With more than 2 million more apps residing in the mobile market and apps like TikTok, Instagram, Pokemon Go and PUBG ruling the users’ minds, it is tough to get into their list of favorite apps and gain the limelight in the market. Isn’t it so?

Well, not exactly. Though the competition is getting intense and the number of unique ideas is coming to stability, the basic market demand is clear to all.

All the mobile app designers and developers are giving a thumbs up to the idea of delivering unparalleled user experience. They are confirming that the mobile app trend has shifted from ‘offering exclusive services’ to ‘offering services in an exclusive manner’.

With this said, if you are someone planning to enter the mobile market and leave an everlasting impact on your audience, but confused where to start from, the next 9 minutes is going to change your life.

In this article of 9 minutes read, we will look into difference mobile UX design principles to follow while planning the look and feel of your mobile application so as to gain more user engagement and conversions.

So, shall we begin?

1. Avoid ‘One Size Fits All’ Strategy

The very first thing to watch out in UX design is that ‘one size fits all’ rule does not apply here. Every mobile device comes with different platforms (Android or iOS), shapes and sizes. This brings a major impact on the design elements you choose and the way they appear on the screen.

For example, iOS devices do not have a ‘back’ button but Android does. This implies you cannot design an application such that ‘back’ functionality is accessible via a button in the case of iPhone. But, the same is possible in the case of Android.

Likewise, the X factor in the new iPhone X is making the design stretched beyond safe areas. The same is not true for Android devices.

2. Keep It Minimal

Many UI/UX designers feel that adding too many elements will add to the chances of success. However, it is not so.

Implementation of excessive elements into the product design makes it cumbersome, dreary and unattractive to the users. Because of this, they find it difficult to understand the core functionality of the application as well as of all the elements, fail to perform any action and exit the platform (many times for forever).

So, the next regulation you need to ponder upon is to embed the least elements on a particular app screen and look for ways to make it easier for the users to understand the perform action, including using the icons and texts they are familiar with.

3. Experiment With Colors

The colors you choose for your mobile application can make or break your app success. They can add life to your design as well as set a tone and mood associated. In other words, they can alter the emotions the users get when they head to your app platform. So, it is again crucial to experiment with different colors and finalize the one that brings excitement and positive feel.

When it comes to colors, it is not enough to experiment with the combinations of colors and understand the emotions any particular color reflect. It is also important to dig deeper into the industry and check what colors are often taken into consideration. Besides, the color codes associated with the country/place you are planning to launch your application in also holds paramount importance in the process.

So, pay your attention to all these factors while designing UX for your mobile application.

4. Think Like A User

Another principle to follow while designing UX for an app is to step into the shoes of your user base. On doing so, you feel the ease to understand their mentality, their needs, their expectations, and the ‘so obvious’ things that they struggle with while interacting with your app or any other application.

These insights provide you with the right guidance to explore the possibilities and introduce the right elements into your app project. Or, better say, develop an application that your audience wants – and not just the one you want to present.

5. Offer Personalized Content

Seeing the burgeoning investment in mobile app development and the skyrocketing competition, personalization is another important principle to exercise. It is the secret saucer to rule the heart and mind of your target audience and beat the competition.

So, do not skip even a single opportunity to personalize their experience. Embrace GPS, Predictive Analytics, Machine Learning, and other such technologies to understand user behavior and deliver customized services – prompting them to take a positive decision. Also, offer users with the liberty to choose what type of content they wish to see and at what time variation, so that they could enjoy your mobile application and retain for a longer time.

6. Consider Seamless Navigation

Another UX design principle to put your efforts into is app navigation. When you foster simple, quick and responsive navigation within your app, the users enjoy switching from one page to another. They spend more time on your platform, which results in higher app retention rate and conversion rates.

So, look for layouts and mechanisms that streamlines app flow and foster better experience when moving from one app screen to another.

