The way users interact with mobile devices has changed substantially in the past few years, and designers need to be aware of this shift when it comes to optimizing for conversions. In today’s digital age, it’s more important than ever to have a mobile-friendly website. According to a recent study, 62% of people are unlikely to return to a website that’s not optimized for mobile devices. Mobile UI design is crucial for providing a seamless user experience. In this article, we’ll take a look at some key mobile UI design elements and discuss how small changes to these elements can help you 2x your conversion rate.
Why is it important to look at mobile UI design
- For starters, most users find it convenient to conduct their searches on a mobile device, evidenced by the fact that 70% of mobile searches lead to online action within the hour. This means that if your website is not optimized for mobile, you’re missing out on a lot of potential customers.
- Mobile UI design is also important because it allows you to take advantage of the unique capabilities of a mobile to enhance user experience. For example, being able to swipe left or right to quickly scroll through a page or tapping an image to get more information. This gives e-commerce platforms and online stores an edge in providing customers with a seamless, easy to use experience.
- Most users access their personal or professional social media profiles social media on their mobile – 83% of all social media visits has been through mobile in 2019.
- Finally, mobile UI design can help increase engagement and conversions on your app or website by making it easier for customers to complete tasks.
How is mobile UI design different from designing for other screens
Mobile UI design has to take into account the different constraints of a mobile device, such as the smaller screen size and limited input capabilities. Unlike designing for desktop or laptop screens, which often require more complex interactions, mobile apps need to be simpler and more intuitive. Designers must create an environment that allows users to quickly complete tasks without having to scroll excessively, zoom in and out of the interface, or switch between multiple programs.
Visibility and Accessibility:
With mobile UI, all them elements of the page are visible at once, no matter what size the screen is. This makes it easier to access all the features of an app without having to zoom or scroll around. The mobile UI also makes information accessible to all users, regardless of their physical and cognitive abilities. Elements such as colors, larger font sizes, text-to-speech capabilities , and voice activation are used to make the interface more user-friendly.
Usability:
Mobile UIs need to be intuitive and easy to use, so that users can quickly and easily interact with their apps. The design should include familiar elements such as buttons, sliders, drop-down menus, and other interactive features which are used to navigate through the app.
Structure and Navigation:
To make it easier for users to find the features they need, a well-structured UI should be implemented. The structure of the app should facilitate an easy flow and layout for screens, providing quick and simple navigation. Clear labels and concise instructions are also important, so that users can quickly access what they need without having to search through long
Simplicity and Intuitiveness:
Mobile UI is all about simplicity, as users want a quick and easy way to access what they need. This means that all elements of the UI should be intuitive, only including necessary features and no unnecessary frills which could complicate the user experience.
Animations can help show relationships between screens and draw attention to specific actions, but too many can also slow down the app and make it difficult to navigate.
Gesture-Based Interactions:
A big part of mobile UI design is the use of gestures to move between screens and access different elements. Many apps now include ‘swipe’ controls, where users can swipe left or right to navigate. Using gesture-based interactions in an app helps make it more intuitive for users as they don’t have to remember a series of commands or presses. Instead, they can use their natural behaviour and movements to interact with the app.
Feedback and Error Prevention:
Mobile UI is also about providing feedback when users interact with the app. This could be a vibration, sound or visual cue to acknowledge an action they have taken. It’s also important to provide useful error messages if something goes wrong – this way, users know what happened and how to resolve it quickly.
Content Optimization/Adaptability.
In mobile UI, content is optimized for the device and user preferences. For example, different devices may require optimizations such as responsive layouts or image optimization to ensure content is shown correctly on any device. Content can also be adapted based on user behaviour and preferences – this could include customizing messages or notifications based on past interaction with an app.
How to improve conversions with Mobile UI changes
Ensure consistency and uniformity throughout the design:
When a user visits the app, they should find elements that are consistent across all pages. This makes it easier for users to navigate, as they know what to expect and can interact with each page quickly and easily. This is not just because it’s easy on the eyes. Instead, it helps users familiarize themselves with the app. This is because the user is more likely to remember the familiar elements, which in turn increases conversions.
For example, lets say your app has a primary color of blue, and the user sees blue buttons on all the pages. This makes it easier for them to remember what to look for when trying to interact with something specific.
To increase conversions, you should also consider using persuasive design techniques. These techniques use psychology to influence user behavior, such as making buttons bigger or adding urgency messages. For instance, you can put a timer next to the buy button that counts down how much time they have left to purchase before a discount expires.
Fast Loading:
Mobile users generally have a lower tolerance for slow loading. If your app takes a long time to load, it will lead to users abandoning the app altogether. The minimal page loading time is about three seconds. To ensure this, you should use lighter content such as visuals and optimize the elements that take time to load.
Investing in a faster loading solution is essential and can be achieved by reducing image sizes, optimizing code, and leveraging caching technologies like Content Delivery Networks (CDN).
With regards to conversions, the effects of a faster loading time are significant. A study by Amazon revealed that even the slightest delay in page response can result in a 1% decrease in sales. This certainly emphasizes the need to put fast loading as one of your top development priorities.
Simple Navigation:
The easier it is for users to find what they’re looking for, the more likely they are to stay on your site. Creating a simple navigation structure with clear labels can help users quickly locate relevant pages and content. Conversions are increased up to 200% when a website has a simple and clear navigation structure. Additionally, including a search bar is also helpful so visitors can find exactly what they’re seeking without navigating through numerous pages.
