Apple Adds New “Designing Great Apps” Micro Site For iOS 7 Developers

Apple has offered up a central location that houses a number of resources around designing software for iOS 7. The collection of videos, documents and whitepapers seems aimed at making it easier for developers to not only accommodate their existing designs for the new, pared down graphical look of iOS 7, but also to help them start thinking about how to push the envelope with the UI of their app to make sure an iOS 7 redesign isn’t just about a visual refresh, but something brand new with the potential to delight users.

The microsite leads with a selection of tutorial and explanatory videos culled from the iOS 7 Tech Talks series that Apple posted in December for developers, as well as some from its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) annual event last June. There are also key documents from the developer resource pool offered up, including the iOS Human Interface Guidelines, UI Design Do’s and Don’t’s, and the iOS 7 Transition Guide. A sidebar presents the iOS 7 introductory design video, Apple’s “Designed by Apple in California” spot, also from WWDC, and the developer “Making a difference. One app at a time” spot from the same event.

There’s no new material on the site, but it does pull together a key collection of resources in one spot that will help devs refine their products and fully embrace the changed visual language of Apple’s latest mobile OS. Even if you’re not a developer, it’s an interesting look at how Apple views iOS 7 app design, and what kinds of things it chooses to highlight in promoting that view to its third-party software partners.