A list apart’s website has a great article on this new problem with pixels and pixel based screen designs. As if designers didn’t have enough to worry about trying to cater to 500+ screen resolutions and devices, we now have a number of different types of pixels to measure by. Hardware pixel or reference pixel? To find out what the difference is and how to use media queris to fix this – read the full article here: www.alistapart.com/articles/a-pixel-identity-crisis/.
This made me want to scream & pull my hair out – and you may have the same reaction. But keep in mind we live in exciting times with design and technology. We are creating the future of how people will interact. These are obstacles we need to overcome and standards that need to be built for us to move forward

Here are a few links for some choice web apps from Zurb you will want to check out to make your design life and testing life easier. Get feedback from clients, critique your web design, share code with nerdy friends…!

Spur

Notable

Bounce

Part 1 – Chapters 1 through 6

Apple’s iOS Human Interface Guidelines describes the guidelines and principles that help you design an amazing user interface and user experience for your iOS app. I’ve been reading Apple’s iOS Human Interface Guidelines (to download the PDF, see the top right corner of this linked page on the Apple developer website). It’s a great read for anyone who wants to start designing an app, I highly recommend giving it a look through.
However, if you’ve been a designer for a number of years already, and especially if you have your own iPhone or iPad, there are quite a few things that will probably be common knowledge to you already in terms of both design and usability.

I decided for the designers out there who don’t have time to read ALL of Apple’s guidelines and PDFs for designing the perfect app (that’s pretty much everyone) I’d come up with a short, point form summary of the full 156 page iOS Human Interface Guidelines PDF. Enjoy!

Sizes:

iPhone 4: 640 x 960px (and vice versa)
buttons: 44 x 44px
iPad: 1024 x 768px (and vice versa, buttons 88 x 88px)

Users / Target:

Determine the main purpose of the App.

Create an App definition statement:

Determine who your target is and what the main function of your App is, and how it benefits them. Continue reading ‘iOS Human Interface Guidelines summary’

Please check lynda.com for these great (and mostly free) mobile flash tutorials!
The mobile marketplace is exploding. Take advantage of this and get ahead with online tutorials.
Below is a video on some of the considerations and challenges of working with Flash and mobile.
I recommend watching the whole 2nd and 3rd section – Design & Development, and Getting started with Flash, covers some of the basic things you need to start up when learning how to create mobile designs using Flash. Again, these basic tutorials are all FREE so you don’t need a subscription.

This site (icons.mysitemyway.com) has many bundles – all free and all easy to look through, and download. Another thing that’s nice about this site is that *All Icons Etc. royalty free stock icons, and stock clipart are free for use in both personal and commercial projects. Most sites that offer free icons only allow for personal, not professional use. This is open to commercial projects as well.

iconspedia.com has a pack for the iphone bundle that’s quite nice here:

Free icon sets (www.iconshock.com/icon_sets)

- this site has icons you can purchase, but also has a free section which they add to each week:

www.iconarchive.com has some nice free icons & sets – but most you have to download one at a time instead of downloading the whole set in a zip or one click.

This site has a few: www.cruzine.com/tag/icons/

I like the monsters :p

Designmoo – icon sets that usually include the designer’s psd or ai file.

Design Kindle has a few nice collections as well. Here though, what you see is what you get there are no psd or ai files to download. Images only.

View them here:

deviantart.com also has some nice sets if you’re willing to look – but if you’re digging beyond this list you’re probably looking for something specific enough that you should just design it yourself