Content prioritization:
Including too much content in your app can lead to confusion and clutter. It’s important to prioritize the content that is most relevant to users at any given time, as well as limit unnecessary content or features. This will help create a better overall user experience.
For example, say you have an online store app. You should focus your efforts on displaying the main product categories at first and then allow users to narrow down their search as they become more familiar with the app’s interface.
What this does is allow users to quickly find the product or service they are looking for without having to search through multiple pages. In return, you can convert more sales and have a higher success rate with the app.
Situation-based design changes:
In addition to prioritizing your content, it’s important to think about how different situations can affect the user experience. When designing a mobile app, for instance, you should consider how users will interact with it in various scenarios—whether they are outside in bright sunlight or inside on a dark and gloomy day.
You may want to consider including features such as an adjustable font size, high-contrast color schemes, and larger buttons that are easier to click. Additionally, think about how the user’s context might influence their actions. For example, if they have limited data or battery life, you could provide options for users to reduce the amount of data required for the app to run.
Considering how users will move through the app—where they may be coming from, where they need to go, and any other options available—will allow you anticipate their needs and create a more intuitive experience. With regards to conversions, according to a study by Nielson Norman Group, increasing the number of steps required to complete a task decreased conversions.
Mobile first vs Responsive
Mobile first design emphasizes the importance of designing a mobile interface before anything else and ensuring that it is as user-friendly as possible. Here the approach is to focus on mobile users first, and then address how to optimize for desktop after.
Responsive design, on the other hand, is more about creating a website that works across all devices without changing its content or structure. Both approaches are important for ensuring your app can be used by everyone, regardless of their device.
Differences between UI for web and mobile apps
The difference between the user interface for web and mobile apps can best be described by this statement: Websites give us access to information whereas mobile apps let us complete tasks (Medium). Therefore, cognition and visual perception are crucial when differentiating between the two.
Visual Perspective
From a visual perspective, mobile apps are designed with much more focus on user experience than web applications. This means that they include large fonts and images as well as easy to understand menus which allow for an intuitive experience (Forbes). It is also common for the UI of mobile apps to use swipe gestures and simplified navigation to provide quick access to features.
In contrast, web applications are generally more complex in design and have deeper navigation points (UX Planet). They are often designed for desktop computers with the intention of presenting a lot of information on one page. As a result, web apps may require users to scroll up and down or click through multiple pages to access all of the features.
Familiarity:
Users prefer a sense of familiarity across mobile platforms. This means that users should have an intuitive understanding of where to find certain features on the mobile version of an application. This means that developers must create consistent design elements and user experiences across devices.
User experience
For mobile apps, users expect an app that is optimized for the smaller device screens. The navigation should be easy and intuitive and the interaction should not be overly complex. Additionally, the app should respond quickly to user input and provide feedback in a timely manner.
In contrast, user experience on websites is focused on providing an engaging and informative experience that encourages users to explore the website and interact with its content. This means that the website should be designed to guide the user through a variety of tasks, while also providing helpful information along the way.
Performance:
For web applications, applications must be able to handle large amounts of data quickly and accurately without slowing down the user’s browser or computer. In contrast, mobile apps should be designed to minimize the amount of data they need to process, thus improving performance on low-power devices. Additionally, developers should ensure that the app is optimized for different types of networks and takes into account variations in network speed between countries or regions.
Examples of great mobile UI design
Tinder:
Source: tinder
Tinder has a great user interface, which is intuitive and easy to use. The app uses swiping left or right to match users to potential partners. Users can also use the search bar to find their desired matches. Additionally, Tinder has incorporated visual cues (such as profile pictures) and animations (such as swiping effects) for added interactivity.
Workouts by Oley Kopyl:
Source: dribbble
Workouts by Oley Kopyl is another great example of mobile UI design. The app uses card screens to display the exercises and provide detailed instructions. There are also visual cues for added interactivity, such as progress bars to show how far along users have come in their exercise routine, and sports modes to choose from, such as Pilates or Yoga. The app also offers personalized recommendations and rewards users for completing their exercises.
Coding app by Taras Migulko:
Source: dribbble
Taras Migulko’s coding app is an excellent example of mobile UI design. It features comic-strip inspired interface that makes learning to code easy and engaging. The app is easy to navigate, with sections that allow users to learn the basics of coding, practice their coding skills, and even compete against other coders in real-time challenges. In addition, it offers a customizable dashboard that allows users to keep track of their progress and receive recommendations for further development of coding.
La Teva Web
Source: latevaweb
This is an example of mobile-first design. This web design agency La Teva Web, based in Barcelona, mobile-first website that ticks off most boxes with the PWA best practices, as it is fast loading and sizes tap targets appropriately.
Visitors are greeted with a clean, minimal design and given the option to easily contact them or getting started on one of their services. The navigation is clear and concise, giving visitors all the information they need with no distractions.
Conclusion
Mobile UI has great potential to enhance the user experience. By following best practices, designers can create mobile-first experiences that are fast loading and intuitive for users.
Following these guidelines also helps developers build better performing web applications that are more efficient and give users a better overall experience. Mobile UI design should be an essential part of any development process, as it provides a framework for creating a great user experience.
