How to Design a Mobile App User Interface

The Complex World Of Mobile App Interface Design

The boom of digitization and smartphones meant that the virtual world became more accessible. Applications are now at the fingertips of each person in this day and age. That means that they have an abundance of options to choose from. Hence, making an appealing mobile app interface design an essential component. However, making an effective mobile app interface design requires effort and creativity. Even a slight error can repel the user from coming back again. That’s why a mobile app interface design needs to be seamless all the time. So, let’s have a closer look into what makes mobile app interface design fruitful and how to achieve it. 

Understanding Mobile Application UI Design

A User Interface (UI) can be simply described as the point of interaction between a human and an electronic gadget. It allows the wielder to navigate and actuate the system software to do their bidding.  Though UIs come in various shapes and sizes now, broadly speaking, they can be filtered down to options. These are a Graphical User Interface (GUI) and a Command-Line Interface (CLi). The former possesses a graphical system to manipulate, while the latter enjoys a text-based system. Many people confuse UI and UX as interchangeable. However, there’s a significant difference between the two. User Experience (UX) deals with the broader receptiveness of people who come into contact with a design. Its purpose is to ensure that users who try an application keep coming back to it because of its usefulness.  An example of this mobile app interface design is making navigation easy and swift to ensure people’s desires are satiated effectively and promptly.

Fundamentals of App UI UX Design

Today the market is filled with mobile app interface designs  that are complex, multi-dimensional, and rapid. Yet, at the center of it, each mobile app interface design needs to remember this aspect of UI/UX design

• User Centric: Whatever creativity you wish to adorn your design, always remember its purpose. The heart of each mobile app interface design is the user. What they feel, want, and require remains the priority. That’s why, always remember that the target audience is not the creator but its benefactors.
• Simplicity: The more advanced the world has gotten, the more demand for simplicity has risen. Though it may seem like a great idea to fill your design with countless features, the result may be counterproductive. Less is more when it comes to mobile app interface design..

• Error-Free: It’s important to ensure that your product is bug-free. All it takes is one poor experience for a consumer to make up their mind. Running into errors is not only frustrating but may lead to financial loss. That’s why it’s important to make certain none exist.

• Accessibility: Since it’s a user-centric enterprise, it’s necessary to widen your base as best you can. Your mobile app interface design should be inclusive and cater to people from every walk of life. This maximizes your chances of succeeding in the market.

Steps to Design an App

Here are a few steps that each designer needs to employ when designing any application.

• Coming Up With An Idea: First and foremost, you need to think of an idea. Wait for your Eureka moment and only go on to the next step once you’ve found it. 

Additionally, you need to have confidence and faith in your idea. A lack of belief in your product will be contagious and lead to a poor product in the end.

• Research & Planning: Once you’ve decided on an idea, start preparing for it. Research and collect both quantitative and qualitative data. 

Only after you’ve delved deep into your niche, carved out your own identity, and understand the market can you move forward. An ill-prepared enterprise is doomed to fail from its inception.

• Wireframing & Prototyping: Wireframing involves creating sketches that depict the app layout design. It acts as a blueprint for designers to understand the ins and outs of the product. Using the information from all the previous steps, designers move forward to creating a final sketch of what the result will look like. 

Moreover, it helps all the stakeholders to operate on the same wavelength. Then a prototype which is a beta version of the app is created to conduct further tests.

• UI Design & Development: Once each of the previous steps is effectively resolved, then the next step can be taken. In other words, it’s now time to breathe life into your application with a distinct aesthetic appeal. Once a design that’s approved by all stakeholders is implemented, the app goes towards development. Here the application becomes a reality.

App Layout Design Best Practices

If you go down to the complexities of this question, you’ll find solutions there to be quite vivid. However, focusing solely on the best layout practices, then there remain only two important mobile app interface designs.