7. Design As Per Gestures

As most of the users are using touch-screen devices these days, designing your application as per the mouse pointers is not the right practice. So, the next principle to follow is to design as per the human finger size (bear in mind that the finger size varies as per the age and gender of the user).

On doing so, you bring more opportunities for them to interact with your mobile application and easily perform any action – instead of zooming the screen extensively to be able to tap on a button without clicking anywhere else on the screen.

Also, it is advisable to invest in hand gestures. This will add ease and pace to your app process and enhance their experience with your app.

8. Pay Attention To Typography

Though often overlooked, typography also influences the user experience. The font type, color and style you pick for the content of your app decides how readable your content will be, which eventually affects the amount of time users spend on your app and the extent they enjoy it. So, it is vital to consider Typography while designing UX of an application.

And when it comes to considering typography, the basic principle to follow is to check the screen size and other hardware configurations of the device and then decide the font, size, and letter-to-letter and inter-line spacing. This will help you to easily blend the screen into your design and make an aesthetic impression.

As per the market experts, the standard Helvetica Neue is used for iOS applications and Roboto for designing an Android mobile app. So, if you are unsure which typography fits well with your app development plan, prefer these commonly used typography.

9. Make Simple Yet Engaging Registration Forms

Users consider filling forms as a cumbersome and boring task and look for ways to skip these activities. So, making these forms concise and engaging so that they fill it more often and you get access to user information is the next product design principle to follow.

While asking for requisite user details and giving them options rather making them type everything is a great idea, you should also look for other ways to streamline the process. For example, offer them an opportunity to log in via social media credentials.

10. Look Forward To Positive Offboards

While most of the UI/UX designers pay attention to creating a positive onboarding experience, ending the customer relationship on a positive note is equally important. So, add this to your UX design guidelines.

Look forward to selecting the font styles, colors and other UX design elements such that clients get a positive feel when they delete their account or ask for a refund, and think of revisiting your application in the future.

11. Embrace Interactive Splashes

Whenever users click on your mobile app, the very first thing they see is a splash screen, i.e, the screen with your app logo, current version status and a loading animation. No doubt, the screen brings more opportunities for you to show the core functionalities of your mobile application and help users know how to use the application. But, at the same time, you have to ensure that the users do not feel annoyed and leave the platform.

In shorter, you need to maintain a balance between guiding the users and irritating them while sharing information about your app on the splash screen.

12. Proceed with Relevant Notifications

Notification plays the role of a magical band in the mobile arena. It reminds the target user base about your mobile application and services/products and prompts them to take constructive action.

However, it has been found that the same notifications have also become the main reason behind the lower user retention rate. So, it is important to use this technology in a smarter way. That means, understanding what type of notifications do users feel comfortable, at what time and to what extent.

When you push your personalized notifications as per the factors discussed above, the customers show more interest in entertaining the offer and making a purchase.

13. Add Narrow-Focused Widgets

A widget, the small application that acts as an add-on of an application already residing on your device, boosts user engagement. But, to gain maximum output from the same, it is necessary that you apply UX rules to it. In other words, offering a narrow functionality via a widget to serve the end users with access to important data or perform a new task without leaving the existing platform is the need of the hour.

14. Welcome User Feedbacks

It’s true that you will look forward to developing the finest user experience for your audience. But, do they really enjoy it? Are they satisfied with your efforts and the app experience they receive? The best possible way to know this is User feedback.

The user feedbacks, when introduced as a crucial element in your UX design process, will enable you to know what needs to be changed, updated, removed, or added to your UX strategy and eventually gain higher results from your design plans.

So, be free to welcome user feedback via different means, including an app contact form, polls on social media platforms, etc.

Wrapping Up

The mobile world is getting hypersonic. Users expect everything loaded on their screens with a blink of an eye and in just the perfect style. To achieve the same and ensure higher profit from the app development process, follow the UX design principles shared in this article. Also, keep following the top app designers and trends so that you do not leave a single chance to leave an impactful impression on your end users.