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Apple Brand & Identity Design Mobile Apps

Mobile UI Design: 7 Most Common Types of Screens

Mobile UI Design

There are over 2.7 billion smartphone users and 1.35 billion tablet users across the world. According to a study, on average, Americans check their phone every 12 minutes, and 90% of mobile time is spent on apps across the globe. Also, more than 6000 mobile apps are released every day. These figures are staggering and are sufficient enough to highlight the popularity of mobiles and their apps. The first thing a user notices while interacting with your app is its interface. So, it is crucial to have a pleasing mobile UI design to ensure that your user sticks around and enjoys browsing the app.

To build a useful mobile UI design, designers need to investigate its characteristics and learn their constituents and functionality thoroughly. Mobile applications indeed evolve with changing user needs. Thus, designers strive to add new functionalities every day to fulfill user needs. That said, there are still some screens that are default and are commonly used across a majority of apps. Here is a list of the top 7 most common types of mobile app screens.

1. Home & Menu Screen

The home screen is an essential part of any application. It’s the main screen from which users navigate to all the other sections and options of the application. Although home screens differ from one app to another, depending on the product and its purpose, still there are some common key elements of all home screens. Firstly, it has a search field so that users could easily search for what they are looking for. Secondly, it contains navigation elements providing access to the various content sections. There are two ways of presenting the menu in mobile applications – it can either be a part of the main screen or a separate screen. 

Note: It is advisable to keep the number of options in the menu under seven, featuring only the key sections. If the number goes beyond seven, use sub-categories to show them.

2. Log-in & Profile Screen

Creating personal accounts or profiles to sign into an app has become a standard norm these days. While this is a good way to ensure that your user gets a personalized experience, a lousy login screen could lead to people uninstalling your app. Designers must be able to understand how things work on login and profile screens. The key is to keep the login screen clear, uncluttered, and as minimalistic as it can be, to offer easy access to users. The amount of information has to be limited; otherwise, the profile screen may look too complicated. 

The UI must be intuitive, and at no point, users must be confused. The name and password sections, the confirmation button and a sign-up option must always be available on a login screen.

3. Product Screen

A product screen is most common in eCommerce apps. It displays the collection of products and when the user taps on the product they want, another screen displaying its specifications would pop up. 

The product screen shows the key information about the goods. It helps users to decide whether they want to buy the product or not. Designers usually place the product photograph at the center of the screen, with the description placed below it. The information is generally divided into small groups like size, material, weight, etc. so that users can get all the required info.

4. Catalog Screen

The primary objective of any e-commerce business is to sell products. For an e-commerce app, you would need a catalog screen to display all the products in one place. Visuals attract users and prompt them to make a purchase. So, designers must focus on designing a visually appealing catalog that will attract a user’s attention and encourage them to shop for a product. You can offer the user to scroll through the list, just like several other eCommerce websites and apps display it. The amount of merchandise/products in one row can be decided according to the width of the screen.

The product list in mobile apps can be similar to many e-commerce websites where the items are grouped and viewed via a vertical scroll. But, the products can also be displayed in a row with a horizontal scroll. To make the navigation intuitive, the last item in a horizontal row should be shown not in a full view to let the user see that this is the direction of scrolling. 

5. Check Out Screen

Nowadays, most of the shopping is done through smartphones. Therefore, it becomes crucial for companies to offer a smooth and convenient shopping experience to users. The checkout process is the final step during the buying journey of a user, and this has to be an easy task for them. 

The most fundamental aspect of a checkout screen is to have a form that captures all the personal data like name, address, contact number, card number, etc. Here, designers must ensure that their user data and sensitive information is secure. It can be callouts in a copy, icons of the famous brands who gave their approval or maybe even some certificate signs if there are such.

6. Splash Screen

The first impression may not be the last but is undoubtedly the most important impression. It influences the user’s opinion about a mobile application. When the user experience is pleasant from the very beginning of interactions with an app, there are more chances it’ll be more popular among users. That’s why splash screens should be given a lot of attention.

