5 Thumb Rules of App Design

App development and design aren’t as easy as they look!

We should know, as we have been involved with app design and development for the past three years. On that note, a great user interface is one of the most crucial aspects of app design. However, what are some of the common rules for design? Over time, here’s what we have learnt, and today we’re sharing that information with you.

App design is more challenging than web design. Apps are majorly used on mobile phones and require conciseness in design and have to be highly intuitive to use. So, take a look at these 5 thumb rules applicable to every situation.

5 Basic Thumb Rules for App Development and Design

Here we discuss 5 thumb rules for mobile app development that are applicable no matter the situation. These will help you when you decide to create an app for your business. Check out the details here.

1. Simplify Navigation

The first thumb rule of app design is to simplify navigation. Users shouldn’t have to crack their brains trying to figure out how to go from page to page. Moreover, they should not have to figure out what to do when they land on the first page of your app either!

So, firstly, always go for the top to bottom, left to the right mantra of navigation. Our eyes scan pages like that and this makes it perfect for global usage.

Make use of sticky navigation, as this helps to keep the user grounded to the first menu. As you probably know by now the hamburger icon helps to neatly tuck away the menu out of sight. There are people who find this clumsy, but it certainly helps to keep things compact. These are very common navigation hacks one uses for mobile app development.

2. Thumbs Rule!

Most people using a mobile phone hold it in the palm of one hand and use the thumb of that hand to navigate through the app. This means that optimising mobile app development for the thumb is a crucial aspect of app design.

Since navigation is done with the thumb, the app becomes ambidextrous and you do not need to design versions for left-handed persons and right-handed persons, which no one does anyway.

Design an app that can be navigated mostly with the thumb. Place essential tabs closer to the scope of the thumb. By doing this you are ensuring that a user can navigate through the entire app with one hand alone. Also, ensure that the thumb does not have to navigate through vast distances.

3. Use Simple Forms

Nobody likes to fill out large chunks of information when they sign up for your app.

Hence, you have to make forms very simple and allow for other modes of sign-up like using a Google or Facebook account.

As every app development service worth its salt knows, the less you make the user type, the better. Hence, use ranges or radio buttons or small drop-down menus to simplify the signup process.

The aim is to ask for information along the way, rather than at the start. If users see a wide set of information they have to key in, they are more likely to flee than stay. Moreover, use touch controls instead of web controls when designing the app interface.

4. Clear Communication, No Jargon

No matter how creative you want to be, avoid jargon in your app UX writing. UX writing has to be crystal clear and very indicative of what you want the user to do. If you mean “Book” say “Book”, do not use other terms that may confuse the user completely. The job of the UX writer is to simplify navigation and help the user to have a seamless experience.

5. Reduce Clutter and Create Consistency

Every app developer will tell you that given the space you have available; you cannot have a lot of clutter on the screen. Cut short writing and use the minimum possible content on the app. Also, use large fonts as it’s quite hard for people to read the small print on the go.

Keep only the essentials on the screen and eliminate the rest. Moreover, if you have an app version of your website, try to maintain consistency in app development.

Wrapping Up

Did you find those app development and design thumb rules useful?

Here’s a brief rundown of it.

● Keep design simple no matter what.

● Use only text that is needed, free of jargon.

● Keep sign-up and form fill-ups very basic and having minimal typing

If you are looking for app development services for your business or venture, reach out to us at Fortheye. We will help you in the process of app creation, ensuring that all these 5 thumb rules are maintained.