Six Basic Rules of Multi-Touch Design

Let's set some ground rules this month. I'm all for charging head-first into something but I like to know what it is I'm getting in to first - so should you. Here's some common-sense rules:

1. Follows tested guidelines to help the user have a great experience.
2. Knows when to break the rules to amaze and surprise people.
3. Creates a brand experience.
4. Common users will find fun.
5. Is intuitive. USERS SHOULDN'T NEED A MANUAL TO "GET IT."
6. The design should not interupt content, it should make it MORE accessible.

Designers are great people but a lot of the time they are design-centered rather than functionality-centered. When designing an interface my best bit of advice is to get the users to the core of the experience as quickly as possible. You can create all the shiny functionality you want but don't bother unless it's actually helpful to the user.