Mobile App UI: Six of the Top Best Practices

User Interface and User Experience are two key concepts when trying to catch and keep the attention of your users. In website and mobile applications, UI and UX give your user the impression of your brand and help them decide whether to acquire your services or buy your products.

This article will pay attention to the basics and discuss the six main things to consider when using professional UI design services to assist in making a great mobile app UI. 

For those up to speed with mobile app UI best practices, we highly recommend you check out how to optimize your App Store listing using these ASO best practices.

Before delving into the six top practices, let’s go back to the general effective practices of UX and UI design:

1. Consistency is key. Your app should always follow a main idea, the theme of your brand. If you start adding different pieces in your app or across your platforms, you will generate confusion and discomfort for your user. Plus, it won’t make your platform as peasant and recognizable as if you were consistent.
2. Simplicity is necessary to achieve the desired goals (high conversion). If your site is simple and the instructions are straightforward, you increase your user’s chances of responding and following your call to action. If you have a more challenging task for your user, remember to break down the procedure into more manageable steps to make sure he can complete the job.
3. Less is more. When presenting information, only need the one you need the user to know. Otherwise, you risk saturating your site with too much unnecessary information that will make your users bored and confused and show an overcrowded page that is not welcoming for anyone.
4. Go straight to the point. Users don’t want to waste their precious time when they arrive in your app. So make sure to be as transparent as possible, providing the information the user needs in a way that will reduce misinterpretations.
5. Humans make mistakes, so be flexible and adaptable. Know that your users will make mistakes, so try to foretell them and allow them to transpose their actions if it needs to be. Always focus on giving your user an experience that is satisfying, not confusing or irritating.
6. Respect your users’ time. Use the data you collect from the actions they have performed on your app so that they don’t have to repeat tasks they have already done. If they need to enter the same data or tap the same buttons repetitively, they might feel like they are doing a chore, get annoyed, and probably leave the app.

Now that we’ve covered the most basic principles of UI and UX design, developed let’s focus on the primary six you need to keep in mind when designing mobile app UI:

Colors

In mobile design and UI, color is vital. Before noting your logo, the images, or buttons on your app, users will notice colors immediately. There is even a large amount of literature on the impact of color psychology on marketing. The good thing is all these principles are implemented in mobile design. 

Read and learn these principles and use them on your app. A simple color change could change your message and brand dramatically. Imagine if McDonald’s used green instead of red. How would that have changed the hunger and appetite of its customers? Research the different color schemes and what they make users feel, and of course, understand your target audience preferences. 

Typography

Typography is how your written content will be displayed. And just as the color you use, the typography you use could change the message you are trying to convey. Imagine a luxury real estate app that has Comic Sans as a font. Somehow it just wouldn’t go together, and it wouldn’t make it clear who your target audience is. Remember that not only words matter, but also how they are presented. The font is one of the most important design elements, so choose it carefully and consistently. 

Icons

Icons are small images that have a considerable impact. Everything in UI design has a visual component, and getting your user’s attention to the critical areas and parts of your app is hugely important. The correct use of icons will help you achieve a friendly and intuitive design. 

There are different icons like app icons, clarifying icons, interactive icons, and even decorative icons. They all need to be clear and straightforward in the action they represent or require from the user. As always, avoid the uncertainty or hesitancy of your users. 

Illustrations

Every element of your app must be of the highest quality possible. And as we mentioned before, add only the necessary things that your app requires. These two things apply to illustrations. Try to use high-quality and original content to make it better for your user to recognize and understand the app. Additionally, like fonts and colors, the illustrations you use should follow a theme so that your user can develop an immediate response to your app. 

Remember, mobile devices have different sizes, so your UI should be responsive to the changes in screen size. And make certain you have legal permission to use the content on your app. 

Brand Design

Your app will represent your brand in the eye of its users. That is why you have to make every design element a part of your branding. Not just to convey what to do or how to use your app but also about who your brand is and what mission and values it has. 

Use your brand elements, like your logo, consistently throughout the app. Make sure they relate your logo to high-quality services or products, to your visual elements, and your bigger goals as a brand. This will help your users build a relationship with your brand, and more importantly, to start trusting it and recognizing your logo as a sign of something worth it and trustworthy. 

Navigation

Besides the visual aspects we have discussed so far, another critical aspect of IU design is navigability. You want to create a pleasant environment that can easily navigate without getting lost, frustrated, or annoyed. They need to know where they are in your app at all times and what is the next step for the required activity that they want to achieve. 

Use the different elements and tactics to guide your use without unnecessary steps or confusion. Achieve the right balance between interactivity and simplicity to keep your user engaged but in movement. 

Now move from the theory into practice to create the mobile app of your dreams. Keep these basic principles and tips in mind when designing your app, and your user interface will do what it needs to do. This will help you amaze your customers with new ideas but always keep things clear and functional: every element matters just as much as each user.