Lessons learned from the iPhone tab bar

The internet is a great resource for developers looking for tips, tricks and solutions to troubling coding problems. Sometimes these nuggets of information are found in highly visited websites like Stack Overflow. Other times, these resources are uncovered accidentally via a series of web links that lead to an interesting blog chock full of information. Such is the case with a recent blog post by Petter Silfver of SignificantPixels.

Silfver presents a compelling case for developers to spend time designing the iPhone Tab Bar. The tab bar is the core navigation element within an iOS application, and its design is often the difference between a good and a great application. Silfver provides six rules for tab bar design that he gleaned from his years of mobile development. The tips range from the common sense, such as "never change tab from a non-tab-bar navigational action," to the more complex reasons that determine whether you should customize a tab bar or leave it alone.

Current or prospective iOS developers should take a look at Silfver's post. Even if you don't agree with all the points, it is an excellent read for those interested in the design as well as the technical side of application development.