By Manish Chopra, CEO of Zovi
#1 Supporting multiple modes of interaction – Desktop machines using mouse/keyboard interactions + tablets using touch/swipe interactions.
#2 Supporting multiple screen resolutions and orientations – (Orientations to be supported: Snapped mode, Landscape mode, Portrait mode).
#3 Providing a customized and special experience for the app user – Not trying to mimic your website, but try and provide an experience that is better suited for the tablet audience.
#4 Cutting down on features and streamlining the workflow – Try to cut down the features to a bare minimum. Keep in mind that the app is supposed to be used by people on the go and so we should not overwhelm them with a multitude of features. Prioritize and decide on what few thing your app should let the user accomplish and execute on them well. Try to re-imagine the workflow in the app so that the user need not go through multiple screens and/or commands to accomplish simple tasks.
#5 Follow the Windows 8 app best practices and guidelines – Apps that don’t follow the guidelines are not usually accepted in the app store. Following the guidelines also helps in providing a predictable experience for the user.
Manish Chopra is CEO of Zovi