As a mobile app reseller you’re tasked with taking a client’s creative vision and putting it into a mobile application. That’s often easier said than done, considering some clients are harder to work with than others, some clients don’t give you much to start with in the first place, and sometimes you as the mobile designer might run into situations where you’re not entirely sure how to complete a request.
Luckily, the mobile design world is packed with resources for you to complete your own research. However, it’s best to arm yourself with quick design tips and tools for creating your apps. This way, you’re not constantly on the research front trying to figure out how to complete one design aspect of the app.
This speeds up the development process and certainly encourages your clients to recommend you to other people.
Understand What Colors Do on an Emotional Level
Part of choosing colors has to do with the colors your client currently has in its logo and branding materials. That’s great, but sometimes you’re tasked with developing a brand for the client. On the other hand, you also might have to find colors that go well with the current logo, making sure the colors are useful to the client.
All colors cause different reactions from customers. For example, green represents peace, health and outdoorsiness. As you can see from the wonderful Logo Company infographic, Animal Planet, John Deere and Whole Foods all utilize green, and that makes complete sense.
The same goes for the color blue, where we see companies like Dell, Lowe’s and American Express, all of which are trying to bring out a feeling of dependability and strength.
Use Context Wisely
Writing is often forgotten about in the world of design, but it can be argued that text often means more to impressive design than the colors and physical elements themselves. The goal with writing quality text is to know both the medium and the audience. We know that all apps are going to be viewed on tablets and smartphones, so that’s the first part of the puzzle. But it’s up to you to think about what the customer-base wants in terms of text.
Here are some tips for making your text stand out:
- Ensure that all of your written content is easy to understand. If one text subject says they don’t get something, that means many other people might feel the same way.
- Wording should remain consistent throughout the entire app. This ties into branding. For example, a law firm’s mobile app should contain more professional words throughout, while a hair salon might lean towards the fun side of things.
- The most important words should reside towards the front of the app. Although interesting, no one using an app wants to learn about the CEO on the homepage. Words like Call Us and Reserve a Table are more essential right off the bat.
- Call to actions are prominent on mobile app buttons and tabs. This means you should phrase the labels positively, allowing your customers to feel strong about their choices and somewhat in control of how they’re interacting with the app.
Make Goals Easily Accessible
Make a list of the goals that your customers are trying to achieve. Do they want to call the company as quickly as possible? Then make sure the app has a quick call button with only one step. Are they interested in getting a quote? Then there shouldn’t be three pages they have to click through in order to get to that goal.
Forget About Reinventing the Wheel
With solutions, you don’t have to start from scratch. Your best bet is to locate a mobile app template with the majority of the design elements already in place. For example, a fitness club can find a template with online booking, membership tools and quick call buttons. More often than not you’ll come out with a better design when you have less work to do.
Follow the Five Pillars of Interaction Design
Interaction design is generally talked about with website design, but it rings true in the mobile universe as well.
Here are the five pillars to follow:
- Design is goal-driven – Are the most important customer goals being achieved with the app?
- The design is easy to use – Are these goals achieved without much effort?
- Use signifiers – A blue underlined phrase signifies that the customer can click on the text and move forward. These are useful for minimizing the thought process for users.
- Can the users learn? – Learnability ties into the user interface, but it’s more about whether or not people recognize the layout of an app in general and can learn about what happens next. This is why basing your design on apps made before yours is a good idea.
- Give feedback – Whether a contact form, reservation tool or a simple link, the user needs to know if the goal has been completed. For example, a “thank you” popup after a contact form submission verifies that the process is done.
Over to You
Now that you’ve had a chance to understand some of the best design tips for creating incredible apps, share your thoughts in the comments regarding some of your own go-to design practices. Also, let us know if you have any questions on how to implement some of these tips in your own designs.
BestWeb – For further enquiries on any of our expertise or services, whether it is for website design & development, mobile application development, or digital media marketing, please feel free to contact or whatsapp +65-9193 8518, email welcome@bestweb.com.sg or visithttps://bestweb.com.sg/ Thank you.
