mobile design

Mobile apps are mainstream now – a popular way of delivering content and services. But according to Fortune, more than 75% of users open an app once and never come back. Today, mobile users expect a lot from the app – fast loading time, ease of use and delight during the interaction. Adapting to the context of use, while keeping the interaction levels as low as possible (limit the number of actions required to complete a task) is quickly becoming a standard for many apps. So what exactly can be considered as “good experience”? Let’s explore the six fundamentals of mobile app design. Minimize Cognitive Load The less friction and confusion users have when interacting with an app (e.g. the cognitive load), the better the chance that app stays around. Optimized User Flow Understanding how users interact with an app is essential for optimization. As designers and developers, we should understand the user’s goals in the context of the entire user flow. This knowledge will help us identify the most common friction points during task completion. Here are few popular ways of optimizing user flow: Chunking for big tasks. If a task contains a lot of steps and actions required from the user’s side, it’s better to divide such task into the number of subtasks. One good example is progressive checkout flow in e-commerce apps. You can separate a checkout process in the number of steps each of them requires a user action. By limiting the number of actions required from the user’s side you’ll improve comprehension. Image credits: Dribbble Use the information you already have about your users. You probably already have a lot of information about your users — you just need to use it properly. Consider Uber in the example below — the app doesn’t ask the user about his/her location, it automatically detects the location based on geographic data. At that point, the user only needs to select a pickup location. Provide a natural next step. When the task requires users to complete a number of steps, maintain momentum by clearly showing what’s next. The interface guides the user by providing the next step after each interaction. Image credits: Dribbble Prioritize one primary action per one screen. By following this simple rule, you’ll make the interface both easier to learn and easier to use. Use visual weight to prioritize important elements (such as contrasting color for primary call-to-action button).