Splash Screen is the page in an app that demonstrates the main idea and features of the app. It must be minimalistic, displaying the logo, tagline, and name of a product. The fundamental elements must be kept in the middle of the screen for added visibility and a simplistic mobile UI design. The screen shouldn’t be shown for any more than 3-8 seconds. Users tend to get irritated after that. Also, it may be useful to show loading progress so that impatient users could know when the app will be launched.

7. Feed Screen

People typically use various social networking apps for communication and to remain updated with the news. You can take ideas from Facebook, wherein the feed is regularly refreshed, displaying the latest news and data related to the pages followed by the user. The mobile UI design should be simple and clear without a lot of fancy visual details. The stories can be presented one by one via a scroll. To make the navigation more intuitive, the next piece of news should be partially displayed.

We hope that these 7 most common UI screen designs will help you to get some clarity on how to get started with your app design. If you still have some doubts, talk to our experts NOW!!

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Mobile Apps Technology

Top 5 Reasons Why Users Uninstall Mobile Apps

Mobile Apps

The number of mobile apps available for users today is staggering. Daily use, shopping, health monitoring, entertainment, sports, lifestyle, gaming, and whatnot? There’s an app out there for every possible thing that you can think of. The competition between similar mobile apps is cut-throat. Day-by-day it is becoming difficult for businesses to survive and ensure that the users not only use their app but at least not uninstall it. So what is that makes users uninstall any mobile app?

In this article we explore the top five reasons why users stop using a particular app and uninstall it:

1. They No Longer Use The App

This one is pretty straightforward. Once users build the impression that the mobile app is of no use, they will surely uninstall it. Not that they find a better replacement, but the simple fact that they don’t need it any longer. This indicates that your user engagement and retention efforts are not adequate. If your DAU (Daily Active Users) to MAU (Monthly Active Users) ratio is declining, it means that the frequency at which the daily active users are returning is very less. These are early signs of a possible increase in app uninstalls.

TIP: Track retention rate metrics and user engagement to make adjustments to the re-engagement campaigns, such as push notifications and in-app messaging. But don’t overdo push notifications as it could adversely affect the mobile app’s popularity and success.

2. The Mobile App Isn’t Helpful and Easy To Use

People install an app to find solutions to their problems and get what they need in the fastest way possible. If it takes too much time to get what they want, they are unlikely to return to your mobile apps and will look for a better and faster option. Mostly, this happens because developers spend a lot of time thinking ‘what the users want in an app?’, rather than thinking upon ‘how the users want to use the app?’. 

TIP: Spend time thinking about how do users want to search for products or solutions in your app. What is the level of urgency? Do they want to buy the product right away, or wish to save it for the future. Run usability tests to understand user behavior. Conduct a question and answer session with test users to understand their purpose and goals. These insights, in combination with the data collected from analytic tools, will guide you in developing an easy to use and helpful app.

3. Too Many Ads and Push Notifications

A vast majority of the apps available come with a free version. People expect the apps to be free and resist paying the price to download them unless it’s really essential. The primary method of earning revenue for a free app is through advertisements. People have come to terms with the truth that there will be ads popping up while using the free version of the app. However, they have become much more sensitive towards the ads. This sensitivity is a result of invasive and aggressive advertising tactics.

Similarly, too many push notifications also annoy users. Forget about using your app regularly, they start disliking you as a brand; so much that they eventually decide to get rid of your app. Nobody likes constant nagging. 

TIP: For ads, consider how they will interrupt the user experience and work around it. Track conversion rates and reactions triggered by advertisements and push notifications. Also, use platforms that allow intent-based segmentation. With a better understanding of user intent, you can effectively show relevant ads without spamming them.

As far as the push notifications are concerned, it is best to use common sense and to know how often you must communicate with your customers. The frequency of sending push notifications varies; it largely depends on the type of campaigns you run and the products or services you offer.

4. Bad User Experience in Mobile Apps

It’s not just a visually pleasing design that keeps users hooked on to an app. Creating a good user experience is equally important. If the app is not designed keeping users in mind, it baffles the user. They find it hard to navigate within the app, struggle to find what they need. Sloppy navigation, lack of search functionality, poor use of icons, illegibility of typography, unresponsive gestures, etc. are all ingredients of poor user experience.

