Mobile app design is essentially the creation of a mobile version of a website with additional features. At the same time, the main task of developers is to create a convenient ecosystem with a perfect UX.
By downloading any app, the user is loyal by default: he has already performed the targeted action, and if he can solve his problem with the help of your service – he will use it on a regular basis. However, if at least one section in the client’s path is not working or inconvenient – the person will simply delete your application – and never return to it.
This is the fundamental difference between UX-design of websites and apps: as a rule, the user evaluates the convenience of several web products, and even if on the first visit the person did not perform a targeted action, there is always a chance that after some time he will return to your site. That said, repeat app downloads are the exception rather than common practice.
Before moving on to the prototype, the designer should do an analysis of the competitors, the target audience, and the objectives of the app. For example, if the target audience is women, buttons and other interaction elements can be made smaller, if men – larger. Most users press the screen with their thumbs, so such a minor detail will help the male audience to interact with the service more comfortably.
At the UX development stage, the designer should think through the entire user journey from the initial introduction screens – to performing the targeted actions, of which there can be several in the app. As a rule, the User Journey is a branching tree of features with different functionality: subscribing to the app, contacting customer support, reading the text, paying for the product, and so on. And each “branch” needs to be well thought out at the prototype stage.
In designing the interface, there are several important details that the designer and the client need to be aware of:
- The main controls of the application should be at the bottom; the upper left corner in the App design is used minimally and only for certain purposes, for example, the “Back” button, because it is difficult to reach it;
- controls are not necessarily done with buttons only; in the app, the user can swipe or hold certain items to control them;
- apps can be scrolled from bottom to top as well as from right to left; if you use side scrolling, you should give the user a hint
- the logo should not be duplicated on all screens of the application; it is enough that your brand will be on the service icon and on the loading screen;
- fonts should not be unreasonably small; at IGNI web studio we usually use 18 – 24 px font for titles, 14 – 16 px for body text, light gray 12 – 14 px fonts for hints; it is also worth using different font thickness for visual accents
- colors should be diversified and natively tell the user which elements are clickable and which are not; also differentiate elements by color;
- tooltips are good; if there is a chance that the user will click on a non-clickable element several times or you have non-standard controls – add a tooltip.