Essential UI Design Tips for Your Mobile Application
Designing an eye-catching app that’s loaded with features will give your users the type of experience that will keep them coming back for more. The two most important parts that are essential to master when creating an app are user experience (UX) and user interface (UI), where the success of one depends on the success of the other.
In order for your app to appeal to your users, it’s important to have an app with a UI that is both intuitive and attractive. Failure to focus on the interface design can result in a "bad user experience", leading to instant drop-offs and uninstalls. So to make sure that this doesn’t happen, here are six important design tips that you should consider when creating a UI that will add on to the visual appeal of your app.
Responsive Design
Designing for all devices should be a no brainer, but at times is not taken seriously. A responsive design allows a site's layout to change as the screen size changes. Whether it's modifying the media queries, JavaScript or CSS, special attention needs to be placed on how the app is displayed on an Apple, Android or Windows device, large or small, smartphone or tablet.
Keep It Simple
Keeping it simple doesn’t mean that you have to be minimalistic. Keeping it simple means that your interface should be simple enough that a first time user doesn’t need instructions or tutorials to start using your app.
For example, use colors effectively to focus on certain actions and draw attention away from others. Interestingly enough, every color has a meaning behind it, which will ultimately dominate your user’s perception of your app. The success of your app’s identity that you’re trying to establish will depend almost entirely on colors.
Easy to Read Fonts
Don’t go crazy on your fonts styles and sizes because fonts that are hard to read or see can frustrate your users. It’s important that you use fonts that are readable and pleasing to the eyes, are 12pt or larger, and compatible across multiple devices, browsers and operating systems.
Recognizable Icons
Icons have become part of our everyday lives in the app world, and certain ones have become so familiar that changing them to something entirely different may not be the smartest move. You want to make sure icons such as an ‘X’, for instance, is used to close an action, or a checkmark to select an item. Using recognizable icons to perform functions will add an intuitive factor to your app. Nonetheless, if you are eager to introduce a new icon, then make sure you explain its function next to the icon in order for your user to clearly understand its purpose.
High Resolution and Compatible Images
Smartphones these days are capable of supporting very high resolutions that give the UI a stunning visual appeal. As such, you should switch out images with resolutions that are 264 ppi or higher. This will boost image clarity on devices with larger screens that are meant for high resolution. As a result, it’s best to use images that are in a vector format since these image formats have the ability to auto scale. If you choose not to use vectors, then keep in mind that incorrect file formats can cause apps to stall when they try to load large image files.
Conclusion
The look of your app’s UI all depends on who you are trying to target. By following these guidelines, you can develop a product that is user friendly and easy to understand. Making sure your design is responsive, simple, while using fonts and images that are compatible across devices will help reduce user churn rate. Having an app that’s unique and intuitive will allow it to stand out among the rest in the ever-developing app world.