How can you optimize your team's mobile UI design for different operating systems?

Evitez de faire un design pour une plateforme (iOS par exemple) puis l'adapter pour une autre (Android). Il faut dés la départ faire des interfaces dédiées pour chaque plateforme cela n'empêche pas de ré-utiliser les mêmes éléments.

This should not be as complicated as it sounds because if you think about it every operation system has provided you with guidelines and tools that it believes works best in there regard. Should always first go through the material they have provided.

The most important thing is to understand the platform and operating system. Sometimes, simple deviations may make a mobile app just feel off. Abide by the guidelines and make different iterations. This is seen especially when using cross-platform frameworks. You should therefore use plugins that take into consideration platform-specific looks or you can always try to abstract your components into native looks.

The two most popular mobile operating systems (IOS and Android) are highly opinionated. Apple emphasizes the Human Interface design system and Google, the Material Design system and they both provide implementation guidelines, tooling, and the some of the generic components required to ease the adoption of these systems in mobile apps. Depending on if your app is native, or crossplatform, it is crucial that your team members understand these guidelines and can implement them accordingly on top of your app's own design system thus maintaining the look and feel that users are used to on their respective devices.

Every operating system has it's own guidelines if we talk about most popular mobile operating system (iOS and Android), both of them has their own guidelines to create the UI designs. And those are really very help full to make your application more accessible to user. Once, I saw one incident regarding the same, one on my team mate create button with icon and didn't provided the size for button and that's why button was not tappable, but according to the Apple UI guideline minimum tappable size of the button is 44x44 pt.

Implement responsive design principles to ensure your UI adapts to various screen sizes and resolutions. Adjust the layout and navigation patterns to align with the conventions of each operating system. For instance, iOS typically follows a more streamlined and bottom-navigation approach, while Android often uses a top app bar.

The Mobile Devices ecosystem provides a wide range of products each day the offering grows bigger. From Smart phones to tablets, smart watches, foldables etc. It is imperative that your app looks feels the same across all these devices. A modern way to achieve this is to utilize a responsive design which is an attribute of most modern mobile UI frameworks. Responsive design ensures that your UI changes dynamically when drawn on devices with different screen dimensions and orientation. Components like flexible grids, and media queries can help on the web, ConstraintLayout, Box and weight modifiers in Jetpack Compose and ViewThatFits and stacks in Swift Ui.

If you design for different form factors, e.g Portrait/Landscape, you should really make use of the screen estate by rethinking and re-cutting your business processes where it makes sense to take advantage of a different form factor.

From my experience I can say that responsive design is a cornerstone of user-friendly mobile UIs. By adapting layouts to different screen sizes and orientations, we can create an inclusive and accessible experience for all users. Flexible grids, fluid images, and media queries are powerful tools for creating responsive designs. Regular testing on various devices ensures that our layouts are optimal across the spectrum.

Leverage platform-specific features and functionalities. Each operating system may offer unique capabilities, and tailoring your UI to utilize these features can enhance the user experience.

Depending on the underlying OS. there might be different rules or procedures to follow to use or access system resources when certain app functionalities depend on them. One such rule would be about notifications where you need to request the user to explicitly grant you permission to send them notification. In such cases you need to design the UI to natively and intuitively get access to those needed resources so that users are not skeptical if the provided UIs are unfamiliar.

adapting to platform-specific functionalities is essential for creating user-friendly mobile UIs. Different operating systems have their unique design norms, and by embracing them, we can ensure seamless integration into the user's digital experience.

It is advisable to consistently utilize native components in mobile app development to ensure platform consistency that users are familiar with. Native components are optimized for performance on their respective platforms, offering seamless integration and effective handling of diverse user interactions and gestures. Tasks demanding significant resources, like graphics rendering or complex animations, are typically managed more efficiently by native components, thanks to their direct integration with platform-specific rendering engines and hardware acceleration. Additionally, native components are optimized for memory usage, promoting efficient utilization of system resources and minimizing the risk of memory leaks.

Utilize native UI components provided by each operating system. This includes buttons, navigation bars, sliders, and other interface elements. Native components offer a familiar and optimized experience. While incorporating native components, allow for some customization to align with your brand identity. However, be mindful not to deviate too far from the platform's design conventions.

In optimizing your team's mobile UI design across different OS, prioritize using native UI components like buttons and sliders. These elements are not only performance-optimized but also familiar to users, ensuring a seamless experience. While embedding these native components, subtly infuse your brand's identity through color schemes and typography. However, maintain a balance; too much deviation from the platform's conventions can alienate users. Aim for a design that's both intuitive and distinctive, keeping in mind the platform guidelines and user expectations for a harmonious user experience.

The use of native components comes with way too many benefits. - Native components are highly performant since they are specifically designed and optimized for their parent platform. - They offer a "native" look and feel that users are already familiar with which can lead to improved user experiences. - They integrate better with the underlying hardware infrastructure like the camera. They are more reliable and compatible with the underlying system and should work well if there are system upgrades. They are typically more stable and less prone to crashes. And they come with longtime support and updates.

It depends, sometimes it can make sense to use common, pre-built components. It can save you a lot of development time. But you have to decide from case to case. In my opinion there is no general rule.

(Automated) Testing is a very important part of the development process. Consider refactoring the UI-independent logic in separate components which can be shared across different platforms. So when you fix a bug once it will be fixed for all targets. Consider using technologies e.g. Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile.

Testing and iteration is the cornerstone of optimizing mobile UI design for different operating systems. This iterative approach ensures that our designs align with the platform's guidelines, meet user needs, and deliver a seamless experience across devices.

Optimize Performance: Optimize your app's performance for each operating system. Consider factors such as animation smoothness, loading times, and responsiveness to user interactions. Accessibility Standards: Adhere to accessibility standards for each operating system. Ensure that your app is usable by individuals with different abilities and follows guidelines for text legibility, contrast, and interactive elements.