iOS Articles

A blog image and title blend smoothly and quickly in a similar direction
Mobile | 12 min read

How Designers and Developers can use Shared Element Transitions to Improve UX

What are Shared Element Transitions? Shared Element Transitions are animations that move elements from one screen to another within an app. They help users understand how the interface changes when navigating between screens. They are particularly effective when users are browsing diverse content and frequently switching back and forth between screens. These transitions can be […]

Mobile | 3 min read

meHive: The Story of Our Mobile App

At SEP, we are always on the lookout for new things to learn.  When we saw a surge in mobile development, we decided to tinker with some new technology. And what better way to do it than learn along with our interns on our own mobile product? The year was 2013, and we decided to […]

Product Design & UX | 4 min read

Email: A Different Kind of User Interface

When I set out to make Apple Health Report, I knew I wanted more than just myself to be able to use it. Aside: The real impetus was a new fitness reimbursement program at SEP that I could get reimbursed for working out without having to go to the gym. I wanted all the reporting/math […]

health app vector icons
Sandbox | 3 min read

Analyze the Crap Out of Your Apple Health/HealthKit Data

As a recent iPhone + Apple Watch convert (see ya, Android and FitBit) my fitness tracking data lives in Apple Health. I want to make charts and graphs and see trends over time (you get the idea, I’m an engineer, I wantneed to engineer and analyze my fitness data). Problem is, there’s not a great way […]

Mobile | 7 min read

3 Xamarin.Forms Tricks to Maximize Shared UI Code in Mobile Development

In 2014 I was tasked with creating a relatively simple iOS/Android app from scratch using this newfangled mobile app development technology called Xamarin.Forms. I was on the project for a total of three days. I had years of C#/WPF experience but none in Xamarin, and this Forms business was the confounding icing on the proverbial […]

Mobile | 5 min read

Swift iOS Tutorial: How to Customize UISegmentedControl

Customizing a UISegmentedControl If you have spent any time developing an iOS app, you have probably realized that customizing UI elements in Swift can be hard. There is either a checkbox that does what you want, or it takes hours of research and trial and error to get something just the way you want it. […]

Mobile | 5 min read

App Crashing on 32-bit Devices When Resigning Xamarin.iOS IPAs

Recently on a project, we were receiving reports from some users that the iOS app we had developed with Xamarin was crashing immediately after opening the application, but only on certain devices. Basically the application would display the splash screen for a second or two, then would immediately return to the home screen. Once we were able […]

Mobile | 9 min read

Swift Animation Tutorial – SpriteKit, Xcode, and Swift

But wouldn’t it be cool if it did this?… I’ve thought these words to myself many times during my career in software development, specifically in mobile development.  I want a product to do more than simply function properly; I want it to look good when it does it.  That’s not to say that I’m looking […]

Embedded & IoT | 3 min read

How IoT is Making Your Home Safer and Smarter

The Internet of Things (IoT) shows no sign of slowing down. As an industry-leading provider of home security solutions, Allegion™ is focused on identifying ways to employ the IoT concept – that many of today’s common objects will have Internet-related capabilities – in its upcoming products. The Schlage Sense™ system, unveiled at the 2015 International […]

Mobile | 4 min read

An Introduction to Swift Programming

Very few people who have delved into Apple’s programming domain develop an opinion that one could describe as neutral on the topic of Objective-C. Objective-C draws the ire of many, and the love of a small band. To understand the swift direction away from Objective-C that Apple now follows, one must first understand the nuances […]

Mobile | 3 min read

Where is the iOS app industry headed?

I’m worried about the iOS app industry. Not because I see signs of Apple dying, but because I know how technology fads go. That, and because I’ve worked on almost nothing but iOS apps the past few years. I don’t want my domain of “expertise” to fizzle out over the next few years. Technology fads […]

Mobile | 1 min read

POP for Prototyping

Do you POP?  Maybe you should.  It’s a free prototyping app, currently available for iPhone but soon to be released for Android. POP is a super simple way to capture your wonderful pencil scratchings electronically and create a semi-functional wireframe that you can share with others. POP uses the camera on your phone (or existing […]