15 Prominent Apps with Flat Design & Intuitive UI

Microsoft has managed to produce a phenomenon that no one is able to ignore – flat design – starting with Windows 7 and going on with Windows 8 designed for smartphones, tablets, portable computers and all kinds of other useful devices. Though the new flat interface design has been recently criticized a lot, and Microsoft still is still working on it, flat UI adepts already appeared over the world.

Flat Design Principles in Windows 8 Style

Windows 8 UI boasts the biggest number of features introduced since the launch of Windows ’95. The OS architecture, its workflow and applications usage were designed to change the interaction between a user and a device where Windows 8 is installed.

The basic principles and a general UI look of the new player hail from the data systems of transport hubs. So the lines and graphic elements of these systems were designed following some specific goals and requirements:

• top-level legibility
• crystal-clear visual comprehension
• sharp shapes

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The most vivid and unique characteristics of Windows 8 UI is, of course, the tile interface that acts like labels to launch various programs and apps. The flat design of Windows 8 is a big plus when installed on a touchscreen device, since the live tiles dynamically display the latest actual data and facilitate access to your apps.

At the same time, the design signature of Windows 8 is a “flat” layout with modest graphics, the signature of Metro UI simplicity. Who would guess that minimalistic approach could be so informative and functional? So let’s see if the flat interface design matches your everyday needs by looking at 15 apps that you can download for your Windows phone (and also for Android and iOS).

15 “Flat” Apps that Demonstrate the Power of Metro UI Simplicity

1. Evernote

*Also available for iOS and Android.

Evernote is a well-known app for note making and archiving now available in Windows Phone app store. Notes can be sorted into folders, then tagged, annotated, edited, given comments, searched and exported as part of a notebook.

Flat design peculiarities by Evernote: Evernote has painted the tiles of its Windows app in corporate green color (though some of the users would argue with this decision) and transferred most of the features onto the main page. The app developers ingeniously integrated its features into the tiles design so that users launch the app and just tap the green squares. There are also additional features that might be irritatingly obtrusive on a small screen but the flat interface just made them noticeable.

2. Fancy

*Also available for iOS and Android.

Fancy is the place to discover, collect and buy from a crowd-curated catalog of amazing goods, wonderful places and great stores – a web-design artwork itself. Combined with the flat Windows 8 design, it makes chasing for unusual things even better.

Flat design peculiarities by Fancy: The app flat interface effectively solves two tasks: browsing for your favorite stores (due to font requirements developed by Windows, the store names are big enough) and random viewing of the goods (a big pic inserted into a tile and all other details are below).

3. Shazam

*Also available for iOS and Android.

Shazam is a music identification service that uses a mobile phone’s built-in microphone to gather a brief sample of music being played which is then compared against a central database for a match. If a match is found, information such as the artist, song title and album are relayed back to the user.

Flat design peculiarities by Shazam: Stylish blue background contrasted by colorful tiles and fonts produce a good impression and make users tap on the labels. The most significant achievement of the developers is that on the basis of Windows tiles they’ve managed to create the app that literally any user will understand – a big Search button and almost a bare Results page.

4. SkyScanner

*Also available for iOS and Android.

SkyScanner is a flight search engine that allows you to browse for flights via price and location.

Flat design peculiarities by Skyscanner: The app operates with a great amount of information. And the developers have successfully coupled the corporate design with the Windows phone requirements, where every bit of information is shown in its own tile.

5. SkyDrive

*Also available for iOS and Android.

SkyDrive is the place to store your files so you can access them from virtually any device.

Flat design peculiarities by SkyDrive: This is the service designed by Microsoft. So, one can say that this is the master sample for all other developers. The corporate white background combined with blue tiles and minimum of colored fonts. Everything is clear, sharp and intuitive. It’s easy to search for various file types because the appropriate icons give a hint.

6. QR Reader

*Also available for iOS and Android.

QR codes have become an indispensable part of our lives. So why not have a good app to scan codes in a real-time mode?

Flat design peculiarities by QR Reader: The app looks like an inverted color scheme of SkyDrive. Blue background and white fonts, which is also cool. The tiles interface enables users to view their data at a glance and surf between tabs and history with one tap.

7. Kindle

*Also available for iOS and Android.

This reading app puts eBooks at your fingertips, so you don’t need to own a Kindle to use it. Amazon Whispersync technology automatically syncs eBooks across apps, so you can start reading a book on your Windows Phone 8, and pick up where you left off on another device with the Kindle app installed.

Flat design peculiarities By Kindle: Square shaped books ideally fit Windows tiles. So the task for Amazon developers was to think out some compliments to make the flat design even more attractive – they just involved colors.

8. PhotoGrid

*Also available for iOS and Android.

This multi-photo frame app offers a lot of frames, colors, effects, etc.

Flat design peculiarities by PhotoGrid: Many features appear in the tiles under a pic that you are going to edit. They manage to do that, even though the interface provides a lot of room for design.

9. UC Browser

*Also available for iOS and Android.

UC Browser is a mobile browser that has all the chances to compete with IE, either in sense of functionality or of design.

Flat design peculiarities by UC Browser: Multi-tabs management, speed dial and download pages are the best illustration of the flat design. Everything is clear, functional and fast accessible.

10. FlashLight

*Also available for iOS and Android.

This is a smart flashlight application that is very useful in dark halls, on the streets without lightning and parks. LED lighting provides a wealth of options for you to set the perfect fit a variety of different resolution devices.

Flat design peculiarities by FlashLight: Black background and flashy red in contrast. And we get a nice looking app with a minimalistic design.

11. Wallpaper HD

*Also available for iOS and Android.

This is a simple and useful wallpaper tool. It enables you to browse and download wallpapers in multi-resolution.

Flat design peculiarities by Wallpaper HD: This app is a good example of how the developers and designers might integrate font colors into UI. You choose the necessary wallpaper size and it’s painted in a different color. You intend to select a wallpaper category and it’s highlighted in order not to confuse you. Less settings and more visual effects.

12. TuneIn

*Also available for iOS and Android.

TuneIn is a collection of over 50,000 channels of music, sports, news and podcasts. It contains national networks radio stations, DJs and programs that you can find on local, global and Internet radio.

Flat design peculiarities by TuneIn: A sequence of steps to get what you want within a flat design. You tap a category, select a type and hover over a list of stations. One tile button to adjust the sound. The choice of music stations is great and you just come to it via a simple interface.

13. Task Manager

*Also available for Android.

This simple To Do/Task Manager makes your life easier since it helps you keep track of all your personal and work-related assignments.

Flat design peculiarities by Task Manager: Though it’s clearly stated in the app description that is helps you concentrate on tasks and not on the design, the latter is worth paying attention to. It’s the pure personification of the flat design that could be used as a standard.

14. Mirror

*Also available for iOS and Android.

Don’t say it’s unnecessary. This app uses the front camera as a mirror. So you can always check that there is no ketchup on your cheeks.

Flat design peculiarities by Mirror: The mirror itself is a big tile, no other elements are required. Flat and… flat! The undeniable advantage of the app is that there are not any ads, social buttons, etc. You just admire yourself.

15. Dropbox

*Also available for iOS and Android.

Dropbox lets you bring all your photos, documents and videos anywhere and share them easily. This app provides you with the access to any file you save to your Dropbox from all of your computers or devices.

Flat design peculiarities by Dropbox: Minimum colors, minimalistic fonts, wise features arrangement, clear icons – the essence of flat design.

What do you think of the flat design adopted by these ‘Metro UI’-inspired apps? Which one is your favorite?