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Design foundations · Novice · Lesson 13 of 99 · 20 min video, then about 2 hours of practice
Platform conventions: iOS, Android and the web
After this you can design a screen that feels native to its platform, and know when a convention exists for a reason.
Why it matters
Users spend nearly all their time in other people's apps, so their expectations are set elsewhere; that is Jakob's law. Learn where iOS and Android genuinely differ (navigation patterns, system controls, typography defaults, back behaviour) and where designers invent differences that only create work. Read the guidelines as *reference*, not cover to cover. The practical payoff: reviewers immediately spot a design that puts an Android navigation pattern on an iOS screen, and it reads as inexperience.
How to use this resource
A conference talk devoted precisely to the cross-platform question, which almost no beginner tutorial covers. Current as of Config 2025.