Mobile App Design – pitfalls to avoid

  • Android Application Development

  • Published On November 21, 2014

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Mobile app design can get messy if you do not follow all the design guidelines. Getting the design right will help you avoid mistakes that can lead to a messy app that does not look right or work right. Let’s get down to the nitty gritties of mobile application design and the general “don’ts” that you should take into account to create an application.

Developing a fully functional app requires discipline and attention to all the nuts and bolts that go into the creation of an interesting and intuitive mobile app.

Here are a list of don’ts:

Mobile App Design

Don’t Design Wireframes Without a Logic Flow Chart

Before you begin wireframing, make sure that you have a logical flow for user interaction with the application. From simple to complex applications, make sure that you have a reasonable navigation flow ready for the designer. The key application screens should be close to the top of the navigation rather than buried beneath the navigation elements. Do not skip this important step in design.

Don’t Design With Low Resolutions

Screen resolutions of mobile devices are getting better and better. Designing for low resolution has it’s advantages, but such designs may not render well on the mobile devices. You can design for retina, high res, pixel-dense screens and then scale down. It’s always good to start with high resolution images and then scale down. It’s advisable to design with vector graphics rather than bitmaps.

Undersizing the area for taps on the screen

Tapping with index fingers on the mobile screen is how your app is going to be used. Take into account the width of an average finger and then decide the size of the tappable area of your design. Do not pack too many buttons on the screen. It will just mix up the taps and create a mess.

Don’t go overboard with animations

Little animations when the app launches or closes is kind of appealing, but do not go overboard with it. Intro animations that interfere with the quick loading of the app are disasters. Users want to get to the app and it’s functionality as soon as they tap on the app icon. Creating distractions before they get to where they want to will totally spoil the user experience with your app. If you have to include an animation, make sure it is worth the extra seconds they spend before they get to the actual app.
Don’t Leave Users HangingLeaving the users waiting on a blank screen while the application loads is a total no-no. You have to provide them with some kind of information as to what’s going on. A progress indicator is a good idea.

All users are different and will interact with your app in different ways. So, usability testing is a must. Do not avoid this crucial step. Select a few testers and ask feedback.

Mobile apps with all the design elements appropriately included will ensure that you get it right before passing it on to the developers for further processing.

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