass the iPhone in terms of app numbers and interfacing options.  The Windows 7 phone is much newer than the iPhone and this leaves it more room to grow and evolve.  So choosing between the two requires you to put your faith in the Windows 7 phone’s evolution or putting stock in the iPhone’s proven reputation. Or you can simply succumb to the epic Apple-Microsoft battle and pick a side.

I found the Priority Inbox to score high in usability as it was very simple and straightforward to set up and use. Nestled at the top right of the interface design right next to the settings it is easy to find and always at the tip of your finger when you need it. Activating it offers users the chance to watch a short video describing the new service, should they wish to see it. An overlay appears that already sees Gmail suggest what are important and not important mails. Users can confirm this or change the suggestions. Important emails are unmistakable due to having a yellow mark along with the subject of the email. Priority emails naturally appear above the general inbox and have a corresponding folder. This feature is sure to make an already popular online software application much more manageable