Chapter 3. Tiny Touchscreen

DESIGNING FOR SIZE AND TOUCH

AT FIRST BLUSH, the iPhone's tiny size might seem its biggest design challenge. When you're accustomed to creating websites or desktop software for monitors at least a foot across, 3.5 inches is mighty stingy. Yet while designing with a limited supply of pixels is a demanding part of the job, leaving it at that would suggest that your role is only to create efficient screens. The challenge turns out to be more subtle than that, because the iPhone isn't just small: it's handheld and works by touch. That means you're doing something more sophisticated than organizing pixels.