Introduction
Apple's iPhone presents a revolutionary user interface and interaction model. Users can view webpages, use web applications, and use built-in iPhone features, such as the email application, the iPod, and the digital camera, wherever they go. Safari on iPhone, a unique implementation of Safari, is the application users use to browse the web on both iPhone and iPod touch.
This document introduces you to the iPhone environment and how it shapes the user experience of iPhone content. Then, it explains how to design a superlative user interface for your web content so it displays and works well on iPhone. It does this by first examining different types of iPhone content and exploring how you can decide which type to create. It then discusses how to apply user interface design principles to iPhone content, and finally provides numerous metrics and guidelines to help you handle specific design issues. For the implementation details and guidance you need to write the code for your iPhone product, see the “See Also” section below.
Note: Safari on iPhone behaves the same on iPhone and iPod touch except when users tap links to iPhone-only applications. See Using iPhone Application Links in Safari Web Content Guide for iPhone for more information about links that behave differently on iPod touch.
Whether you're an experienced web content developer or an application developer unfamiliar with web content creation, you should read this document to find out what users expect of iPhone content and how to design content that exceeds those expectations.
Note: Currently, developers create web applications for iPhone, not native applications. Therefore, this document focuses solely on the presentation of web applications and other web content on iPhone.
If you have user interface development experience, you might be tempted to skip the sections on human interface design principles and desirable application characteristics. Although your prior knowledge of these topics is extremely useful, you're encouraged to read these sections to learn how to apply your experience to the design of iPhone content.
Organization of This Document
The iPhone Human Interface Guidelines contains the following chapters:
- "iPhone and the User's Environment" introduces iPhone and describes how the user's environment influences the design and usage of iPhone content. This chapter also describes features of the iPhone user interface that have a bearing on the design of iPhone content.
- "Content on iPhone: Is It a Webpage or an Application?" defines the different types of iPhone content you can develop and how that influences what you decide to do with your existing content. It also discusses how to define your user audience so you can customize your user experience and user interface design.
- "Principles and Guidelines for Creating Great iPhone Content" covers the principles of human interface design as they apply to iPhone content and provides guidelines to help you realize these principles in your design.
- "Metrics, Layout Guidelines, and Tips" presents layout and user interface metrics and tips you should use as you develop an iPhone application or webpage.
At the end of the document is a glossary that defines iPhone and web-application development terms; see "Glossary"