08 Jul 2020

8 UX Tips To Design Better Mobile Apps

The user experience, also known as UX (User Experience), is the set of factors or elements related to user interaction in the mobile application. Depending on how this interaction is; the user will have one perception or another of the usability of the app. It can be said that it is an indicator of the level of user satisfaction with the app.

An application with good usability facilitates navigation and interaction for the user when they want to carry out some type of objective. It is then when we can say that the user experience generated by that application is positive.

The UX takes into account many aspects related to the visual aspect or navigability, but it also has a strong emotional component, when variables such as trust, feelings or brand transmission capacity come into play.

Basis of Application Design

When getting to work for the development of applications, you must start with a bright idea. Reaching this idea may not be easy, so during this application design process, you can make sketches to visualize the navigation flow and how it can be optimized in terms of user experience.

Homogeneous Design When Creating an App

Once an application design is chosen, it must be defended to the end. The user cannot be confused if the colors or typology are changed on each screen of the application. It is about being consistent with the aesthetics and structure throughout the development of the app. Maintaining this, we will be facing a consistent application design.

Visual Hierarchy of Content

The arrangement of the icons and the text must form a whole without including empty spaces inside. By integrating the different elements that make up the design of the application, the dispersion will be reduced, and a sense of continuity will be generated. To facilitate the location of the user within the interface, the installation of breadcrumbs will be very beneficial.

The Maxim of ‘Less is More.’

This maxim is ideally suited for application design. The more intuitive and simple it is, the better acceptance it will have among users. If something can be done in three steps, don’t design it in four. This also helps to slow down the application loading speed, so the user experience is reinforced at this point.

Text: Include text in a part of the application that is obvious, such as filling out a form, leftover. You can include a brief help phrase at certain points, but getting the user to function without a doubt is the best symptom of excellent user experience. To achieve this, the icons and the font play a unique role; ideally, the user recognizes a button at a glance.
Autofill: The autofill function is beneficial for the user. For example, if we start to put Spain in the list of countries, by putting ESP, the desired country should already appear. In any search engine that is in the interface, you must implement the autocomplete functionality and start showing the most common search elements.
Forms: Forms are a component that is present in all the designs of applications or web pages. To facilitate the user experience, they must be configured with the fewest number of fields possible. If you already obtain the necessary data with three fields, do not demand five, the user will thank you.

Preservation of User Habits

Smartphones are usually only operated with one hand, and certain gestures are already fully rooted in the use of the phone. Maintaining these gestures as a way to interact with the application is a great success when defining your design. Usually, we are used to touching or sliding in a certain way on the screen, the design of the application must maintain it to facilitate its use and, therefore, provide an excellent user experience.

Notification of Errors in Navigation

The ideal user experience involves having a good perception of the operation and design of the application. For this, in the event that errors occur, they must be able to clearly identify and not waste the time of the user in guessing what is happening. A red cross, an asterisk or a small explanatory window will be of great help in understanding the fault. The correct operation of the application is as important as the operation in case of errors and the support provided.

Possibility of Scrolling

If there is more content in the interface, and you can scroll, the application design should consider how to make it visible to the user. One way can be by placing an icon indicating that there is more underneath or extending the information beyond the application framework. With these small gestures, user navigation is facilitated, and the user experience is strengthened.

Evolving Application Design

It may be the case that once the application is launched, the user experience is not as expected or it has evolved, and changes are necessary. Through the constant advances that occur in the app development sector and with the data that is handled, the user experience can be improved by introducing new functionalities and incorporating more modern trends. Being such a flexible and dynamic business, the head always has to be evaluating possible improvements.

Conclusions About UX in Application Design

After all the tips we have discussed to opt for one application design or another, we came to some conclusions about the user experience as a summary:

The usability of the app must be suitable for it to succeed. The moment users don’t find the app design useful; you can smell failure. The application must be complete to solve problems or concerns for the user, but it must also stand out for its simplicity. Remember: less is more. When an application is intuitive, the user will be able to interact with the app in a fast and effective way, so their perception will be positive. Read this blog post to get more comprehensive knowledge about UX flows of mobile apps if you have especially shopping app.

Image Sources: https://uxdesign.cc/state-of-mobile-app-design-2019-48bb843890f7