TIP: Always keep the users in mind before starting to develop the app. The app must be intuitive and easy to navigate within. At no point in time, the user must get stuck in the whole buying (or conversion) process. Your users must be able to reach their destination with minimum clicks. It’s pivotal to provide a search option in the app. The search should be intuitive and must be leading users by using a predictive keyword algorithm. 

5. Security and Trust issues

The Facebook data scandal was one of the biggest data scandals of recent times. It made people think about how various apps store their personal information and how vulnerable they are. They have begun to believe that their data can easily get into the wrong hands at some point in time. If they don’t trust your app, they will uninstall it.

TIP: Ask and store only the required information. Be transparent with users and explain exactly why you want this information, where will you save it, and how will you use it. Your users must feel safe using your app. They should be assured that they can trust you with their credit card number and other vital, personal information.

Read more about Mobile Apps security here

The customer is the king. It’s a fierce battle out there in the world of mobile apps, and you need to ace your game to stay in the game. Keeping users engaged, respecting sensitivity to advertisements, and performing adequate software testing are some of the ways to avoid app uninstalls. Need to know more? Talk to our experts now!

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Design Mobile Apps UX

5 Key Uses of Animation in Mobile App UI

Mobile App UI

The advancement of technology has led to several new improvements and trends in web and mobile designing. Animation was once a visual luxury but has now become a functional requirement. Users expect to face animations at some stage while browsing a website or an app. Animation infuses life into interfaces and makes them more rousing and visually appealing.  The proper use of animations accentuates the responsiveness of an app. In this article, we will discuss five critical applications of animation within a mobile app UI design.

Animation infuses life into interfaces and makes them more rousing and visually appealing.  The proper use of animations accentuates the responsiveness of an app. In this article, we will discuss five critical applications of animation within a mobile UI design.

1. System Status

There are plenty of tasks and processes like downloading and uploading data, calculations etc. that continuously run in the backdrop while the app is running. While these processes run in the background, users often feel that the app is frozen, as there is no activity at the front end. You must always indicate the status of all the ongoing processes through visual signs of progress. It provides a sense of control over the app to the users.

Page loading time is unavoidable, however, it is a very stressful time for users. Using animations can’t shorten the loading time, but can provide comfort to the users while they wait. Creative progress indicators can reduce a user’s perception of time. If users can watch something visually pleasing, while they wait, they are more likely to divert their mind on the animation, rather than the wait time.

Similarly, “pull down to refresh” is also a well-known system status indicator that reloads the page. Pull-to-refresh animations should match the design outline of the app. Movement and visually pleasing items naturally draw attention and create interest. Animating your notifications is a pleasant way to notify users about things, without hampering their experience.

2. Visual Feedback in Mobile App UI

Visual feedback is critically important for any user interface. It helps users to know and understand their current context in the system at any given time. User interface elements like buttons and controls should appear to be tangible, as they interact with them in the real world.

But, bridging the gap between the physical world and on the web is challenging. Visual and motion cues must immediately recognize the input and animate in ways that appear to be direct guidance. Animations enhance various points of interaction and reinforce the actions taken by a user.

3. Structuring Information

Animation allows proper structuring of information across the app. An animation draws users and shows what content to look for and where can it be found. The menu bar is one of the most common places where this can be implemented. 

There are many elements on the main screen of the app. When we activate one of them, the app should change the picture and display a whole new app section based on the selection. Animation helps users to know that it is the same element but with different form and scale.

4. Navigation & Transitions in Mobile App UI

Usually, users take the help of menu bar to navigate inside an app. A lot of apps have a complicated structure to show the list of app sections or features, which is confusing for users. Animation works as a visual navigator. 

A user should notice a changing picture on the screen while selecting or changing app sections. This lets them know that they are navigating to a different section or using a feature. Animation is a great way to transport users reasonably between navigational contexts. 

Read more about Mobile App Navigation

5. In-app Guide

Some apps have a more complex structure compared to others. If you don’t want to scare-off or irritate your app subscribers, you should clearly explain to them how an app works at the very beginning. Animation comes in handy here. A user gets brief instructions about the app in very less time via animations. Usually, an animated guide opens up when the app runs. However, users should have access to the guide whenever they need.

