Your mobile app is only as successful as its design. Even the best concept, content, and value proposition will fail if users of your app don’t like the way it looks, feels, or navigates.
Fortunately, you have full control over each of these variables, which means you can optimize your design for maximum possible success. Without further ado, here are 5 mobile app design tips that can help you optimize your user experience.
1) Start With Your Goal
When designing and building a mobile app, it’s tempting to dive right in. But before you start any aspect of the design, you have to both understand and prioritize what the goals of your app actually are.
Generally speaking, your mobile app may be focused on providing general information, adding personality to your brand, or increasing conversions and sales. Each of these types of goals require a very different type of app.
Once you know your goal, every design decision you make should be tethered to it. Information-driven apps, for example, can benefit from a prominent search bar, while sales-focused alternatives are better off with a clear and easy-to-use checkout process. Start with the big picture, and work yourself to the design details.
2) Keep Your Branding Consistent
Chances are that your audience doesn’t download your app without knowing your brand. And even if they do, they will use it as a springboard to learn more about your business through other means. When that happens, you need to make sure that your branding remains consistent.
The colors and layouts you choose in your app should not change depending on personal preferences. Instead, they need to reflect the rest of your online and offline brand presence, achieving consistency and brand recall in the eyes of your audience. Ideally, people should recognize your app as belonging to your brand instantly and even before they start reading.
3) A Holistic Experience is Key
Some app designers make the mistake of treating each element as a separate entity. Your informational pages, for example, may look very different than the conversion-optimized elements of your app.
For your audience, unfortunately, that approach invites cognitive dissonance. The key to successful user experience within your app is a holistic approach that assumes your audience will navigate through each element, and treats them as part of a greater whole. Though you can distinguish individual elements according to their main purpose, less deviation in terms of the overall design theme tends to be more successful.
4) Design for Different Screen Sizes
Your audience may experience your mobile app on a large variety of screens. Even iPhone apps, for example, can be available on the screens of iPads whose size is sometimes three times as large as the device for which they’re intended. The best app designs account for those differences.
You can choose to develop separate apps for phones and tablets. But even in that case, you will come across screen sizes that vary significantly. To be successful, design an app that accounts for these differences and keeps the user experience equally positive for each.
5) Test, Test, Test
Finally, don’t underestimate the importance of testing your mobile app design. Even the most well-educated guesses and rational design decisions can fail simply because your audience has other preferences. By testing your user experience throughout the app development process, you can make sure that the design is up to par and beneficial for your entire user base.
Designing an app is a complex process, and one that can be difficult to master. In many cases, expert help is beneficial in helping you get to your goal. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you optimize your design and maximize the success of your mobile app.
Further Reading: How to Ask the Right Questions for a Successful UX Research Interview
