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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!!

Categories
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

Categories
Technology

How To Recognize If a Mobile App Is Due For Major Update

Mobile App Updates
How To Recognize If Your Mobile App Is Due For A Major Update

The recent times have made us more dependant on our mobile phones than ever. There are so many daily jobs which are completed through our mobile phones, unlike the traditional ways. Smartphone users are no longer under the custody of storage limitations which has allowed them to download and use more and more apps. With so many apps being actively used, developers have a task at hand to keep their apps updated and in sync with latest trends. That’s why we see so many app upgrade notifications on our devices every day. But, what are the factors that motivate them to push an update?

There are 2 kinds of updates, a minor update, and a major update. A minor update consists of small changes, tweaks, bug fixes etc. Whereas a major update consists of a handful of new changes, a new user experience or an entirely new visual design. These updates are less frequent and there are certain factors which help in identifying the need for such an update. Let’s check them out!

1. Addition of An Important Feature

The most basic way to identify if it’s time for a major app update is by analyzing the features of the app. If you are planning to implement a major addition to the list of existing features which has a direct impact on the overall user experience, then that calls for a major update. These important features could be an addition of social media element, authentication and syncing features, new revenue model, third-party integration or other application-specific features.

2. Changing The Existing App Design

There’s no rocket science involved here. If you are planning to change the visual quotient of the app, you will need to go with a major update. The change could be in design terms, user interface or user experience. Changes related to scrolling patterns, color scheme, layouts etc. come under this umbrella. A change in the app design is quite a motivator for people to update the app.

3. A Deteriorating Codebase

The world of apps is a strange world and keeps updating every day. In terms of apps, even a 1-year-old codebase can be considered old. Technology is changing and updating at such a fast pace that an aging codebase becomes a big driver for rolling out a major update. There are often more than one hands involved in the development process which helps in a faster release. However, it also makes the code more complicated and hard to manage. If adding a new feature is a daunting task or if new libraries would make a feature easier to implement, you must look out for a major update or maybe even a completely rewritten code.

4. Poor Performing App Metrics

Reaching out to your target audience and proper management of key app metrics are very crucial to the success of any app. Underperforming app metrics like poor app ratings is a leading factor to roll out a major app update. Monitoring the app data can only provide you numbers. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. You might see that users are not returning back to your app on a regular basis or not visiting a particular screen. What it doesn’t tell you is that why are they not coming back? It’s essential that you use the insights from these numbers to understand the root cause of the problem. Also, talk to the real users and understand what they feel. Implement the required changes and push it through a major update.

5. App Not Able To Match Latest Design Trends

Sometimes it becomes absolutely necessary to change the design of the app. The design trends are updating every now and then to match the pace of changing technology. This forces the big guns like Google and Apple to define certain guidelines and rules in terms of app designs and you need to abide by them. Not following the latest design trends can be a big factor to push a major update.

Not following the latest design trends could include ignoring Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines or Google’s Material Design. It could also simply mean not living up to user’s expectation. If your app doesn’t look or function like other top apps, it won’t be on a lot of devices.

Releasing a major update gives you an opportunity to brightly shine among your users. You can implement big changes and give your app a complete makeover and upgrade. Even if everyone doesn’t notice the good work you do in the update, there would certainly be some important eyes which will notice it. Writers, analysts, power users etc. will definitely notice it and will appreciate your hard work and commitment towards your app. Lastly, never use the major update as a marketing gimmick. Stick to the above-mentioned factors and consider other important aspects before you decide to go for it.

Categories
Technology

Looking For A Cheap App Development Agency? Think Again

App Development Agency

The popularity of mobile apps is scaling new heights with every passing day. Having a mobile app for your business has become almost mandatory. But with every new advancement in mobile technology, we hear about new heartbreaking stories of clients. In an attempt to save a few bucks, companies choose app development agencies that offer development at a low price. But is it a wise decision? The stats and experience of the industry experts beg to differ. This option will end up costing you more money, time and efforts eventually. Here are a few pointers showcasing the adverse effects of choosing a low price or cheap app development agency.

1. Wastage Of Time

Time is money and a wastage of time means wastage of money. A seasoned digital agency will have experienced players with years of industry experience. This enables them to understand your requirements quickly and they can deliver the end product much faster. Whereas, a low-cost digital agency will not be able to employ experienced staff. A less experienced or fresher app developer will apparently take more time which will increase your overall costing.

2. Lack of Facilities Resulting In A Low-Quality App

A cheap digital agency will always face budget constraints and that’s why they will always cut down wherever it’s possible. They will not have a highly experienced team, no access to premium tools, technological restrictions and even a not so great infrastructure. All these factors will affect the quality of your final product. A low-quality app will require a lot of changes, improvements, and advancements at a later stage which will require more money.

3. Low Ratings & Poor Reviews

The first impression is often the last impression. A user starts judging your app from the moment he downloads your app. As discussed in the previous point, a cheap app agency will end up making a low-quality app which definitely will not sit in the good books of customers. Users will thrash your app ratings and will write negative reviews as well. This will give you a double blow. You will not only lose customers who have installed your app, but the poor ratings and reviews will force potential users to look for alternatives.

4. No Provision Of App Maintenance

A cheap digital agency aims only at the initial development of an app. Their sole objective is to create the app and launch it for you. Very rarely they will provide the support and assistance required after the launch of the app. But, the real game only starts once the app is launched. They don’t spend the necessary time and efforts on testing the app in test and real-time environment which allow some bugs to sneak through the release process. This will result in crashing and improper functioning of the app and your app will die slowly.

5. Lack Of Effective Communication

A cheap digital agency will mostly be without any organizational structure. Most of the times there is not even a project manager or a SPOC with whom you can communicate properly. As a result, your expectations, suggestions, and limitations are not comprehended by the agency. This also results in missing the deadlines and redoing a particular task due to ineffective communication. The launch of your app keeps getting delayed and the cost continues inflating.

The purpose of this article is to make you understand one simple fact: ‘Cheap may not necessarily be the best always.’ Of course, cost saving is an essential aspect of any business. However, saving a few bucks in a short run by sacrificing the overall quality of your app is not a very bright choice. Also, you will end up paying much more eventually. So choose wisely! Discuss your mobile app development requirements with our experts who carry loads of industry experience and get the best solutions.