According to a recent survey conducted by comScore, “the mobile Internet usage has skyrocketed in the last four years to overtake Desktop as the most used digital platform”. Taking a cue from this statistic suggests that: the online marketplace will be soon dominated by mobile devices. Thus, leveraging mobile solutions can help you expand your reach to a larger audience base.
You may be wondering by now, which mobile properties you should develop to accomplish your goal? Considering the fact that consumers spend 90% of time in mobile applications, you can expect to reach out to your target audience by developing a mobile app. In fact, many businesses and online marketers have already created an app, and their focus lies in expanding the presence of their app.
However, there is one big issue that many app creators seem to neglect when designing an app. The problem is that in a hurry to make the app available for public use, designers overlook paying attention to good UX practices. As a result, such app creators end up getting unfavorable results despite of the efforts they have put into building a great app model.
But, remember that UX (user experience) design is the key to creating a successful app. And so, it is very important that you're making every possible effort to create an excellent mobile UX design – since the success of the app depends on it. After all, you're building an app to be used by your audience, and they might not use your product again if they don't like what you have to offer.
To help you deliver a better and amazing experience to your mobile users, let's take a look at some of the key considerations to take into account when designing an app:
Focus on Clarity
While you need to display a prominent navigation menu at the top of your desktop application, the same can't be said for the mobile apps. Besides, you should avoid using multi-level menus with sub-menus. This is because displaying a lot of information in the form of menu in your mobile application will eats up plenty of screen space, which can ruin your design owing to limited screen space, and can jeopardize the clarity of the application.
Put it simply, users won't be able to use the app properly while on the move, if the majority of your app screen is covered by menu items. For instance, in case you've created an e-commerce app, then make sure that it renders a smooth navigation experience for users when checking out, as it will reduce the chances of cart abandonment.
Suggestion: You can resolve the above discussed issues, by designing the navigation using a concept that users are already familiar with, such as using an “icon” on your mobile screen that expands and contracts when it is being clicked by some user.
Besides, try avoiding the use of multi-level menus and focus on displaying the important message you want to convey to your users. In order to convey your message clearly to your app users, make sure that the “copy matches your visual design”.
For example: TRUSTe mobile privacy app provides users with a clear to understand framework that presents the correct view of privacy implications to users.
Create an Excellent Onboarding Design
Of course, people using your app for the first time might face difficulty in understanding where they should begin to use your app. Needless to say that users won't take much time to exit from your app, if they are unable to understand its use. Thankfully, onboarding screens (also called as walkthroughs) can help guide your users the accurate way to use your mobile app. However, there have been a lot of discussion regarding how worthy onboarding screens prove in a mobile application. Max Rudberg provides a strong argument against the use of onboarding, according to which, if an app really requires a walkthrough, then it means it is faulty and lacks user-friendliness and simplicity. While the logic is somewhat correct, but it's not enough to come to a proper conclusion. Moreover, considering that most of the apps are unique and people today don't have the patience to understand all the technicalities of an app, providing them an onboarding flow will prove quite useful for the users.
Suggestion: Keep in mind that some people don't like to be taught. And so, it is important that your onboarding design must be simple and should excite (and encourage) users to go through what it says. Avoid adding too much written material, as it can frustrate users. Rather, focus on explaining the basic functionalities of your app with visual notes.
For example: The Evernote Food app features an excellent onboarding design that tells users what they'll gain from the app.
Keep Your Forms Short and Precise
This is the most obvious yet overlooked aspect of an application. Not to mention, you might not enjoy a good typing experience on small touch screen displays. But, having a form with too many fields can put off your users, as typing using virtual keyboard can be strenuous and challenging for the users. Therefore, it is important that the forms added in your app must be simple and small.
Even if you need to use a long form, you can keep the less relevant fields pre-filled with defaults. Also, you can make use of visual calendars rather than making an app user type the date.
Suggestion: In case your forms are large in size and exceeds a single screen, it is recommended that you must show your users a progress bar to tell them where they exactly are (when in the middle of filling a form). Most importantly, let them know how close they're to completing the form.
For example: The Habitat for Humanity Mobile app contact form contains some auto-filled fields by default and only asks users to fill in the most relevant details.
Final Words
As mobile platforms and technologies are becoming more mature, it becomes needful for designers to create mobile apps that renders good UX (user experience) to stand apart from the competition. But, do keep in mind to develop an app that meets your target audience needs. For this, it's important to identify who your users are. Once you've identified the users, consider the above discussed considerations to deliver an enhanced user experience. After all, your app can only succeed if it is able to provide a good and satisfying experience to users.
Author Bio: Arya Stark is a mobile app developer working for an Offshore Enterprise Mobile App Development Company, Xicom which offers a quality enterprise mobility services. So if you are looking to avail the best mobility services, you can get in touch with her.