• Structuring & Navigation: The transition from one screen to another is a key aspect of any application. The time it takes, the consistency, the effectiveness, etc. all play a role in its popularity with users. 

That’s why it’s imperative to make navigation and structuring of your layout comprehensible to understand and manipulate.

• Visual Hierarchy & Spacing: Visual hierarchy refers to the visual arrangement of your application. The texts, visual cues, colors, elements, etc. all come together to form the interface of your app. 

Moreover, it’s important to clear gaps between elements on your page. Cluttering not only reduces comprehensibility but affects its aesthetic prowess too.

Best Mobile App Design Trends

The world forever changed when AI entered the global stage. Its presence and the success of various AI enterprises have compelled every digital company to revise its plans. When it comes to mobile app interface design, the current design trends are evidence of AI's impact. Let’s take a look at a couple of trends that are sweeping the industry.

• Chatbots: The emergence of chatbots has jolted the traditional landscape for the better. Instead of waiting for representatives, users can now have their queries answered instantaneously. 

Moreover, it’s cost-effective and efficient, making it a staple in contemporary designs.

• Voice User Interface (VUI): Though using smartphones mitigates a lot of our tasks instantly, it can be tiring to keep texting all day. That’s why VUIs have become so popular recently. 

With the aid of Machine Learning, its precision to recognize audio and act on it is seamless. This not only makes the entire process simpler, but more natural to users. Hence, making it a popular choice whose fame grows by the day.

Understanding UI on Different Platforms

A novice mistake many newbies in designing make is having a narrow vision. They believe that just because a UI has been successful on smartphones it will be on other gadgets too. However, this is a mistake that may prove fatal for some businesses. Each device has its dynamics and aesthetic.  That’s why the right choice on one avenue may be entirely poor on another. The most prominent example of this is the Android vs iOS debate. Their UIs are quite different. Hence, people opt for the one that better aligns with their needs. 

Tools and Resources for Mobile App Interface Design

Here are some tools and resources to help you create your mobile app interface design

• Adobe XD
• Proto.io
• Sketch
• InVIsion Studio
• Zeplin
• Figma

Meanwhile, online resources like Coursera etc. are excellent options for beginners learning their craft. It not only provides them with education, but its online channels are open for discussion and guidance. Common Mistakes in Mobile App Interface Design Whether new or experienced, making mistakes is inevitable. However, when it comes to designing mobile apps, their results are dire. Hence, it’s important to avoid some common mistakes.

• Too many features: When an application has too much going on its page, it’s likely to repel a user. They will get overwhelmed with the information they’re processing and leave the application for good. Though a dynamic product is preferable, it should have too much going for it that it overwhelms the recipient. For example: the GPS Guide failed because it bombarded its users with too much information.
• Lack Of Consistency: If an app has a new design for each screen where users are greeted with novelty, it’ll prove detrimental. A successful application values consistency whilst not letting its product go stale. Moreover, it helps create a brand identity of your product that people associate it with. For example: Scott Trade fell due to its poor consistency and banal design.

Testing and Iteration

Lastly, it’s paramount that you test your product before launching it to the world. Fine-tuning every tweak and removing all the bugs is essential.  Moreover, it’s advisable to have a focus group to test your product with a certain group. The feedback received from this group will provide insightful data into what works and what doesn’t. 

Conclusion

All in all, mobile app interface design is a rich world that may seem scary at first. Here at Viable Tree, we create custom designs for our clients to ensure maximum utility. Hop on to our website and start browsing.

FAQs

Q: How to design an app? A: As this blog explains, designing an app revolves around preparation, design, and execution. Q: Best mobile app design? A: This is a subjective question, since the answer may vary from individual to individual. What makes a design the best is dependent upon what you value most. Q: What is a UI on a phone? A: A User Interface (UI) on a phone is the interaction between you and your smartphone to achieve the commanded end. Q: What is an Android user interface? A: The Android Operating System is the UI that allows the user to interact with different components of Android OS on an Android application