Some people learn the rules, but the best also learn the exceptions. 1. It only appears like everyone opposes Hamburger menus, but it's really just an obstacle

Some people learn the rules, but the best also learn the exceptions. 1. It only appears like everyone opposes Hamburger menus, but it's really just an obstacle for publishers (blogs, magazines, deals) who are entirely dependent on discovery to drive engagement. Apps with naturally motivated engagement (music players, deep social, stores) do better with the menu. 2. I agree icons should be clear. The best way to design an icon is to search Google images and look for a common icon, pattern, or symbol. This greatly reduces the need to label the icon. 3. Only use gestures that are standardized. Follow the example of major apps by Apple, Google, & Facebook to determine which gestures are most commonly used per platform (iOS, Android). Don't deviate from those patterns unless your app's entire position is to be a gesture-based app. 4. Onboarding should be optional (skip button), informative, and rediscoverable somewhere in the app. Coach marks are only essential for complex screens. Don't show more that one or two highlights else people will ignore everything. Include an obvious "OK" or "Got it!" button. 5. Agree - don't show users an empty screen! That being said, apps have unique needs. Google's collections app expects lots of engagement so it shows the user how to use the app. Lootsy needs users to start selling ASAP so it's motivation is reduce steps towards populating listings.