Cross-Platform Consistency in Modern Products
"Designing for multiple platforms isn't about copying patterns — it's about speaking each platform's native language fluently."
A product that runs on iOS, Android, web, and smart TV isn't four products. But it isn't one product either.
The mistake I see most often: treating consistency as uniformity.
iOS has expectations. Android has expectations. A television interface has entirely different expectations. Forcing identical patterns across all four doesn't create consistency — it creates alienation on every platform.
The better framework: define what stays constant (brand, tone, information hierarchy) and what adapts (navigation patterns, touch targets, input methods).
The TV interface was the most interesting challenge. No hover states. No precise touch input. Everything had to be navigable with a remote, with focus states prominent enough to see from across a room.