Animations are really pretty, but as mentioned earlier there role is no longer confined to adding beauty to an app. So make animations with purpose and use it in the app UI design to simplify user interaction with the user interface.

Let us know if you are looking for designing your new or existing mobile app. Our UI and UX team will be happy to assist. Contact Us today

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Technology

6 Brilliant Ways To Enhance Mobile App Security

Mobile App Security

Mobile application development has been on a roll and has scaled new heights in the last few decades. The development process has also lead to simplification of the entire process of application creation. With advanced methods, simpler plugins and intuitive platforms, the development process has improved a lot. However, developing a truly useful and likeable application is involves a lot more than simply creating an app.
One of the crucial factors which plays an important role in the application development process is the integration of safety into the interface. It’s critical to ensure that your application is safe for the users especially when it asks them for sensitive and personal details such as account password and username. Here are a few ways in which you can enhance the security of your mobile applications.

Secure Your App’s Code

Similar to any software project, mobile software security needs to be a priority from day one. However, native apps are different from web applications, where data and software exist securely on a server and the client-side (or, browser) is just an interface. With native apps, however, that code resides on the device once it’s downloaded, making it more accessible to those with malicious intent.
Network and Data security components are important, but the security should start from the app itself. Vulnerabilities can be caused by developer error or failure to test the code which should be timely checked and avoided.

Encryption

The use of encryption for device safety is the best way to secure your mobile application. The use of good encryption like that of 256-bit AES encryption allows you to encrypt the data transmitted from the user’s device. This encryption will make it difficult for a hacker to steal and make sense of any data.

Rigorous Testing

While testing, don’t stick to a single testing method. Follow multiple methods of software testing to make sure that you cover all the important bases. Some of the important testing methods include regression testing, exploratory testing as well as automated testing. It’s important that you dedicate a considerable amount of time for testing while preparing a timeline for the application development. Moreover, it is better to test on the go than dedicate a time towards the end since it helps in solving the issues faster.

Prototyping

Prototyping is a great way to keep track progress of the development process. By making prototype application while developing the application, you are creating restore points for the application. In case addition or removal of a particular function or a feature fails, you can restart the application development process from the last successful prototype.

Use Of Reliable Certificates

Make sure you develop your application for a variety of mobile devices. You must mention the name of the devices in the application description in case your application does not support a particular range of devices. The use of certificates from the device will help your application integrate its source code with the hardware architecture a little better.

Regular Updates

Minor modifications to the source code of the application on a regular basis will ensure that there are no security threats to your application. The updates should be regular, rather than a just-for-the-sake-of-it monthly update for the addition for functionality or removal of bugs.

If you are looking for a highly secure mobile app, it is a must that you get in touch with experienced mobile app development professionals like the ones we have here in NyxDitech. Speak to an expert now!

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Technology

Mobile App Maintenance: Why Is It So Essential?

Mobile App Maintenance

The idea of developing a mobile app might pop up anytime, anywhere and within a jiffy. However, developing and releasing the desired app takes a good amount of time, energy, thought process, technology and a bunch of other factors. Most of people think that the job of a developer and owner ends with the release of the app. However, this is a big myth. The real challenge is to ensure that the users come back and engage more on your platform. That’s what demands proper mobile app maintenance after the release.

Let’s say the 2 giants of mobile operating systems, Android and iOS release an update. Would you not update your app in lines with the latest version of these operating systems? Of course, you have to update your application. Moreover, mobile app maintenance is imperative in order to provide convenient service and ever-improving user experience to all the users. Here are a few important reasons to keep a proper mobile app maintenance process?

1. Helps In Keeping Pace With Popular Operating Systems

Both Android and iOS keep updating their OS to introduce new technological advancements. Android has recently launched Android Oreo 8.0 and iOS upgraded their OS to iOS 11 version. A lot of apps that work on the older version of these operating systems don’t run on the latest versions due to compatibility issues. It’s important to maintain your app on the basis of latest OS versions so that the users don’t discard your app due to compatibility issues.

2. Improved Software Libraries

A software library contains codes, configurations, and routines. It is the backbone of any app development process and developers rely heavily on it. A lot of mobile apps these days use third-party libraries that change very quickly and very often. Thus, updating the libraries becomes supercritical. Mobile app maintenance ensures timely updating of these libraries for the smooth functioning of apps. Else your app will be broken.

