Windows 8 : Splash Screen-Best Practices

What is splash Screen:
Splash screen is the screen that immediately pops-up when user invokes the Windows 8 app.

Its utility:
During the time when splash screen is shown user initializes the app resources. Makes all the required resources to the app.

Lifetime:
Once the app is ready windows dismisses the splash screen.

Best Practices:
a. Every Windows Store app must have a splash screen, which consists of a splash screen image and a background color.

b. You can also use the SplashScreen class provided by Windows 8 library to create an animated splash screen. (The kind we used to create with flash files in a Windows application.)

c. Your splash screen is your application's usp , you should make it as interesting as possible. It may be a very simple screen , but it should be inviting. If your splash screen is not interesting , user may not be interested to see your app.

d. When creating the splash screen , take care of the form factor of the device on which this app is going to sit on.

e. Put a background color and an image together to form a splash screen , if your image is within a background color the screen re-adjusts itself to fit to the device.

f. Splash screen gives brand value both to you(organisation) as well as the app.

g. Use transparent image as splash screen. This ehnaces the visual effects.

h. For scaling within devices provide three versions of splash screens.
    1x - 620 * 300 ; 1.4x - 868 * 420; 1.8x - 1116 * 540
     Having three versions helps to have same user experience throughout.

i. Listen to Splash screen dismissed event to give a clean app user experience to the end-user.

Do not use Splash screens for:
a. Advertisement
b. Display rolling images.
c. About / Help page

The best rule :
Test your app in all devices it an be used with. All possible form factors and resolutions.