- Apple has released the VisionOS SDK and simulator
- David Smith, Widgetsmith developer, shares design process and considerations
- Explores how Widgetsmith looked in VisionOS and how to make improvements
Apple has recently released the [VisionOS SDK and simulator](https://9to5mac.com/2023/06/21/apple-releases-visionos-sdk-for-creating-vision-pro-apps-dev-kit-applications-opening-soon/), allowing developers to start creating apps for Vision Pro. David Smith, a Widgetsmith developer, has recently shared his experience designing for VisionOS in two blog posts.
David started by recompiling Widgetsmith for VisionOS, which took around 30 minutes. He then used the VisionOS simulator to explore how Widgetsmith looked in its current form and identify potential areas of improvement. For example, he noticed that the vertical layout was very inefficient and needed to be more thoughtful about utilizing vertical space. He then moved the picker into an ornament at the bottom of the window.
In a second post, David focused on adapting the Widgetsmith weather app for VisionOS. He encountered an issue where he needed to mask out a view in the background, which he solved by correctly using the layer masking in SwiftUI. He concluded that it will take time and many “bad” designs to develop an intuition for what a “good” design looks like.
Overall, it’s fascinating to see the design process and considerations taken when creating apps for Vision Pro. Check out David Smith’s full blog posts for a more in-depth look at this experience.