3. Provides Better UI & UX

The UI of any app should always be up to date and advanced. An impressive interface from yesterday might not get similar attention today. So, we need to continuously update the interface of our app through systematic mobile app maintenance. Similarly, if you want to get more and more audience and top the app ratings, you must provide a smooth user experience. A proper mobile app maintenance process ensures that users get amazing experience thereby resulting in increased traffic and higher ratings.

4. Helps In Overcoming Hardware Issues

The mobile companies are at war with each other and there is cut-throat competition. In a quest to clinch the top slot, mobile companies launch new and updated models every now and then. Your app might not fit in with the latest mobile devices and may become obsolete in absence of a proper mobile app maintenance process.

5. Provides A Monetary Edge

No matter how efficient a developer is or how clear the owner’s vision is, it’s impossible to develop a perfect app. At a certain stage, flaws will come up and will require attention. If you implement mobile app maintenance process and update your app regularly it gives you a financial edge. You can release the app with essential features rather than implementing all the features. This will help you save on the overall initial cost. With a mobile app maintenance process in place, you can keep updating the app and infuse new features periodically.

To conclude, the only thing constant in this world is change itself. The technology world keeps changing and you will constantly bump into the need for updating your app. Moreover, you need to provide the latest and updated version of your app to the users so that they don’t uninstall your app. This is only possible if you maintain your app on a regular basis. Talk to our experts and know how we at NYX Ditech help our clients in not only developing great apps but also match their maintenance requirements.

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Blog

Role Of Color Psychology In An App Design

Color Psychology

It’s tough for even great psychologists to really understand the human brain. It never fails to amuse and pops unanswered questions every now and then. Sometimes there is simply no reason or logic for a particular human behavior triggered through the brain. Talk about the color psychology. Interestingly, the human brain is more capable of noticing and remembering not so pleasant sights as compared to beautiful things. Let’s connect this attribute with visuals (basically app visuals). It basically means that the human brain will surely notice an ugly design or color scheme over a decent one and will most probably remember it. Colors used in an app form the basis of its visual appeal. If you get your color scheme correct, well and good. However, if you screw it up, then it can ruin even the most functional app.

Why Are Colors So Important?

Believe it or not, colors play a vital role in driving your emotions while using an app. Whenever we use any application there is a motive behind using it. It may be for financial transactions, entertainment, making reservations, checking scores etc. All these motives have a string of emotions attached to them. The color scheme of your app can either fuse with these emotions or may cause a negative impact towards these emotions.

Picking up an ideal color palette can be the game changer for your app. The color scheme, if picked up correctly can soothe down human anxiety, help them to relax, evoke happiness, calm down senses and can result in many other positives. On the other hand, if you mess up with the color scheme it can even provoke your user to bang the phone on the wall.

Here are a few colors and the emotions attached to each one of them:

White – Pure and simple, clean.
Black – Blunt and powerful, minimalist.
Red – Intense and important, focused.
Yellow – Energetic and positive, optimistic.
Blue – Calm and relaxed, trusted.
Green – Profitable and natural, earthy.
Purple – Luxurious and regal, trendy.
Orange – Bright and cheerful, childish.
Pink – Romantic and loving, feminine.

The Theory of Colors

The subject of colors does not top the charts of complexity but still demands a basic understanding. The basics of color scheme can be best understood through a color wheel. There are 3 primary colors – Red, Yellow, and Blue which can be mixed to bring out secondary colors – Green, Purple, and orange. White (in various proportions) is used to create tints and Black is used in various proportions to create shades.

theory of color

There are certain pre-defined standard color schemes which are most commonly used.

