Blog

Mobile applications with a convincing design hit users almost instantly. However, achieving such a design is anything but easy. Since we know this fact very well, we have put together this blog, which lists some important tips for designing mobile apps that you can use to overcome the noise of your next app.

Design is one of the most important factors that either make or break a mobile app. A good design not only adds character to the advanced features of the app, but also improves the overall user experience. For this reason, experienced designers of mobile apps pay particular attention to creating a design that is both appealing and user-friendly.

However, the question is how to develop an effective design for mobile apps. Well, here are 9 tips to get you into the right waters.

1. Always apply interaction design rules

A designer has to make sure that the app gets full marks on the interactive surface. The rules for interaction design highlighted below will help you here:

• Come with one goal-oriented design that fits the individual needs of your users.
• Include significant in the right places in your app design so that users can easily determine the behavior of a UI object.
• Use design patterns so that even beginners can easily find the app
• Make sure that the design elements you use match those of the app
• Pack your app with Feedback It is fast, human and easy on the eyes.

2. Know who your users are

Before you embark on the design journey, it is important to know who the app is aimed at. After all, you don't want the app to not be used.

In order to know your users, user research can be carried out, for example through interviews and surveys. This helps you to understand your target users and their expected behavior with your app. It will also help define different user scenarios, how users would behave in each of them, and the steps they might take.

3. Assign content and create user flows

For smooth design, it is important to have effective content. As a designer, you need to make sure that every page of the app is relevant and that users can perform seamless actions. How do you do that? Determine what type of content the app would have and how users would flow through it by creating a simple prototype on paper.

This written prototype would contain every app page, which in turn would allow you to edit the app content while developing a logical user flow around it. This would also eliminate unnecessary pages and irrelevant user scenarios and strengthen the entire user interface.

4. Use general user interface patterns to improve the usability of the app

When designing an app, it is advisable to use the well-known UI patterns such as pull-out navigation, gestures such as swiping, touching, pinching, double-tapping and zooming, as well as animated elements. By using such familiar patterns, experienced or novice users will feel at home as they can move around the app with ease, increasing the usability of the app.

This is probably why most mobile apps place their navigation buttons at the bottom of the screen. For example Instagram. The photo editing app has important buttons at the bottom of the screen, including Home, Search and Profile.

5. Access the design with your finger

Imagine a scenario in which a user cannot tap a button in the app because it is too small or is in close proximity to other buttons. The result? The user would frustratedly close the app or uninstall it. Therefore, it is important to design an app that provides smooth access at our fingertips.

Our fingers are approximately 45 to 57 pixels wide and wider than most recommended guidelines for touch targets. However, this does not mean that the UI touch targets should be overly large or loose. Remember to give users enough space to tap with their fingertips.

6. Integrate web design trends intelligently

Although new trends keep popping up in the web design world, some trends remain classic. For example, the use of shadows and gradients. Shadows, which are often used for UI elements such as action buttons and toggles, allow the object to stand out. Combined with a gradient, 3D effects can be created for objects, including input fields, drop-down controls, and form buttons that give the overall design an aesthetic feel.

7. Offer goodbye to confusion

A fantastic app design doesn't mean filling the screen with too many elements. After all, you don't want users to get confused about what to do. The key is to keep the design as simple as possible by including elements that are essential. This would result in users thinking less and at the same time being able to perform the desired actions quickly and in minimal steps.

8. Understand market needs

Before you start designing the app, be sure to analyze what your app would do. In simple terms, you need to understand the different needs and interests of your target users as a broader demographic group. Once that's done, you can easily create a design that gives users a personalized feel while addressing their needs. When doing market research or examining your competitors' apps, you may also be able to decipher the ever-changing market demands.

9. Test the design with customers

As a designer, you may have several test methods for app design. However, nothing replaces the meaning of user input. If you test the design of the app with your potential customers, you can find out where your app is. It can help assess user design expectations and usability standards. At the same time, you can identify and correct faults before the official start, which saves time and costs.

Final thoughts

Creating an immersive, unique design for an app is as difficult as writing code for an app. While there are many guidelines for designing mobile apps, we have outlined tips above to help you stay on the right track to meet your design goals.