Portal

The Challenge

Tablet apps too often inherit a phone layout scaled up or a desktop layout squeezed down — neither respects how people actually hold and touch an iPad. Portal needed to present a dense, information-rich workflow without overwhelming the screen.

Overview · the larger canvas

Designing for the Canvas

I treated the tablet form factor as the starting constraint, not an afterthought:

• Use the width — split views and persistent navigation that keep context visible
• Respect the thumbs — primary actions within comfortable reach, generous touch targets
• Density without clutter — clear hierarchy so more information never means more noise

Design Decisions

The layout system was built to scale gracefully across orientations and contexts.

• A two-pane structure: navigation and list alongside detail, no jarring full-screen jumps
• Adaptive layouts that recompose between portrait and landscape
• Tablet-sized controls and spacing tuned for touch precision
• A restrained palette and type scale that lets content lead

Landscape split view

Portrait layout

Selected Screens

The interface across key views and orientations.

Primary workspace

Detail view

Navigation & lists

Reflection

Portal was a reminder that form factor is a design input, not a breakpoint. Designing to the iPad’s strengths — space, reach, and direct manipulation — produced an interface that feels native to the device rather than borrowed from another one.