1. Monochromatic

As the name suggests, monochromatic color scheme refers to the use of a single base color. Monochromatic colors work well in creating a soothing and calming effect. It also portrays a neat, simple and clean design.

qatarairwaysImage:Qatar Airways

2. Analogous

Analogous color schemes are created from related colors that are not completely opposite to each other. One of the colors is used as a dominant color while others are used to enhance the scheme. This scheme is quite easy to pull off as compared to other schemes. The only trick is in deciding which vibrancy of color to use, as it will be exaggerated.

analogou

3. Complimentary

This color scheme uses opposite colors to complement each other in a design. The opposite colors contrast each other very strongly and that grabs eyeballs instantly. When using a complementary scheme, it is important to choose a dominant color and use its complementary color for accents. For example, when the human eye sees an object full of different hues of greens, a bit of red stands out very well.

4. Custom Color Scheme

It’s not really mandatory to stick to one of the aforementioned color schemes. There is every possibility that the nature of your app and the persona of your brand may demand a different color scheme altogether. Customizing your own color scheme is not rocket science and can easily be adapted. Adding a bright accent color to an otherwise neutral palette is one of the easiest color schemes to create. Having said that, it’s also one of the most visually impressive.

Adobe Color CC, previously known as Kuler is your savior while deciding color schemes. It makes color selection extremely easy. Each and every color on the palette can be individually modified or selected as the base color with a few clicks only.

Your Color Scheme Must Reflect Your Brand’s Image

The standard color schemes act only as a guide while choosing the color scheme for your application. The most important thing to remember during this process is that the colors should speak the language of your brand. Your brand name, goal, objective, and persona must all be reflected through the colors. Every academic study conducted on this topic supports the argument that it’s very important for the brand’s color to support and co-relate to the brand’s personality. The focus must be purely on the brand image and the selection of colors must run primarily around it.

Colors have a decisive impact on user behavior and their emotions. If your design philosophy isn’t taking this into account, you are making a big mistake. You may not need to be strictly abiding by the common color scheme standards, but you cannot neglect the importance of colors in the overall user experience process. Be brave, play around with different shades, tints, and color combos. Never stick with one combination and try different combinations. You can perform an A-B testing using different combinations. Talk to our team and get enlightened about how you can improve the user experience by implementing the perfect color scheme in your app design.

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Technology

5 Steps You Must Follow Before Building Your Mobile App

Mobile App

You might assume that you have a “never thought before” business idea which you will use to make a unique app. But, there is a big chance that someone would have already made such an app or at least someone is working on it. In order to stay competitive, it’s necessary to convey your message to consumers and build a strong relationship with them. This could be very well achieved through a mobile app. But it wouldn’t be wise to straight away jump onto building an app. Here are 5 steps you should follow before building your own mobile app.

1. Use Competitor’s App:

As mentioned earlier, it’s nearly impossible that there isn’t a single app already in the market similar to what you are trying to develop. It is essential that you differentiate your app from your competitors to get an edge over them. The best way to do so is by downloading their app and using it.

2. Get Involved With The Users:

Firstly, identify your target user groups. Once identified, you can form focus groups of these real users to get their opinion and feedback on your app. Extract information from them like what are their needs, wants and areas of concern. The app you are building aims at providing a solution to their need or problem. Involvement of real users will create a buzz among them about your app along with providing you the vital information required for development.

3. Decide Your Timeline & Budget:

It’s important to set timelines and budgets right at the start for a better planning and projection. You must analyze your resources and funds in order to plan the release of your Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Knowing how much you want to spend and when helps in zeroing on the features that you want to implement in the first go. Certain non-essential features can rest in your wishlist for awhile.

4. Pre-Design Project Planning:

An efficient project initiation will assure the long-term success of your product. Pre-Design Project planning helps you to cover all essential information and details. This will help you in effectively conveying your message to the app development agency. When you have clear information about your vision, brand persona & a marketing plan, your agency can put in their technical expertise to drive you towards your goal.

5. Join Hands With A Perfect Agency:

Choose an agency which can fill in your shortcomings. There is a possibility that you may have a great product idea but require technical assistance. So go for an agency which has a strong technical background. You may have all the business logics in your head but might lack on artistic front. So go for a team who is very creative. If your marketing team is unable to market your idea properly, then look for an agency who has some marketing experts in their team.

Partnering with a single agency that can cater to all your needs like application design, development, and marketing will provide consistency to your product and the process of building the app will always be on track.

Reach out to our expert team today and our developers, designers, and digital marketers would be happy to help you with developing your dream app.