Mobile-first development is a big deal now, and is one of the reasons why mobile application development is at the center of attention these days. IT services companies have started implementing the best mobile design practices to get apps in stores as well as to increase user engagement.
Even if an app gets in stores, it’d still be ineffective if it lacks a good design that can keep users engaged. A UX-friendly experience is vital in an application. So here are 8 tips for designing applications that can provide the best experience to users.
1. Responsive Design
Users typically use more than one handheld device these days – tablets, smartphones, smart wearables etc. So the developers need to make sure that the app is compatible with a wide range of devices and platforms. No matter how popular a platform is, we can’t definitively say that a certain percentage of the market uses it. Even with Android’s present market share, businesses still consider the millions of iOS users while developing an app.
Unless the app is meant to target users of a single platform, the best way is to make the app responsive, and compatible with multiple platforms.
2. Iterative Design and Development
Iterative design requires thorough evaluation, quite similar to testing. Multiple iterations can help the designer come up with a unique UX design, while picking up many things to use in future design projects. The designer can also get insights from users themselves through means of review sites or through built-in user behavior analytics solutions in apps. Understanding how a user uses an app can obviously help the designer improve the UI.
3. Visual Appeal
The design should catch the attention of users at a glance. This won’t be possible if the design isn’t visually appealing. An app heavy with textual content will be a deterrent in most cases. Generally, when users run an app in handheld devices, they expect a quality, interactive experience. Visual elements in the design provide that experience, while encouraging them to use the app more often.
4. Consider Market Needs
The behavior of a targeted audience applies to app design and development as well. As such, a designer should be able to understand customers. The best way to do that is to come up with use cases to understand what users would want from the app.
It’d impress the users if they find that the developers had paid attention to their needs and personalized the app to make it engaging and interactive for them. A combination of usability testing and heuristic evaluation can give designers and developers an idea on how appealing the UI should be. Interactive apps can deliver a memorable user experience.
5. Getting Input from Users
Though there are many testing methods designers can rely on, nothing comes close to feedback from users. It’s pretty much an industry standard now, which gives many design advantages especially during the early stages of development. Users might be able to spot glitches that the development and testing team failed to notice. Rectifying the glitches in the early stages contributes to saving costs involved with the development as well.
6. Consistent Updates
It’s important to keep track of feedback from users so the developers can know of any issues in the app that need to be fixed. They should be aware of the security and compliance needs as well, as both considerably hamper streamlined development.
Regularly communicating with the back-end team can bring accessibility issues to light, and may even help prevent data breaches. Security issues on the other hand can only be identified through constant, consistent monitoring. An occasional update that stabilizes the app and fixes issues also reminds users that the company hasn’t forgotten them, and still wants to provide them with a good experience through the app.
7. Follow Guidelines
There are guidelines for UI UX design that designers should follow if they want to get the apps into stores. UI designers should focus more on the key features of the app rather than minor ones, and should consider the latest industry standards before determining the navigation and user interaction features of the app. Following the guidelines properly will make sure that the app scores when the stores review it.
8. Keep an Eye Out for New Trends
Application development is a continuously evolving sector. As new technologies are introduced, new ways to change the looks, feel, and behavior of an app will emerge. Every UI developer would be aware of this, but neglects the traction a new, innovative idea can give the app. Keeping up with the latest trends can help them implement innovative ideas that can give the app an edge even in competitive markets.
