To design the experiences of tomorrow, you need to first design the interactions of today; however, it is not enough to look in front of you, you need to look ahead in the future. With the good UI design, you can address both design problems like:
- To be highly useful, mobile applications need to be user-centric and users are installing application as they wanted to solve a pressing problem. Therefore, the application has a sharply defined sense of purpose. Moreover, you can think about your users, who are trying to accomplish and focus on their key goals/remover all difficulties from their way.
- Make sure that you bring clarity in your UI. People must be able to know what it’s for and how to use it to be effective using an interface that you have designed.
Let’s have a look at some of the best practices for mobile designs for a better, more intuitive and user-friendly mobile experience
Ditch the Clutter
As you know that user attention is a valuable resource, and it should be owed accordingly. Cluttering your interface surpluses your user with huge information as every added button, image and line of text can make the screen more difficult. It is essential to get rid of anything on a mobile design, which is not necessary as reducing the clutter will enhance comprehension.
A simple rule of thumb is one primary action per screen. Every single screen of the app that you design should support a single action of real value to the person using it. It makes it easy to learn, use and add to or develop on when necessary. One hundred clear screens are preferable to a single cluttered one.
Make Sure to Have Clear & Focused Content
Across the world, there are lots of people, who use their mobile device on the go like in a rushed or quick state. Joint with small touch screens, it will not make any easy search or navigation.
While designing for a mobile app experience, ensure that you minimalize the rules. Remember that you keep clutter to a minimum. Every single page comprising the home-page should have just one central focus.
However, if you have any different gesture like swipe to move to the next page or a horizontal scroll, you should not assume that users will pick-up on these. You should make it simple for users.
You can show them how to make use of these high-end features with a small arrow or any hovering message. Mobile users are observing and appreciating the small things that make their experience smoother.
Try to Make Navigation Manifest
To help users in navigating should be high priority for every application. A good and impressive navigation must be like an invisible hand, which guides the user along in their journey. If people are not able to find it, the coolest feature and the compelling content is useless. Here are some of the good principles of good mobile navigation:
- Make sure that mobile navigation is coherent as you should use the proper signifiers so that the navigation doesn’t require any explanation and ensure that each navigation element lead to the proper destination.
- It is also essential that mobile navigation should be consistent for the app. You should not move the navigation controls to a new location or hide them on different pages. It can confuse the user.
- It is also must that mobile navigation communicates the current location. Fading to specify the current location is likely the single most common mistake to see on apps menus. The most basic question ‘where am I’ users need to answer to successfully navigate.
Designing Mobile UX Considering Targeted Audience in Mind
It is the most important thing for you to know who is your mobile design targeted because if you don’t know about the end users of your product, the chances are high to fail your expectations of success.
However, once you get to know that what customers need and what they are expecting to get from mobile apps, numerous design decisions will come easily. Still, this is the question that how one can figure out his/her users’ need.
Though, it is not as difficult as it sounds. With diverse factors like gender, education, age, choice, language and level, all mobile users are both result-oriented and wanted to get an instant solution to their problem. Giving attention on some of the demands of users can be more beneficial for your future app than pleasing all customer categories.
Ensure to Design Finger-friendly Tap-targets
For users, smaller touch targets are quite harder to hit compare to larger ones. It is best for you to make your targets big enough so that they are ease for users to tap. You can create controls that have measure of size 7-10 mm so they can be accurately tapped with a finger.
This type of target enables the users’ finger to fit cosily inside the target. The limits of the target are visible when the user taps it. It delivers them with clear visual feedback that they are hitting the targeted accurately. You also make sure that there is good amount of spacing between tap targets.
Ensure That You Make Interface Elements Clearly Visible
Make sure that you use color and contrast to help users see and understand your content. You can choose primary, secondary, and accent colors for your application, which supports usability.
You should make sure that adequate color contrast should be there between elements so that users with low vision can see and use the application. It is also important that there should ample contrast between the font color and the background so text should be readable. For the body text and image text, the W3C advised the following contrast ratios:
- Make sure that small text must have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background.
- Large text must have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 against its background.
- It is very much important to have adequate contrast on mobile – users might be outdoors with low contrast on the screen because of lighting.
Leveraging Specific Mobile Features
As you know that mobile devices have enormous features like GPS, Gyrometers and other sensors, which are not obtainable on desktop devices like slide to unlock. You should figure out how to make use of these features to make the mobile experience for your website even better.
Try to add simple yet effective features like Tap to Call the phone number on your contact page or you can also allow easier sharing across social media platforms. It is one such part where you stretch yourself to think something new and creative mobile specific functionality for a better mobile experience.
Above-mentioned seven practices for designing a mobile user experience can help you to design a high-end mobile application that gives your users a wonderful experience. If you have a mobile app idea in your mind, you can get in touch with a professional mobile application development company that has a skilled team of mobile app designers and developers to work on your idea.
