7 Mobile App Design Practices to Rule the App Market (and Users’ Mind Too!)
As the mobile market is getting jam-packed, the main concern is drifting from getting higher downloads to maintaining user retention rate. The mobile app development companies are unveiling newer ways to keep their users hooked to their apps, and one such effective method is – Mobile app design.
The UI/UX app design has been recognized as a pivotal part of mobile app development as well as marketing strategy. However, it’s not easy to go with!
Mobile app design is a tricky subject, with many things to consider to enjoy better results. Sounds scary? Don’t worry! To guide you in designing a mobile app interface that touches the users’ souls and help your app rule the market, I’ve prepared a list of 7 best practical tips on app design, as shared below:
Consider Operating System guidelines
No wonder you want to deliver the best piece of art to your end users. But, what if your app design does not go with the operating system it runs on? What if the icons, typography, and other app features look inappropriate with the device it runs on?
I still remember when a nascent designer joined our team. The designer head gave him a complete set of rules, describing even the color palette he can opt. On asked, he said that this ensures the consistency in the app icons and other design elements, and make it look better on the platform it will run on. And it was actually true.
The app appearance turned out to be impressive, clearly indicating the thought put into every minute detail to make the app ready as per Android and iOS devices’ layout and features. In fact, the device difference was also taken into consideration to please the users.
So, if you have or planning to design a mobile application, pay attention to the platform design guidelines. Both Google and Apple have shared a set of designing guidelines that you should follow to leverage the benefits of designing a mobile app.
For example, Android demands following material design standard. Whereas, Apple made it mandatory for the designers to make their application iPhone X- ready. If, in the worst case, you don’t follow their guidelines, this is how your users will react.
Choose legible fonts
Content is the cornerstone of your mobile application, and so the way it is displayed. If the chosen typography (font) or text size do not look great, the users will leave the platform. So, understand the user experience concept behind the text font and choose wisely. Experiment with the chosen typography in different sizes and weights to ensure readability in every possible situation.
A better escape from picking the right font is to rely on the platform’s default font. For Android app development, consider Roboto and Noto as standard typefaces. While, go with San Francisco family for developing an iOS app.
Design focusing on invisible grids
Another amazing tip that all the mobile app design companies should consider is working according to invisible grids. These grids might not be visible directly, but can smoothen your design task. They will guide you to create an app with proper spacing and placing of every element.
Keep it simple and consistent
Let’s be honest. We all crave for simplicity and consistency. No user likes to have a lot many options overlapping each other on the screen or elements with placement on every screen. So, cut out the clutter. Do not overload your screen with abundant information – images, text, and buttons. Determine what content is valuable to the target audience and eliminate the unnecessary details.
Besides, as shared by our product design team, strive to design a screen for each feature and keep the elements placed in the same style and in the same place on each screen. This will make the process clear, engaging, and profitable. Also, bear in mind that every device has different screen space, which implies elements should be selected keeping the targeted device into consideration.
Design for Left-handed too
12% of the world population, on an average, are left-handed. So, while placing buttons or deciding the thumb impression style, gestures, and other such action-driving elements, keep this into consideration. The elements you design might be easily accessible by right-handed, but not by left-handed people. To ensure both enjoy the exquisite user experience on your mobile application, embed elements such that they are accessible by both. Or better, empower them to configure the app UI as per their convenience, i.e., switch based on if they are left or right handed.
Minimize typing
Typing is a time-consuming, boring, and error-prone process. Smartphone users these days, including me, hate to fill lengthy forms and look for an alternative. So, always try your best to minimize the typing required and improve your user retention rate. Either keep the forms short and concise eradicating the unnecessary fields. Or, provide them with choices rather than input fields.
Besides, you can also look forward to fetching the details automatically from the user’s profile and cutting down the efforts required.
Test your app design
By interacting with the design team, one thing that I can say is that even the most well-executed UI/UX design has shortcomings. Even they contain unseen flaws and errors. So, to make it certain that you do not launch a half-baked product to the market, test your application on real devices. Invest in both alpha and beta testing to diagnose the bugs and issues. Ask the users to share their feedback regarding app experience. Use data analytics and improve your mobile app design based on all the insights gained.
With the world getting confined to smartphones and mobile apps being the driving force behind, the user expectations from the apps have increased rapidly. This has put a pressure on the mobile app designers to create elegant, useful, and valuable mobile app designs. While the UI/UX design is not a one-time and consistent task, the aforementioned tips will help you give the best shot at the beginning itself.
For reading more such mobile app design blogs and tips, check here.