We live in a mobile-first world where everything from food to vehicle, restaurant, and ticket, etc. is accessible in a few taps. There are hundreds and thousands of mobile apps to fulfil our changing needs. The trend of getting everything done on mobile has also given rise to a fierce competition among mobile apps that’s becoming tougher by each passing day.
According to a report from Statista, Smartphone users in the US spend about 2,451 minutes every month on mobile apps. This stat clearly shows how competitive one needs to be to vie for space in the mobile world.
To remain competitive in the mobile space, companies of all sizes need to launch apps with the optimal user experience. It must provide a great UX from the very first moment a user sees and installs it. Even the slightest of unfavorable experience is enough to drive the users away! So, to enhance the usability and look of your app, you need to take its design part very seriously.
Following are top 10 design tips for mobile apps to render a strong experience right from the start:
- Follow OS Guidelines
Every operating system comes with a different user interface. Each of them also features a set of design guidelines that explains their unique aesthetics. For example, while iPhones do not have a back button to return to previous screens in an app, Android does have this button. So, designers need to find a way to go back to the previous screen while creating an app for iOS. Similarly, the text in iOS is centered, whereas for Android it is left aligned.
Therefore, you should follow the design guidelines of every platform carefully in case you’re building a cross-platform app. These guidelines help you proceed with your app design smoothly.
- Consider Grids & Spacing
Whitespace or negative space is the part that is left unmarked or blank. They usually come in the form of margins, gutters, paddings, line-spacing, letter-spacing, space around graphics and space between columns. Grids help you figure out the ratios between them automatically. And, you can find grids on every mobile’s surface but in invisible form. They can be handy in starting any mobile app design.
- Keep your App Design Simple
Adding UI-bling or unnecessary elements in your design is actually going to ruin your app. Users prefer a minimal design as they can do multiple tasks with a clean UI and few steps. The better and simple the design, the more user-friendly it becomes.
- Use Colors according to the Brand
If you have kept your design simple, but have chosen brash colors, your app will fail. In the kingdom of design, the selection of colors plays a crucial role. It should go in synch with your brand. However, there are many things to consider when deciding what colors to integrate into your design as every color has a different meaning.
For example, blue signifies trust and peace; red symbolizes action, energy, passion, and determination while yellow showcases optimism and cheerfulness.
- Create an Appealing Logo
Have you ever paid attention to mobile apps such as WhatsApp, LinkedIn or Skype? It’s their logo that makes them noticeable even in the heaps of apps. Remember, a poorly designed logo will reflect poorly on your mobile application ultimately leading to disappointment. Therefore, you should incorporate an appealing logo into your app for branding and attracting users.
- Keep Visual Elements Consistent
An intriguing mobile app design with striking visual elements keeps users engaged and encourages them to come back for an interactive experience. For example, if one of your ‘submit’ buttons is in yellow, then all ‘submit’ buttons should follow the same pattern. If one screen features 25 px padding on all sides, then every screen should have this consistency. Every element in the app should have visual consistency for better user engagement.
- Mix UX with Fonts
Readability is yet another aspect that every mobile app designer should keep in mind. It’s the key to any style of typeface. No matter how impressive fonts you have chosen, if a user can’t read it, the design is worthless. Choosing text too large will cause a lot of breaks; on the other hand, text too small will turn off the reader.
- Follow the Trend
The mobile app development world keeps evolving. New technologies influence the design of an app hugely. Every designer and developer should keep an eye on the latest trends to reach out to new users and markets.
- Make your Design Compatible for Human Fingers
You need to pick a proper size for interactive elements when designing for touch target. Take help from MIT Touch Lab’s Study that found that the average size of human finger pads is between 10 mm and 14 mm. Hence, the size of the touch target should follow the same size. The designer should also consider the right amount of space between multiple touch targets.
- Test with Users
All of the tips you have just read can help you design a better app, but they cannot replace the need for user testing. Test your app with real users to check the possibilities of UI improvement. User testing has many advantages the most important is that you’ll find glitches in the early stage of development.
A great mobile app should be both attractive and functional. Keep above tips in mind to design an app that is user-friendly and engaging.
