App Guidelines

This guideline shows best practices on how to properly apply various assets and features to align with the KP brand, meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance and pass certification.

Topics

KP Branding
App Naming
Mobile Editorial Content
Certification
Design Examples

KP Branding

The guidelines below are an overview of the Kaiser Permanente Brand Center Digital Style Guide at Guidelines > Design > Digital Style Guide.

Logo

Always use the horizontal version of the Kaiser Permanente logo.

Logo must be present on the splash screen. A template is available on Design Resources page.

Logo should be present on the sign-in screen, secondary to app name.

Photos & Textures

Always use photos and textures from the Kaiser Permanente Brand Center.

Typefaces

Use system and brand typefaces only.

iOS: San Francisco (Helvetica Neue prior to iOS 9)

Android: Roboto (or Open Sans)

Kaiser Permanente digital/web: Gotham

iOS KP Mobile Messages screen, typography example

Loading Indicators

Make sure you have a loading indicator to signify activity occurring in the background for the user. Also be sure to use the same kind across the entire app for consistency.

Icons

There are 100+ vectors icons available to use in our apps. You can find them on the Kaiser Permanente Brand Center at Guidelines > Iconography > Icon Set.

App Naming

All app names require approval from the Kaiser Permanente Brand Strategy Team.

The character limit for both iOS apps and Android app names is approximately 9-12 characters, depending on which characters you use. It is based on a visual measurement, rather than character count. The letter ‘O’ will take up more room than the letter ‘I’. Always test your app name to see if the OS will truncate it or not.

Example app names

This table offers some examples of app naming along with product icons and descriptions.

Icon	Name	Description
	Visit Planner	Help complex patients with multiple issues organize their thoughts and realize the most benefit from their 15-minute office visit.
	Product Scan	Understand which products are under KP contract via product search or barcode scan
	Clinician Connect	Look up who’s on-call for various specialties at all of NCal’s facilities.
	iHub	Allows KP employees to create, edit, submit and approve expense reports from KP-managed iOS mobile devices.

See the App Portfolio for more examples of KP branded app names.

Tips for naming your app

Do not use characters such as ‘! & $ ( )’ in the name, as it interferes with submission to the KP app store.
Create a name that does not get truncated by the OS and fits within the character limit.
The letters ‘KP’ do not need to be present in the name below the app icon, since the mobile brand architecture makes use of ‘KP’ and KP logo sashes.
Do not duplicate names for existing apps, make it unique. Search app stores and the internet to eliminate the possibility of duplicates.
Stick to sentence-case and/or camel-case.
Make sure the name is pronounceable.
Be clear and authentic. Make sure it describes your app.
Make sure there are no possible legal or copyright issues.

Mobile Editorial Content

It is important to write and edit your content for a mobile audience. Please follow the guidelines in the Kaiser Permanente Mobile Editorial Style Guide. Additionally, if your app has a web view, make the page content mobile-optimized for readability.

Certification

All KP mobile apps must go through certification. In order to ensure your design’s compliance with ADA regulations, please visit our Accessibility in Design page. For a comprehensive overview of the certification process, please visit the Certification section. Once you complete each section of the Mobile Style Guide and have your app certified, your application is ready to launch!