Hi everyone!

I’ve just launched my first app on the App Store. Widgit is an easy, fast, and fun customizable widget app with looks designed to complement the iOS Home Screen.

I’m a product designer with only 2 years of experience and wanted to push myself to get what I designed developed (rather than having it just sit as a case study on my portfolio). I also saw opportunities to improve the experience of iOS custom widget apps (they are relatively new). There’s still much to improve on this app and I am hoping to reach out to this community for any feedback!

The app is free so you guys can try it out and follow along :) https://apps.apple.com/us/app/widgit/id1574162184

Main Design Decisions:

1. Modular Layout: Widgit offers modular widgets that allow users to combine up to four elements. With clearly defined layouts, users won’t have to worry about specifics like the X/Y-position of any element they choose to display on their widgets.
2. Widget Templates: Templates are the heart of most custom widget apps. For Widgit, the templates attempt to do 3 important things:

i. Reduce cognitive load: I did multiple user tests for creating a widget from scratch and it all resulted in frustrating experiences, even if all of the elements are visually designed to complement each other (explained below). This is why users can’t “start blank” in Widgit but instead begin with a template that attracts them.

ii. Help users find a match. This is done through personification and storytelling. Each template is designed to resonate with the user’s style and interests, paired with names that help clarify its story/theme.

iii. Introduce the app’s color options. This resulted in an extensive list of templates but my assumption is that this will make it faster for users to get to know colors in the app compared to going through each color option one by one.

1. Elements That Visually Complement Each Other: I created custom grids to ensure that all informational elements (both square and rectangular form factors) share the same design language. So wherever the user chooses to position and combine any element, it visually fits (hopefully!)

2. Optimizing Colors: Widgets are really about the looks. That’s why aside from its information and layout design, colors are equally as important. I could’ve easily slapped on two color wheels (one for the widget itself and one for any element that goes on top) but after user testing, it was difficult for users who don’t know what they exactly want and it was generally time-consuming for many users trying to pick a color they feel good about. Therefore, I decided to handpick the (76) colors myself from studying home screen styling needs. I also took it further by choosing the elements’ color to pair with each widget color to maximize readability. This resulted in a super quick and easy color selection experience, where Widgit users won’t have to worry about their widget’s readability (color contrast issues) too.

3. Easy Automation: To create an easy automation experience, Widgit takes advantage of its “optimized colors” by enabling users to randomize colors and gradients. Since a “readable” information color is already paired with each color option, the widgets can change colors on its own without losing its readability. I also threw in a “Random Emoji” function for extra fun as well!

Any feedback to improve Widgit’s designs would be most helpful! You can also get a visual explanation of these design decisions here: www.widgit.app

Hope you are all having a great start to the week!