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As a mobile developer, design is among the top priorities of your daily job. The user interface is one of the most important aspects of a mobile app, so we thought a list of the best design resources out there would be useful for all iOS developers.

While it’s very intuitive that user experience matters when it comes to iOS apps, there are a lot of other reasons why a better UX could benefit your app big time. It’s obvious that an awesome user interface would lead to more users and a better retention for your app. In addition to that, a wonderful design will increase your app’s chances to get featured by Apple, which is probably the best strategy to acquire new users, especially in the early days of your project. While other features, like speed and simplicity, are also of great significance, a neat design would make your app stand out from the crowd. Apple is probably the best design company in the entire world, so a beautiful app would definitely align with their principles, and by doing so, the app’s odds to succeed will improve significantly.

We put together a list of design resources that can be found online and that could be of really good use for a mobile iOS developer who focuses on high-quality work.

  1. Sketch App – This is the most popular prototyping tool for mobile apps. While you can achieve pretty much the same results with Adobe Photoshop, Sketch is a much simpler and easier to use software. Since Photoshop is being used for so many other purposes, its interface became very complex, so the application itself is more suitable for design professionals, who are experts in their field. From a mobile developer’s perspective, Sketch is much more suitable for designing apps, given its simple interface. The great news is that the existing websites that are focused on building design themes for mobile apps, also provide Sketch files (along with .PSD files used by Photoshop). Sketch app is also much cheaper than Photoshop. You only need to pay $99 one time as opposed to paying $20/month for Photoshop.
  2. sketchappsources.com – Assuming that you are also a big fan of the Sketch app, this is probably the largest website where you can find free sketch resources for both iOS and Android. You’re able to download for free icons, wireframes, logos, UI Kits, etc. In the Tutorials section you can find a curated list of design tutorials, which can be a golden mine for someone who’s just starting their path in UX. If you’re working on a new app, our recommendation is to try and find a theme that reflects the most the features you’re trying to implement and then, just build your design on top of those Sketch files. That will really save you a lot of time and you’ll end up having a prototype for your app much more quickly.
  3. ui8.com – This site is for mobile apps what ThemeForest is for WordPress sites. If you can afford to spend a little money, you’ll be able to get premium iOS app templates that have an amazing design. Their themes cover a large variety of app niches, so it’s highly likely that you’ll find a template tailored to your needs. They have eCommerce app templates, profile view screens, news reader apps, login screens, etc. You can also find free samples, which can help you get a feeling of the template, before making the purchase.
  4. InvisionApp – In their words, this is the leading platform for prototyping, collaboration, and workflow. This is the most suitable for you in case you work in a team that has several members. While in generally, it is addressed to designer teams, their application is really easy to ramp up on and it could be really helpful, especially for someone wanting to iterate on the design many times. Even if you’re not interested in learning a new design tool, you should definitely check out their free design kit, Tethr, which is available for both Sketch and Photoshop. The eCommerce and Social app templates are awesome!
  5. Dribbble – This is basically a social network for designers. On this platform, designers want to brag about their awesome work, so they show to the community what they’ve been working on. Most iOS programmers use Dribbble in order to find inspiration. You can’t really use the resources you find there without the author’s approval, but it’s definitely a good networking place, where you can find designers to help you with your own projects. Also, if you’re looking to hire designers, Fiverr might also be a good place. On Fiverr you can find designers willing to do logos, icons, etc. for a relatively small investment.

We, at iOS App Templates, develop themes that are meeting our high-quality designing standard. If you want to skip the burden of writing the source code for your templates, check out our fully implemented iOS themes.

What other design resources are you taking advantage of and you think any iOS developer should be aware of? Tell us in the comments!

Categories: Design

2 Comments

Mike · March 9, 2017 at 7:17 pm

I’d add uichest.com to this list. They have some pretty amazing UI kits as well.

Angela · March 10, 2017 at 6:35 am

Let’s not forget about http://sketchapp.rocks. You can find a few great mocks & wireframe resources there.

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