The Do’s and Don’ts of Mobile UI Design

Mobile user interface (UI) design offers developers a chance to carry out unique and engaging experiences. There are various factors that you need to consider when plotting your design concepts for your mobile app development project. These different factors all play an important role in making sure what you’re offering to your users is exactly what they need.

Below are the do’s and don’ts that you have to consider when designing your mobile UI:

Readability

Do: Make sure that your text can be read. Readability is an essential factor in the user interface. Your text must be legible. The ideal font size is at least 11 points. This will enable users to read your content without having to zoom in the screen.

Don’t: Use fonts with a cursive style or other embellishments. This will hurt your reader’s eyes as it will be very difficult to read what is projected on the screen. Also, do not use small font sizes. Your content will be incomprehensible.

Spacing 

Do: Improve your content’s legibility by increasing the spacing of your letters. Aside from better readability, it also does not look cluttered. For long-form content, it can make the readers more comfortable so be sure to provide ample amount of spacing.

Don’t: Overlap your text. It will be difficult for your readers to follow what is written as your content will appear squeezed in. Similarly, avoid too much white space that can make the design look sparse and disconnected.

Layout

 Do: Formulate a layout that is easy on the eye. Make a layout that can be easily read by putting controls near the option your users want to change. Don’t forget to prioritize user navigation for ease of use.

Don’t: Put too many unnecessary corners in your layout. Also, avoid creating a layout that is difficult to follow or placing too many unimportant options.

Positioning 

Do: Properly position your text, photos, and buttons to make your users better understand how they are related to one another.

Don’t: Just put your text, photos, and buttons anywhere you want. Your users will get confused if they are not properly aligned. It is your role to provide them some semblance of direction. 

Resolution 

Do: Present your images and other visual elements in high resolution. You don’t want your users to think that your app is poorly made.

Don’t: Use pixelated images and other low-resolution materials. Avoid using photos that are not of professional quality as they will look blurry on a retina display.

Orientation 

Do: As much as possible, make sure your design supports both portrait and landscape orientations. People have different preferences when it comes to the screen orientation, depending on the apps that they frequently use. It’s best to have both orientations readily available.

Don’t: Limit your design to a single orientation.

Conclusion

It is important to maintain your visual elements’ weight and balance. While you are free to highlight more important items, it is still important to strike a balance in your content. Remember that user comfort is the most important thing when designing mobile UI. This factor will ultimately lead to the success of the application so make sure to invest time and money in this aspect.