One of the most satisfying experiences in the digital world is when we download a mobile app, use it and the platform seems to understand us. It’s as if the app can anticipate needs. Before thinking about where the “Pay” button is in the (app), the interface already clearly shows the options in the area where the button is. The opposite also happens: when there is an error or when we don’t respond to what we want, the only component in these situations, both positive and negative, is the user experience (UX) design.

The UX process for creating products that provide users with a meaningful experience is relevant and involves designing the entire product acquisition and integration process, including aspects such as branding, design, usability and functionality. A mobile app can be developed using the most modern technologies, but if it is not designed to be user-oriented, it will be a complete failure. The goal of all software development should be to create a positive and friendly experience for people to connect with the platform and companies that offer products or services.

Usability and user goals

Clarity is the most important element of a user interface. In fact, the purpose of this interface is for people to interact with the system, communicating meaning and functionality. If people can’t figure out how your app works or where it is on your site, they will be confused and frustrated.

User attention is a precious resource, but in the case of mobile devices, this premise is even more important.

“If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the right question to ask, because if I knew the right question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.”

—Albert Einstein, Nobel Physics.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zm2rvk7

Buttons and text sizes

Smaller touch targets are harder for the user to hit than larger touch targets. When designing a mobile interface, it’s a good idea for users to tap easily. An important aspect is the text size, the font used and the size of buttons in mobile applications. UX designers should strive to make the text displayed on the screen readable for the end user, a more positive experience as interacting with the screen and its functions will not be complicated.

“Perfection is achieved when there is nothing left to take away.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (French writer, illustrator and pilot.)

https://medium.com/bbc-design-engineering/the-lessons-learnt-creating-a-design-system-for-bbc-online-38625885870e

Responsiveness

Mobile devices have different sized screens, so mobile app development and user experience design need to go hand in hand to accommodate user navigation. Responsive design is nothing more than software whose content remains the same, regardless of the device being accessed. You cannot create different software for different devices, so the best way is to develop a responsive design that is compatible with all devices.

“Consistency is one of the most powerful usability principles: when things always behave the same way, users don’t have to worry about what’s going to happen.”

– Jakob Nielsen (is a computer scientist with a Ph.D. in human-machine interaction. He is a User Advocate and director of the Nielsen Norman Group, which he co-founded with Dr. Donald A. Norman)

Position the elements well

The organization of the site is a point that deserves attention. If a person enters a web page and finds a cluttered page full of stray icons, chances are they’ll leave without even looking at what they were looking for.

Authoring for mobile devices is a challenge full of limitations and details, whether due to screen size, distraction or the user’s internet plan. Every UX Designer is faced with a series of obstacles all the time: knowing how to organize each interface element is an arduous task, so it is preferable to create an interface with an organized and clean look. Sometimes an interface doesn’t need to be full of animations, just pay attention to alignment and space.

“I think there is a deep and enduring beauty in simplicity; in clarity, in efficiency. True simplicity derives from much more than just the absence of clutter and ornamentation. It’s about bringing order to complexity.”

— Jony Ive (He has been the head of Apple’s industrial design department since 1996, having held the position of Senior Vice President after the death of Steve Jobs.)

There are many ways to develop an app, it all depends on the requirements of the customer and the software engineers running the project. New methods and devices appear all the time and the role of the UX Designer is to seek to simplify and make it elegant and easier to use.

‍