Detailed explanation with pictures and text: 12 mobile application design principles to improve user experience

【51CTO.com original article】 Today, with just the click of a button, marketers can open the door to millions of potential customers. But the key to their success lies in the effectiveness of button design. The market is flooded with millions of mobile applications, and they strive to establish their dominance among consumers. There are 2 million app stores and 1.5 million mobile applications on the AppStore for consumers to use.

Therefore, to gain the spotlight and dazzle your target audience, a well-designed mobile app is imperative. Steve Jobs aptly quoted this: “Design is not just how it looks and feels. Design is how it works.”

Mobile applications need to meet usability requirements, rather than just immersing users in beautiful page designs. Considering this fact, the following statistics on mobile application usability are not surprising. 23% of users abandon a mobile application (once used), which is one in every four users. The user retention rate in 2016 was 38%, which means that 62% of applications failed to retain users (retained users are users who use the application more than 11 times). Knowing this, your mobile application development process can save some unnecessary troubles and achieve better promotion results.

12 Design Fundamentals to Increase User Engagement and Boost Conversions

Designer Stefan Sagmeister said that product design should be people-oriented. A good user experience includes six aspects, each of which has two definition bases. The user experience journey usually starts with registration.

1. Clear "Register" and "Login" buttons
An ideal application design should display "Login" and "Register" separately to avoid confusion. New users can register directly, and old users can log in directly.

2. Seamless password authentication
The password authentication process is inevitable. It is recommended to use fingerprint authentication to avoid the cumbersome input process.

App Navigation and Exploration
For example, a user enters the app and searches for real estate related content. A good navigation design idea can help users find their goals smoothly.

3. Automatic setting and manual setting
A good mobile navigation application design should support both manual settings and automatic settings. Manual settings allow users to obtain information and services according to their needs.

4. Seamless web page transition application
In the process of users switching from the application to the web, a good application should achieve a smooth transition between the two without causing any inconvenience to the users.

Search within the app
An app doesn’t have to be a convoluted maze. Users searching for a specific product or service must be driven directly to that product. When users can’t find existing resources in an app, the design fails.

5. Visible Search Button
In the real estate of a mobile app, prominent space for a persistent or expandable search bar is imperative. An ideal app ensures that the search bar is easy for users to find.

6. Enable filter and sort options
Ideal app design provides filter and sorting options for the user experience.

Trade and conversion
When users leave an application product when switching gateways, it is not a product defect that causes them to leave, but most likely a design problem.

7. Provide comparison of features
User impression and response are the most important options in design. This is where designers test and test again and again.

8. Remove redundancy
When users pay, the design page must be clear and concise, and remove those redundant buttons and functions.

From entering (starting)
Form input is actually the most boring part for users. A talented designer can make input forms more fun.

9. User-friendly forms
This is not a myth. A design genius can achieve user-friendly form design. Let users fill in the least and get the most. For example, when users fill in the form, use automatic screen movement to reduce the trouble of use.

10. Right keyboard for the desired text field
Use the right keyboard layout at the right time, and turn on full keyboard input (including text and numeric keyboards) when necessary.

Usability and understanding design must correctly understand the user's usage level, and the designer's critical work will bring about a seamless transition.

11. Button text label
Text labels ensure better understanding.

12. Friendly finger click method
Users may leave your app because of small and confusing buttons to click. It’s important to keep it simple and finger-friendly. Well-designed buttons will fit the user’s thumb perfectly and make them want to use them.

The above may not be enough to become the guiding terms of mobile app design, but they have become unwritten design laws. Good design increases user usage and conversion rate. Design errors can easily hide in plain sight, but sooner or later, problems in the design will be exposed in use. Some excellent applications have design problems, so pay attention to your product!

Author: ManmayMehta
Original link:
https://dzone.com/articles/12-mobile-app-design-fundamentals-to-enhance-user
Translated by Liu Nina

[51CTO original article, please indicate the original author and source as 51CTO.com when reprinting on partner sites]