Learn the essentials of mobile app design

Mobile applications are part of everyday life for most people around the world. Even those who use their cell phone for the least, at least use WhatsApp, the most famous instant messaging application in the world. And there are those who, through their cell phones, buy groceries, pay for services, manage their bank account, and even download movies or series. This is when mobile app design plays a critical role.

Sometimes, there are those who think that a mobile application, in order to be successful and adopted by users, must simply be "beautiful" on an aesthetic level and that's it. And it's not that simple. When thinking about the design of a mobile application, the focus of all the work is the end user. This end user is thought of during the design of mobile applications since he will be the one who interacts with the software.

Main aspects of mobile application design that you should consider 

So that you can see the importance of the design of a mobile application, we will present you several statistics shared in the Marketing Profs portal. At least 71% of users uninstall apps due to excessive annoying notifications and 26.8% complain about a poor user experience, which is why they also stop using the mobile app. In both cases, the design of the web application is responsible.

• Colour 

For your mobile application development project, You should choose a color that conveys the tone that represents your company. And not only that, a color that is friendly to the user and attracts them, makes them feel curious and comfortable enough to continue browsing your app for hours and hours.

• Typography

Typography is the most basic element of mobile app design, but also the most important, as it is a way to catch the user's attention and keep them captive. “It pays to use a font that correctly sets the emphasis. Designers have begun to use unusual fonts. The text no longer looks so boring and is not lost in the background. Its purpose is to make the design more brilliant and original”, they highlighted in Appmaster.

Choosing the correct typography will help you establish the right tone that you want to convey and will mark a particular mood; it will also help give a better user experience and is essential to improve the readability of a mobile application in general. For this job, you need experienced mobile app developers.

• Icons

“The necessary elements of mobile design, of course, include icons. Those little images are more important than you can imagine when designing mobile app UI. They create a huge impact on users' overall perception of your app", they noted in an AppSamurai article.

There are different kinds of icons, such as application icons, explanatory icons, interactive icons, as well as decorative icons.

• Brand design

“Your mobile user interface should perfectly represent your brand. Add your logo inside the app and make sure users are aware of the fact that your company provides high-quality services and every time they see this little image they will know that they can trust your products. It's about building a lasting relationship between your business and your customers”, they highlighted in the same article.

• Navigation 

You must design and build the navigation in such a way that users always know where they are standing within the mobile application. You must design a mobile application so that users can easily find what they are looking for. There has to be a balance between interactivity and simplicity.

Mobile App Design Best Practices

• Take advantage of all the software and hardware of the device to design a versatile and functional mobile application. For example, if the mobile device has a fingerprint reader, you can take advantage of this functionality to create a login in your app using fingerprints.
• Choose the screen transition that best suits your business needs, whether you want it to be slide type or push type.
• Work on creating icons that look beautiful to the naked eye. “21% of users delete apps because the icon makes their home screen look terrible. Although this applies specifically to millennials, it is an important consideration,” they noted in an InVision portal article.
• Don't abuse notifications.
• Keep the design simple. Sometimes it is believed that including as many elements as possible will make the app more “complete”, but you are only overloading the interface and overwhelming the user.

Trends in mobile app design 

There are certain trends in the design of mobile applications, which can be useful to certain industries and types of services. We will talk about some of these trends below so that you can analyze if you can adapt them to the mobile application of your business.

Movement and animation

“Video content and animation are more engaging and interactive. Statistics show that most people watch explainer videos before using a mobile app. Animation and motion design trends make content more engaging. It is easier to consume information when there is a practical example in front of you. Unlike static content with long descriptions, animation holds users' attention and makes the app more engaging", explained about it in Appmaster.

Gestures and swipe experiences

Although the classic thing is to have buttons in a mobile application to carry out actions, the truth is that many application developers are testing gesture and slide functionalities, to make the interaction of users with the app a little more dynamic.

Dark mode

Millions of mobile applications already incorporate the dark mode, offering the option to users to use the app in the most comfortable way for them. Instagram and WhatsApp were among the first mobile applications to add this functionality. This dark mode is not just a fad: in fact, it totally improves the user experience, as it helps people reduce eyestrain, and feeling more comfortable when navigating within the interface.

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in mobile applications development

Both trends began to grow incredibly in these last two years of the pandemic, as companies sought to provide an immersive and realistic experience to users who were in confinement at home, without being able to go out, and without having options for activities outside the home.

The most attractive thing about this trend is that it makes users feel as if they were inside the mobile application. Gamification is key for this experience to be as attractive as it is successful.

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