10 Do’s and Don’ts of Mobile App Design

Introduction

Modern mobile app design is tricky. Rising user expectations from mobile apps means mobile application development companies’ need to make apps that are useful, relevant, and valuable for their users.

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Here are some practical tips on the do’s and don’t of mobile app design.

Must Do’s – Mobile App Design

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I. Lay Out Sturdy Research Groundwork

Lack of adequate research can be the biggest deterrent to successful mobile app creation. That is why research should be at the top of every app developer’s to-do lists. Before beginning the mobile UI design every app developer must spend time conducting a competitive analysis of the app market. Such research not only answers ‘how to design an app’ for them but also helps them pursue the app blueprint and execute it.

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II. Prioritise Unique Mobile App Characteristics

All successful mobile application development projects begin with a set of priority features. However, some mobile app developers add multiple components to their app designs in excitement of creating something novel. The resulting app product is often everything opposite to what a clean mobile app design looks like. Thus, it’s best to prioritize features and functionalities that will captivate a user’s attention and impact the way they engage with the app. 

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III. Reward Users with Feedbacks for Inputs

App development requires an equal focus on the latest and most viable technology use as well as on the UI/UX design.  Impressive apps provide some feedback for every user input so as to ascertain that they have successfully accomplished something on the app. In the absence of a feedback mechanism within the app design the users are left wondering if the intended process was completed or not. .

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IV. Enable Seamless User Experience Across Devices

Enterprise mobile apps are not built to offer stand-alone experiences to users. Most users are habituated to multiple devices including tablets, desktops or mobile phones on an ongoing basis. Naturally, users expect to interact with an app UI design that’s seamless across various devices.

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V. Finger Friendly Taps are a Hit

All mobile application development companies must incorporate user-friendly touch targets for each interactive mobile design element on the app. Incorporating in small touch targets in an iPhone or Android app design can result in unnecessary confusion in the form of mistaken taps.

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Don’t‘s – Mobile App Design

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I. Lose Sight of Customer Needs

Mobile app development can be overwhelming at first. It’s common for app developers to be beguiled by ideas that seem lucrative by face value but never deliver any substantial benefits to the actual app experience. iOS as well as android application development companies must focus on the customer’s needs throughout the design and development process. Insights from knowledge about customer needs can help budding designers validate their design theories and achieve success.

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II. Make Users Wait for Content

Mobile app development companies that design apps that keep their end users waiting for content, earn negative user reactions and reviews. To see a black screen while the content loads on the app is one of the biggest deterrents to an engaging UX and can result in massive churn rate for the app.

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III. Create Dead End Pages

App designers need to design app flow to do app development with success. App flow defines how a user moves forward in an app to accomplish a certain goal. Creating dead-end pages means installing blockers in the otherwise fluent user flow. Dead-end pages can confuse users and lead them to perform unnecessary actions before frustrating them. Even error states and empty states must prescribe guidelines for users on how to proceed further.

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IV. Ask for Feedback After First UX Session

It is common for a mobile app development company to count on ratings and reviews from users for success on the app store. Reviews and ratings help in converting more prospects through the informed decision making and hence are a crucial recluse for app businesses. However, mobile applications development companies that ask for feedback too soon and too often deteriorate the quality of feedback they receive. Users hate to be interrupted especially while they are just exploring a product that is new to them. 

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V. Use Jargon

All apps must feature the type of content that can engage a user. To make the conversation comfortable, app designers must use familiar, understandable words and phrases for universal appeal. Using acronyms, brand-centric terms, culture-specific references, and technical terminology on the app UI, harm retention levels. Simple language maximizes clarity regardless of other factors.

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Conclusion

Intense competition in the app markets with each passing day has raised user expectations manifold. To sustain intense competition and meet user expectations, your mobile app design must offer a valuable and relevant UX to your target audience. We hope these 10 Do’s, and Don’ts will help app-makers attain the objective of designing the best mobile apps that rank high in terms of usability and user experience.