Good design is indeed an indispensable component of every mobile application. No matter what all you do to shape up the interface and credibility of your app, a bad design can ruin all your efforts.
Bidding adieu to the existence of small screens and unsteady operating ecosphere, there are mobile app designing tips and best practices that enable you to cope up with the complexities associated with successful execution of custom mobile application development projects.
Stay on to learn about twelve proven tips on designing better looking and better performing mobile applications.
1. Focus on App’s Typography
Typography is a vital concern for building an app that renders flawless user experience. Hence, do take out time to figure out the best fitting typography that would be used for titles, sub-titles and other important content that needs to be incorporated within the app.
Though your client might opt for a dazzling font, you must ensure to choose the one that offers a great visual excellence to your app and makes the content completely readable for the end user.
2. Appropriate Use of the ‘Back’ Button
The proper placement and use of the ‘Back’ button is of prime importance in a successful mobile app. In case of iOS apps, you’ve the ‘Back’ button as software-controlled. That means, you need to place it towards the top left hand corner of the app’s page. On the other hand, in case of an Android powered application, the ‘Back’ button should be placed in a way that it navigates the user back on a consistent basis.
As a thumb rule, you need to abide by the conventions of placing and using the ‘Back’ button in accordance to the operating system that the target device is running on.
3. Use Familiar Mobile Patterns
Apart from focusing on multiple device-specific factors like orientation, posture and thumb placement; it is vital for you to pay special attention to the examination of common interfaces. Additionally, you must also make it a point to study common mobile patterns like slide-out nav, popovers, loading views, forms, detail views, drawer navigation etc.
Doing all this will enable you to design a UI (User Interface) that makes the app users feel at home.
4. Right Placement of Tabs
Just like the ‘Back’ button, even tabs needs to be positioned appropriately for ensuring utmost effectiveness of the mobile application. While in iOS, tabs are simply icons placed towards the bottom of the window that’s been used by the app user for switching between vital areas within the app; in case of Android, tabs are placed towards the top of the application, thereby allowing the user to scroll in the left and right directions.
To sum it up, if your app needs to rely on a ‘tab’ concept, then it is essential place the tabs differently, both on iOS and Android devices.
5. Leverage Constraints of the Targeted Device
In order to avoiding clogging of storage space within the device, it is essential to load the app with features like facial recognition, auto-crop etc. These add-ons will offer you a central focus of the image instead of expecting you to build different views that are further to be stored in the application’s asset library.
6. Add ‘Social Sharing Features
With social media gaining a good amount of traction in the world of product/service promotion, it is an intelligent decision to add new social sharing buttons into your app pages.
Doing this will motivate the users to share your app data with their family and friends. For instance, there is a huge collection of gaming apps where the user is prompted to share his/her score or results with his/her friends on different social networks.
7. Use High Resolution Images
The use of high resolution images in mobile apps serve as an excellent way of creating a lasting impression upon the minds of the end user. Especially, offering a robust and eye-catchy image towards the start before the user chooses to scroll down or touch a different navigation button..
Unlike adding a clutter of words, embossing some good quality images will definitely add value to your app, adding high resolution, relevant images do the job better.
8. Choose Themes and Color Schemes With Care
Right from short listing a set of themes and color schemes for your app to actually using the most appropriate one, taking heed to every minute detail is very important.
Talking about the icons, refrain from including more than two different colors into your app’s icon. Doing this would make the icon area tacky and unappealing.
9. Pay Special Attention to Navigation
While designing a mobile app, special care must be taken for ensuring that the users aren’t left confused about the different areas within the app. You shouldn’t compromise on the app’s intuitiveness and functionality, to get the navigation right.
Never ignore the importance of choosing a personalized version of standard navigation principles that needs to be followed for building a high-quality app.
10. Keep a Tab on Button Sizes
The tendency to cut down the button size can turn dangerous for an app designer. Loading a web page (that wasn’t designed for the mobile) on a smartphone can be quite a frustrating experience for the app users.
Since an app doesn’t come with the flexibility of zooming in, it is recommended to keep the button sizes as large as possible. Also, before launching the app for users with smaller sizes, don’t forget to test the app on a small-sized smartphone to ensure complete comfort in usability.
11. Customize App Design for End Users
As an app designer, you can’t do away with customizing the app design to fit the key requirements of niche user groups. For instance, you must ensure that your app looks good and is usable in sunlight as it is in case of a dark room.
Also, you must check whether the app’s font is consistent when the app is viewed in a range of languages. In order to come up with a fabulous app, it goes without saying that a serious adherence to this tip will prove to be highly beneficial.
12. Use Graphics
It’s a well-known fact a mobile app with excellent graphics ranks better as compared to an app that’s equipped with a text-based design. Hence, when it comes to designing the UI for your app, ensure to keep it graphical. That means, you must go ahead with including rich visual controls that can easily instruct the users as to how they need to interact with the application.
By following this tip, you can keep your users engaged as well as prompt them to return to your app on a frequent basis.
Wrapping It All Up
Whether it is about finding a unique niche for your business or connecting with the customers who are on a go; an effectively designed mobile app brings in the opportunity to meet your purpose easily and instantly.
Thanks to Addison Cohen for sharing this informative guest post with noeticforce audience!
