9 Factors to Consider When Designing Mobile Applications
Since mobile device users spend more time in apps than in the browser than ever before, mobile design is a rapidly developing field. It is safe to say that if you have any digital product or service, an app can be very useful! A well-designed app helps increase user engagement, improves customer satisfaction, and gives your product additional visibility.
All these benefits sound great, but how do you design your own app? What do you need to consider? How do you create an app that looks good and inspires trust?
In this article, you will find answers to these and many other questions that will help you navigate the app development process and avoid many common pitfalls.
What is mobile app design?
The idea of "invisible design" often comes up in discussions about design of all kinds. It means that when using a product, the user should not experience any difficulties — they should be able to perform their task with minimal effort, without any unexpected actions or obstacles in their path.
1. User convenience and functionality
Effective functionality is the most important thing in a product. If it doesn't reliably do what it's supposed to, you will surely disappoint your users. And if it works in a non-intuitive or confusing way for users, it won't be of much use either.
A good app knows its purpose, doesn't try to do too much, and works exactly as the user expects. It is intuitive and easy for new users. Simplicity is key: users don't have time to dig through piles of documentation to understand how a product works. They need simple apps that do their job with minimal learning effort.
Every choice you make when developing an app should be aimed at improving functionality and usability. However, remember that improving functionality does not mean adding extra features; instead, you need to ensure that your app excels at its tasks. Before adding additional features to your app, conduct thorough research. Ask yourself if they are truly necessary and how they will affect the overall user experience.
2. Look and feel
The appearance of an app has a huge impact on how users perceive it. A poorly designed app with an unattractive interface will generally be less popular than an app with well-executed design, provided they have the same set of features. So, what makes an app pleasing to the eye? In general, a clean, simple layout with a harmonious color scheme.
In addition to appearance, it is very important that the overall flow of your app is intuitive and does not cause confusion for users. Apps have been around long enough that users have clear expectations of how they should work — think of intuitive navigation, gestures like swiping, and hamburger buttons for menus. If an app behaves differently than expected, it can create the wrong impression.
Another aspect of behavior to consider is feedback. When a user performs an action, such as pressing a button, they should immediately know that the app has registered that action. Feedback can be anything from a sound, a visual cue like a brief color change of the button, to haptic feedback from the device itself. The key is that users should not be left wondering if the app registered their action.
Finally, think about notifications. Users don't like intrusive notifications, so the fewer there are in your app, the better. Make sure notifications are relevant (ideally tailored to the specific user) and send them at a reasonable time — stick to morning, afternoon, and early evening hours, avoiding nighttime notifications.
3. Create an app that can be trusted
Most mobile users are aware of data security issues and strive to keep their information safe. Therefore, you need to ensure that your users' data is securely protected. It is crucial to do research — users will simply delete an app they don't trust.
Depending on the type of data your app will collect, different paths can be taken. App security is a fairly complex topic, but don't let that scare you. There is a wealth of information available online, and breaking the process down into steps makes it much easier to understand.
The importance of emotional connection
No matter how secure an app is, it must make people feel good for them to continue using it. It may seem far-fetched to talk about emotional connections in this context, but the fact is that we form connections with almost every product we use. For example, we form emotional connections with our cars, so why wouldn't we form them with apps we use every day? Positive emotional connections increase users' sense of trust and make them want to use the app.
Interactive animations and microinteractions
If your app gives users a warm, fuzzy feeling inside, or even better, makes them smile, then you have successfully formed a positive emotional connection. People like having things around them that make them feel good — things that "spark joy," as Marie Kondo would say.
Interactive animations are a great way to bring joy to users: they literally trigger a dopamine hit. However, don't overdo it: keep interactions simple and relevant to the task at hand.
4. The power of color schemes
Color plays a crucial role in app design. This is because colors influence emotions, which in turn influence behavior. Many studies over the years have been conducted on how color affects human emotions and behavior, so use this to your advantage!
