Best practices in mobile UX/UI design
In today’s digital landscape, the importance of an exceptional mobile user experience and intuitive UI UX design services cannot be understated – in fact, it should be your primary focus depending on your business model. As mobile devices have become the primary gateway to digital interaction, designing interfaces that captivate, engage, and guide users seamlessly is critical to achieving success.
Designers and businesses must uncover the intricacies of mobile UX/UI design by digging into a curated list of do’s and don’ts. From prioritizing user-centric approaches to avoiding common mistakes, the list aims to help you as a designer or developer with useful information for creating engaging and easy-to-use mobile interfaces.
Mobile UX/UI Design Best Practices
Prioritize user-centered design
Understanding your users is crucial. Conduct user research and create personas to represent different groups of users. For example, Airbnb makes extensive use of user personas to tailor their platform to the diverse preferences of travelers. They personalize recommendations, search results, and emails based on user behavior.
Adaptive design
Create designs that adapt perfectly to different screen sizes. Instagram is a great example of how to maintain consistent functionality across multiple devices. Its simple design and scalable interface allows for easy navigation and interaction on smartphones and tablets.
Intuitive navigation
Users have come to expect familiar navigation patterns. Snapchat introduced swipe gestures for navigation, allowing users to intuitively move through the app. This streamlined interaction has become a standard for many mobile apps.
Consistency
Consistency builds user trust and familiarity. Google’s Material Design is a good example. It maintains consistent design principles across all of its apps, creating a unified experience for users regardless of which app they use within the Google ecosystem.
Optimize loading times
Speed matters. Pinterest’s mobile site redesign significantly reduced wait times, resulting in a 15% increase in SEO traffic and a 44% increase in user-generated ad revenue.
Thumb-friendly design
Keeping thumb reach in mind is crucial. Twitter’s mobile app strategically positions its main navigation bar at the bottom, easily accessible with one hand, improving the user experience when using it with one hand.
Clear calls to action (CTA)
Uber’s mobile app provides clear CTAs for users to request rides. The prominent “Request a Ride” button with clear indicators makes it easy for users to take action, contributing to an intuitive user experience.
Visual hierarchy
Prioritize essentials through size, color and placement. The Nike Training Club app uses bold typography and contrasting colors to highlight crucial features, guiding users through effortless workout routines.
Comments and confirmation
Giving users immediate feedback is vital. LinkedIn’s “Connection Request Sent” notification reassures users that the action was successful, giving them peace of mind and clarity.
Usability testing and iteration
Continuously test and refine. Slack regularly gathers user feedback to improve the interface, resulting in iterative improvements that align with user needs.
What NOT to do in mobile UX/UI design
Overwhelming users with information
Avoid cluttered screens. Facebook streamlined its mobile app by simplifying its design and prioritizing key content, improving user engagement and retention.
Ignore established style guides
Ignoring style guides set by giants like Google or Apple can confuse users. The 'Foursquare' app initially faced criticism for ignoring iOS design principles, resulting in a redesign to better align with Apple's guidelines and improve user experience.
Complex forms
Long forms are a turn-off for users. Booking.com reduced the fields on its form and introduced a visual progress indicator, resulting in a 3.5% increase in bookings.
Small or crowded buttons
Accidental clicks frustrate users. Spotify has adjusted its mobile interface to have more meaningful touch targets, reducing the chance of click errors and improving the overall user experience.
Intrusive pop-ups and ads
Disruptive ads hamper user experience. Forbes faced backlash for intrusive ad experiences, which led to an ad-light version of the app to improve user satisfaction.
Ignoring accessibility
Inaccessibility alienates users. The redesign of the BBC Sport mobile app improved accessibility, meeting WCAG guidelines and consequently expanding its user base.
Auto media playback
Unwanted autoplay disrupts user experience. Facebook has overhauled its mobile app to allow users to control video autoplay settings, improving user control and reducing data consumption.
Vague error messages
Vague error messages confuse users. Google's mobile sign-in process provides clear error messages, which guide users through troubleshooting, resulting in a more user-friendly experience.
Excessive user permissions
Excessive permission requests are a deterrent to users. Over time, apps like WhatsApp have simplified their permission requests and ask for access only when necessary, improving user trust.
Skipping user testing
Failure to test leads to overlooking crucial issues. Airbnb continually tests its app with real users, allowing them to identify pain points and iteratively improve the platform.
Ignore comments
No matter how attached you are to your design, it can't be set in stone. The design should be flexible enough for last-minute changes or overhauls. Listening to what the user needs or demands can help you improve your UI UX design agency and skills in the long run.