What are the key elements of cross-platform UI/UX design?

Mobile first has been the buzzword for the Software Industry. Because with mobile apps being faster with every passing minute responsive layout has to be a top priority.

These days most of the users view the website on mobile. So mobile first design is mostly used these days. A responsive design layout arranges elements automatically based on the screen size. e.g. in a desktop you might see 3 content blocks placed horizontally, 2 in a tab and 1 in a mobile. Responsive design layout can be achieved by the use of grids, flex boxes, media queries.

Not only a responsive layout is important but also an accessible one. Accessibility is an extremely relevant aspect regarding the digital inclusion of diverse user groups. Screens with contrast, adding texts for screen readers, configuring font sizes, all of these and other features that an application, combined with the responsive layout, can bring a better experience for any user.

Responsive design adapts layouts to different screen sizes, maintaining usability. Prioritizing platform-specific guidelines and conventions optimizes the interface for each platform. Streamlining navigation and minimizing cognitive load enhance user understanding. Robust testing on various devices ensures functionality and visual integrity. Balancing a unified brand identity with platform-specific nuances is crucial for a cohesive but tailored user experience. Ultimately, user feedback and iterative design are essential for refining the cross-platform UI/UX, creating a harmonious and effective design across diverse devices.

Essentially, there are three screen sizes to consider: phone, tablet, and desktop. It's often simpler to begin with a mobile-first approach, and then, when incorporating multiple elements on the screen, adjusting UI accordingly. To maintain organization, it's advisable to create separate view files for complex UI/UX components, which helps avoid clutter.

Consistent Styling is an crucial aspect.Learn how you can achieve a consistent Design in your UI???? Mobile centric: It involves framing how the UI will look and behave,setting colors considering only a mobile device and then expanding upon them. For Instance: WhatsApp, telegram and Apple's imessage messaging service use a mobile centric approach and expand upon the UI to fit into desktop environment. Thus, using the same UI for larger displays by adding elements and scaling adjustments on top of the core mobile experience. Beyond Colors: It goes beyond just using the same colors and font. Performance: The design should look consistent but importantly should FEEL consistent, with decent performance regardless of device.

Consistent style is a primary reason why frameworks like React Native, Flutter, MAUI have started becoming very popular. Because once a design has been implemented the style is usually the same across all the platforms.

Establishing a consistent theme early on in the design process is advisable. This approach helps in avoiding user confusion that can arise from design inconsistencies and potential misinterpretations.

Consistent Design Language Responsive Design Intuitive Navigation Platform Guidelines Adherence Performance Optimization Adaptive Typography Device-Specific Interactions Cross-Platform Testing Scalable Assets Platform-Specific Features Offline Functionality Accessibility Cross-Platform Compatibility User Feedback and Iteration Documentation

Consistency is one of the key factors of deciding user engagement, its that one thing which will retain users because of simplicity. today the software with a consistent ui wins the race because users find it easy to just switch over devices!

There's nothing more frustrating than a user not receiving feedback on their action. When I'm using an app and click a button, if nothing happens, impatience or frustration sets in quickly. This can be avoided with clear notifications that swiftly explain what's happening in the background. As a bonus, to make the app even more appealing to the user, incorporating small, subtle animations can be effective. Sometimes, a gamification approach can be quite impressive and make the app more enjoyable to use.

You can read above about different designs between Android and ios Android: More diverse range of devices with varying screen sizes and resolutions. Open platform with greater customization options. Material Design guidelines are followed for a consistent native experience. Bottom navigation bar is commonly used for primary navigation. The back button is a standard element for navigation. iOS: More consistent device ecosystem with fewer screen size variations. Closed platform with stricter design guidelines. Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) are followed for a consistent native experience. Tab bar navigation is commonly used for primary navigation. Navigation gestures are used instead of a back button.

Instagram serves as an excellent example of this. How do you open your camera to capture a story? You can either select the (+) button or swipe left for quick access. When users understand specific behaviours and can adapt them to their habits, they become more productive in using apps.

I believe user testing is one of the most important aspect of development. whether its a bootstrap or unicorn, getting feedbacks while you are building will tremendously help you to build a sustainable app

Consistent style is a primary reason why frameworks like React Native, and Flutter have started becoming very popular. Because once a design has been implemented the look and feel is usually the same across all the platforms.

Today, Using Cross-Platform is a need rather than a add-on which we can opt for. every day new devices come up with their own set of frameworks and API. its important to maintain quality and consistency, that is why i always recommend small teams who Dont have a budget to hire teams for individual platforms to use cross-platform tools like electron and react-native!

User testing: It's crucial to test your cross-platform app on real devices and with real users across all supported platforms. This helps identify and address any platform-specific usability issues. Gather user feedback and iterate on your design based on their input.

Key elements of cross-platform UI/UX design include consistent design principles, adaptable layouts, platform-specific guidelines adherence, responsive design for various screen sizes, unified branding elements, seamless navigation, and prioritizing user experience consistency across different devices and operating systems.

Compatablity Cross Platform helps you make consistent design across different platforms like IOS, Android, web etc. We can specify different designs for these above mentioned platforms. In React Native we have a platform library that helps you curate different styles for different platforms which helps you create different user interface for the audience using different platforms.

Accessibility is to be considered too. There are various tools or even browser extensions out there to achieve better standards of accessibility which will help your design and your app being widely covered by the users.