Apple Watch App Development – The Things Developers Need to Consider
Apple Watch App Development
It is always difficult to develop an app for the Apple Watch. After all, it is an Apple product, and developing apps for Apple products viz. the iPhone and iPad, persistently require stringent quality control. Nevertheless, in the case of Apple Watch, along with quality control, Apple Watch app developers also need to heed several other aspects. Below are a couple of important things that Apple Watch app developers have to consider for Apple Watch app development.
App Design
The Apple Watch does not have the luxury like both the iPhone and iPad have regarding the screen size. It is a watch, smartwatch, but a watch with 1.5-inch (diagonal) display. It needs clever app design to make the app work on the Apple Watch. An approach that shrinks down the existing iPhone app is not going to work for the Apple Watch app; designing interfaces like an iPhone app is simply futile.
The Apple Watch app developers need to take into consideration what users want to see at a glance. The time of interaction a user has with his or her Apple Watch is marginal. Therefore, the app should be able to deliver whatever the users seek in the lowest amount of time. For that, the app needs ingenious design – a design with simple, easy-to-understand user interface.
For Apple Watch app development, developers need to avoid the urge to trim down their existing iOS app. Instead, they need to understand the small space (screen size), and design the app cleverly. Special attention to the use of a good font and a proper font size is also vital.
Apple Watch’s Hardware Limitations
It is understandable that because of the size, Apple Watch has certain limitations. As it lacks the computing power like an iPhone or iPad does, the apps can become laggy or slowish. Those apps with the flamboyant user interface will create more lag problems.
On the other hand, the WatchKit, the framework that helps developers to develop apps for Apple Watch, still has some inconsistency and problems. Therefore, the developers have to work very hard and smartly to develop apps for Apple Watch. They need to make sure to keep the codes simple and consistent. They need to avoid creating latency-creating functions. Heavy animations also slow down the app, so developers should restrain their use.