Type of Application

The initial decisions you must make involve the type of application you will build, and how well this type of application is suited to a mobile device such as Windows Phone 7. You should also consider how you will implement your vision using a style and interactivity pattern that matches the built-in applications on the device, and how you can use the types of controls available on the phone to build a usable interface. In Windows Phone 7, the development platform you choose (Microsoft® Silverlight® browser plug-in or XNA®) will influence the application design and the types of controls available. For more information, read the sections “Mobile Phone Client Applications,” “User Interface Design and Style Guidelines,” and “User Input Considerations” later.