Designing for Windows 8: Fundamentals of Great Design in Windows Store Apps

218 Pages·2013·6.59 MB·English

by  Brent Schooley

DESIGNING FOR WINDOWS 8
_____________
Brent Schooley

Designing for Windows 8
Copyright © 2013 by Brent Schooley This work is subject to copyright.
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To my parents, who always made me
believe anything is possible
Contents

About the Author
About the Technical Reviewer
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: Microsoft Design Style Inspirations
Chapter 2: Microsoft Design Style Principles
Chapter 3: Design Strategies for Windows 8
Chapter 4: Basic Building Blocks of Windows 8 Design
Chapter 5: Windows 8 Platform Considerations
Chapter 6: Bringing Existing Apps to Windows 8
Index
About the Author
Brent Schooley is a Technical Evangelist for Infragistics with a focus on
mobile platforms. He has been working with Microsoft technologies since
2004. His interests include client-and mobile-application development and
userexperience design, with a recent emphasis on Windows 8 and
Windows Phone. With keen attention to detail and strong technical and
design crossover skills, Brent has always been able to relate to both
designers and developers to help them achieve their goals.
About the Technical Reviewer
Alejandro Toledo is an Experience Program Manager and Developer. He
recently cofounded a boutique design studio with his brother Arturo,
providing experience architecture, user-interface design, and design-
education services. Alejandro is also a polyglot involved in an ongoing
study of multiple languages spoken around the world. Possessed of an
inquisitive mind, Alejandro enjoys spending time with designers and
developers, helping them to produce the best possible apps for Windows
and Windows Phone. He draws inspiration and energy from his wife and
young daughter.
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I must thank my colleagues at Infragistics for the
guidance and support they have provided throughout this process. In
particular, many thanks go to Ambrose Little and George Abraham for
helping to shape the original presentation content that inspired this book.
This book also wouldn’t have been possible without my fantastic boss,
Jason Beres, allowing me some time during the workweek to dedicate to
the book. I also want to thank my CEO, Dean Guida, for fostering an
environment where creativity can truly shine. Thank you also to Nick
Landry, Dara Monasch, and Bill Hazard for providing much needed
support throughout this process.
I also want to acknowledge the various attendees of user groups, code
camps, and conferences where I presented my “Designing for Windows 8”
session. The questions asked and comments made during these sessions
helped shape the material in this book. The energy and enthusiasm all of
you showed for this topic helped keep me motivated to complete this book.
Many thanks go to my wonderful family—everyone from my parents and
grandparents to aunts, uncles, and cousins. All of you have been very
supportive, and I couldn’t have finished this without that support!
Finally, I want to thank my wonderful editorial staff at Apress. Big thanks
go to Gwenan Spearing for seeking me out as a writer for this topic. This is
my first book, and Gwenan had faith in my ability to write about this
subject. Christine Ricketts has done a fantastic job of helping me through
the editorial process. Ben Renow-Clarke’s help in focusing and
restructuring the early portions of the book made the end product much
more approachable and understandable than I had originally envisioned.
Everyone involved in the process has been very understanding concerning
the various delays encountered. Thank you for your faith in me and for
helping me reach the finish line.