Smartphone apps have rapidly become indispensable in today’s hyper-connected world, meeting virtually every human need at the touch of a screen. As we move forward into the middle of the year 2023, mobile app design is shifting to become increasingly user-centric.
Designers and developers have finally realized that aesthetics alone aren’t enough to keep users engaged. Instead, they seek to create app UI designs that are simple, smooth, and fun to use.
In this article, we will delve into mobile application design and discuss how to design an app in 2023.
Mobile App UX Design Disclaimer
What Is Mobile Application Design?
User experience (UX) in mobile apps refers to the total user interactions with the app across all mobile platforms. It’s worth noting that the more broad term mobile UX’ refers to both app and website design, which are sometimes used interchangeably.
Designing a user interface (UI) is an integral part of creating a positive mobile app UI design process. UX designers think about the user’s journey through all the different elements of a product. The focus of user interface design is on the interface itself, which consists of the visual and conceptual aspects with which a user engages.
Read more about mobile UX design in the Topflight research: https://topflightapps.com/ideas/7-step-ultimate-guide-to-mobile-app-design/
Why Should You Be Working on Mobile App Design?
For starters, over three-quarters of internet users (about 3.7 billion people) will access the internet only through their smartphones by 2025. Users have high standards for the speed, simplicity, and entertainment value of their mobile app experiences.
Your app’s UX needs to impress its users to keep them interested and engaged consistently. Your app can have a high retention rate and a large number of active users if it solves a problem and is simple and easy to use. In a nutshell, your goal should revolve around easing the user’s interaction with the app, & provide a better contextual experience. By considering all these details, you can take your mobile app design to the next level.
Salient Differences Between Mobile UX and Desktop UX
In terms of context and setting, there are many differences between desktop and mobile app UX. Let’s look at the most important ones first:
Virtual and Physical Workplaces
Desktop computers offer multiple advantages over a laptop, including a larger screen, a more sturdy and ergonomic keyboard, and the ability to have many tabs and applications open at once for multitasking. Furthermore, they are most likely stationary and have constant illumination.
However, users of mobile devices tend to be hyper-focused on a single task, which can have a sense of urgency. They can also be limited by bandwidth or internet access, or they can be in an odd location where the bandwidth is slow.
Screen Orientation and Display
When working on a desktop, you have the option of employing one or more large, high-resolution monitors, which make it fairly simple to read and scroll to uncover information and calls to action.
However, mobile screens have limited space. Therefore, it is necessary to include important content and calls to action above the fold and in places where they gain the most attention.
Virtual Language
The virtual languages used by mobile UX and desktop UX are distinct from one another. Mobile apps have a streamlined and straightforward interface that is tailored for smaller screens by making use of gestures, icons, and visual clues. Users can effortlessly navigate and interact with the app by swiping, tapping, and pinching. When it comes to user input, desktop UX favors the tried-and-true methods of a mouse and keyboard.
Continuity and Consistency
The goal of mobile UX is to ensure a seamless experience across all supported gadgets and software. To achieve visual coherence and an agile user experience, design components, including color schemes, typography, and navigational patterns, should be carefully selected.
On the other hand, Desktop UX has more design flexibility to accommodate larger screens and more complex functionality. While desktop apps can scale to fit a variety of displays, there might be less of an emphasis on consistency between platforms.
Do’s and Don’ts of Mobile App Design
Experts from the Interaction Design Foundation state that “a user’s comprehension is 50% less on a mobile device,” which means that “content, navigation, and visual design elements must be twice as intuitive as they are on a desktop.” Keeping that in mind, let’s go over the Do’s and Don’ts of mobile app design:
Give Users a Focused Call to Action
- DO NOT waste the space above the fold by including content that is not relevant or calls to action that is not clear.
- DO make commonly used buttons accessible.
- DO utilize micro-interactions (little animations) to demonstrate essential actions, such as typing into a box or flicking a switch.
- DO make it easy to get support, like via click-to-call or chat.
Make Onboarding Easier
- DO NOT bury the search option in a menu.
- DO NOT impose a horizontal scroll or the pinch-to-zoom gesture on your users.
- DO provide a one-click route back to Home.
- DO keep the most vital links up and center.
Eliminate Distractions
- DO NOT force users to re-enter information when they go to mobile; instead, bridge the gap between the desktop and mobile experiences by automatically filling in as much information as feasible.
- DO NOT disrupt the user experience by opening new windows or triggering pop-ups.
- DO simplify complex procedures into manageable chunks.
- DO provide options for voice commands.
Focus on the User’s Request
- DO NOT prevent users from navigating the site without first registering.
- DO NOT request information (such as a user’s location) unless you have a specific purpose in mind.
- DO Allow SINGLE-SIGNATURE LOGIN
- DO permit guest checkouts.
Make it Personal
- DON’T blast everyone with the same marketing email.
- DO send out time-sensitive, relevant, and individualized push notifications.
- DO give some effort to the onboarding process and provide users with as many options for customizing the app as you can.
- DO maintain an open ear: investigate and analyze user feedback and patterns of behavior.
Mobile App UI Design Process- Essential Principles
An up-front choice about the product’s development strategy sets the mobile app design process apart from other user-centered design processes. Let’s have a look at a few crucial stages:
Evaluate the Development Options
There are three alternatives available while designing a mobile app:
- “Native” app development refers to tailoring an app specifically for one platform, such as Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android OS.
- The term “adaptive” refers to the practice of creating several versions of an app or website, scaling up from the smallest device possible. A similar hybrid method is used to create apps and websites that are compatible with different operating systems.
- The term “responsive” refers to a method of web design that prioritizes the user’s experience on mobile devices.
Develop User Persona
Your mobile app should be based on a mix of original research like interviews, surveys, and consumer data and secondary market research like trends and statistics. Focusing on customer requirements helps you find problems they might face while using your application. With this information in hand, you’ll be better equipped to provide users with targeted and fast solutions.
You can alleviate potential problems and meet user expectations by keeping the end user in mind at every stage of the design process.
State End-to-end User Flow Steps
Identify the important interactions at each touchpoint and prioritize the content and calls to action needed to guide users through the experience effectively.
Turn Sketches into Wireframes
Create wireframes using your sketches, laying out each screen and planning the flow of the app’s navigation and the order of its content. In the beginning, keep your wireframes basic with the information you need to get feedback from.
Link Screens With Prototypes
Using a prototype, you can check if your processes are properly sequenced and if there are any bottlenecks in your process. They’re useful for gathering input at various stages of the design process.
Iterate and Add More Layers of Detail
As you get input from your users and team, iterate and add more depth. Each iteration of testing allows for the incorporation of a new layer of visual design and style, the replacement of lorem ipsum with real copy, and the introduction of increasingly intricate interactive features. As a bonus, you can also use augmented reality to demonstrate how a product would seem in different environments.
Final Verdict
Mobile app design in the year 2023 is heavily centered on the end-user experience. Designers and developers know that apps should be designed and developed with the end user in mind first and foremost. This initially requires building intuitive interfaces and smooth interactions.
Apps that actively solicit and incorporate user feedback into the design process are better able to deliver on users’ expectations and provide lasting impressions.