If you are designing an app for a company with an established color palette, use it. However, if you have the freedom to choose colors, think about what you want to achieve with the app and what colors will evoke the emotions you are looking for in users.
Trends in color schemes change over time, so do some research to find out what trends are current now. There is a wealth of information to help you, and color scheme generators make it easy to find complementary combinations.
5. Font selection aka great typography
Like color, effective fonts are an integral part of good app design. You should use fonts that are accessible to as many people as possible — that means simple, clear fonts that are easy on the eye and don't have too many stylistic frills. If you remember the days when almost everyone in the world had a MySpace page, you will understand the horror of a bad font choice. Too many different styles in one place will give your users a headache!
You can order a font designed specifically for your app, but that's not necessary — there are plenty of free options. Choose one to three complementary styles and be consistent in their use. Keep in mind that not all characters are available in all fonts, so make sure all the characters you need are present in each of your chosen options.
6. Button types
In app design, we use buttons rather than inline text links. Buttons are easy to spot and familiar to users — think of the "hamburger" button that opens a menu in many modern apps. Don't reinvent the wheel — give users what they expect, and they will thank you for it.
In addition to the ubiquitous "hamburger" button, commonly used buttons include:
- CTA button: Aims to attract the user's attention and make them perform a specific action.
- Text button: An interactive piece of text that adds functionality without distracting from the main elements. For example, tooltips.
- Dropdown button: Opens a menu with several options.
There are many other types of buttons, but don't think you have to use them all. Like an app, a button should have a purpose. Users don't like clutter and will be put off by a large number of buttons. One or two well-placed buttons of reasonable size are better than a multitude of confusing buttons, so when in doubt, leave them out.
7. Which widgets to use
Widgets allow users to access specific functions of an app from the home screen. They make it easier for users to interact with the app and improve the user experience by simplifying the use of app features.
As in other aspects of app design, simplicity is best when using widgets. For apps with one or two functions, it's easy to choose what to include in the widget. If your app performs more than a few functions, you can create a widget for each so that the user can select the one they use most often.
There are four main types of widgets:
- Information widgets: Track and provide information about something. Simple clock and weather widgets are examples.
- Control widgets: Allow the user to control functions of a specific app. For example, adjusting the heating in a house.
- Collection widgets: Display several examples of a particular type of media and allow users to interact with them. Photo galleries and news site widgets are examples.
- Hybrid widgets: Combine two or more of the other widget types. Many widgets fall into this category; a typical example is music player widgets that allow users to view music information and control elements like volume.
8. Know the platform you are designing for
You likely know there are two major players in the mobile OS world — Google with Android and Apple with iOS. If you are new to app development, you might think that designing for either is practically the same. That would certainly make things easier, but unfortunately, it's not the case. It is crucial that you understand which platform you are designing for before you start working on it.
While having an app on both platforms is ideal, it is too complex a task for beginner designers. It's better to start with just one platform, and it makes sense to choose the platform that your users are most likely to use. So, if they are devoted Android users, develop for Android; if they are more familiar with iOS, develop for iOS.
As users of either OS, they will understand the conventions they are used to. Your app should behave in a way that matches these conventions — an iOS app that behaves like an Android app will confuse and annoy users, and vice versa. Fortunately, both Android and iOS have guidelines that help designers give users what they are looking for.
9. Provide the best user experience
How users perceive your app will determine whether they continue using it or delete it from their device. If your app doesn't do something unique that users can't find elsewhere, you will always have competition. Therefore, it is vital to provide the best possible user experience, or users will find another app that does the job.
If you take into account the factors we've discussed in this article, you will be on your way to providing an excellent user experience. However, the best way to ensure you've done everything right is to conduct user testing at every stage of the design and development process. This doesn't necessarily mean expensive testing with hundreds of users. By regularly collecting feedback on design decisions from just a few people (who are not involved in the project), you will get a lot of useful feedback.