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XD Ideas   /   Principles   /   App Design

App Design

The difference between good app design and a poor one is usually the quality of its user experience. Fast loading times, ease of use, and overall customer satisfaction during an interaction should be integral parts of your design. Great app design is clearly laid out, efficient to use, and aesthetically pleasing. Read on for practical recommendations and advice on how to create apps that nail the UX.

App Design

What Are UX Writers? What to Know About UX Copywriting

By Nick Babich

Learn about the role of UX writers in product design.

App Design

How Carbon-Tracking Apps Are Designed to Foster Responsibility, and Why This Might Be Flawed

By Sharlene Gandhi

The near-impossibility of tracking an accurate carbon footprint is a microcosm of the climate crisis itself.

App Design

Why Are All Video Chat Platforms Designed with the Self-View?

By Rachel del Valle

Seeing yourself on video calls is distracting. How did this feature come about, and where is it going?

What Is App Design?

App design combines the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). While UI lends itself to the overall style of the app (including the colors, fonts, and general look and feel), UX focuses on the actual functionality and usability.

A large number of users abandon an app after using it for the first time. Since users are picky about which apps they use and so quick to abandon those they don’t enjoy, it’s essential to invest time and effort in creating a great user experience. The better the design, the better the chance that a user will engage with it and thus keep using it.

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What Factors Should You Consider Before Designing an App?

Just like any other product or service, apps need to be designed, organized, and strategized to solve user problems. Before you begin the app design, it’s important to conduct market research to gain a better understanding of your users. What do users need? What problem are you solving for them? What value will you bring them? Your app’s success depends on knowing these answers.

Great design is not only about great aesthetics; it’s also about matching user expectations. You need to ensure the information architecture of your app matches the user’s mental model, navigation patterns are self-evident, all touch targets (such as buttons) are finger-friendly, and the app content looks equally good on mobile devices as it does on the web at various screen sizes and resolutions.

What Elements Should be Included in a Good App Design?

Creating an app with UI and UX in mind so that it is both beautiful and functional is the essence of good app design. This balance is often difficult to achieve, and it’s almost impossible to build a perfect app without continual cycles of iteration. That’s why designers should treat their own set of app design guidelines as a continually evolving project. It’s essential to create an effective build-measure-learn cycle where every design decision is evaluated according to the needs of your users and your business goals.

The principles in these articles can help you design a better experience, but they won’t replace the need for user research and testing. You’ll need to test your solution with real users to understand which parts of your app design are working and which require improvement. For that very reason, you should encourage user feedback at every opportunity.

It’s easy to identify the parts of your app that require polishing when you have a strong feedback loop in your product design process. It’s recommended that you conduct usability testing sessions on a regular basis, analyzing results and prioritizing necessary changes according to the impact they will have on users.

To match user expectations, it’s also vital to understand what is happening in app design today. Be aware of modern design techniques and product design trends. More specifically, pay attention to ones that help product teams create an excellent user experience and make effective design decisions.

Read on for more articles about app design best practices and to learn about the latest developments in UX design knowledge.

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App Design

Bitmap vs. Vector Images: What’s the Difference?

By Muditha Batagoda

Learn about the two different kinds of images in web design: bitmaps and vectors.

App Design

Mobile App Splash Screen Examples & Benefits

By Muditha Batagoda

A mobile app splash screen is a helpful introductory for what to expect and keep users engaged.

Web Design

What Makes a Good User Experience?

By Matt Rae

What constitutes a good experience is often subjective, and will likely vary between different people or contexts.

iphone on a pink background
App Design

Essential Patterns of Mobile Navigation

By Nick Babich

Read the pros & cons of common mobile navigation patterns and learn when to use each for your app.

A series of illustrated mobile app wireframes with different screen layouts on a purple background.
Wireframing

Complete Guide to Creating Mobile App Wireframes

By Jill DaSilva

Creating a wireframe for a mobile app comes with some device & screen-specific considerations. Here’s a step-by-step guide.

Women checking her smartwatch while exercising
App Design

UX Design for Smartwatches – What To Keep In Mind

By Nick Babich

Many designers have hands-on experience with desktop and mobile app design, but smartwatches are still a completely new and unfamiliar territory for many designers. Both the size of the device and the way people interact with them require different des

Illustration of layout for a desktop application on a computer screen
App Design

Optimizing Your Desktop App Design

By Patrick Faller

Desktop app design was in the spotlight for almost three decades. However, with the rise of mobile devices, mobile apps have taken the place of desktop apps. Nowadays, the design industry is focused on mobile design and desktop design has become a seco

Photograph of iPhone X
App Design

Everything You Should Know About Designing Apps for Bezel-Less iPhones

By Nick Babich

iPhone X was the most significant step up since the original iPhone, and it set a new bar for mobile app designers and developers. iPhone XS and XR series that were released after iPhone X were both based on the same concept of bezel-less phones. Befor

various tech with same display
App Design

New to Material Design? 12 Principles You Need to Know

By Nick Babich

Material Design has gotten more popular, not only for Android but other web-bound projects. Is it for you?

Texting describing the flow for building an app
App Design

App Design: Expert Guidelines for Creating a Successful App

By Oliver Lindberg

The way we all consume content has changed dramatically over the last few years. Desktop internet usage is falling, while mobile usage is rising sharply. The average U.S. user now spends more than five hours per day on a mobile device, and there are mi

iOS app design layouts
App Design

iOS App Design Guidelines & Inspiration

By Nick Babich

Most designers dream of creating products that rise to the top of the App Store charts. But to do so, it’s vital to design them to meet high expectations for quality and functionality. Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) is a must-read resource for anyone

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