iOS Mini-App Concept

Posted by Raffi Maurer on July 25, 2012 04:27 pm 13

I'm sure most people agree that gadgets on an iOS home screen would increase clutter and deviate from the simplistic nature of the home screen. But there is another way that developers could potentially create small "sub-applications" to help push simple content or offer basic functions to the user.

I've nicknamed this concept "mini-apps". The UI is a mixture of iOS folders and the Newsstand.

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Here is an example using the Calculator. The possibilities are huge - Facebook, for instance, could create a mini-app that displays notifications and basic controls.

These apps are lightweight and launch quickly. They are accessed via the same home screen icon, perhaps via a swipe down gesture on the icon, so unlike gadgets, these extensions add no extra clutter to the home screen.

The comparison is simple:

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This is something that I definitely believe will add value to the overall user experience, allowing users to access key content much faster than entering a heavy, content-rich app.

What are your thoughts?