A mobile app needs quick API calls. It needs to be secure. It needs scalable server-side architecture. These essential facets of mobile app development affect user experience, but most users may not be fully aware of them.

To the average app user, it’s what they see—the interface—that matters most of all.

A mobile app’s user interface can make or break its success in the App Store. With that in mind, a beautiful, functional interface is no longer a “nice-to-have.” It’s a must.

What is mobile UI design?

The mobile user interface (UI) is everything the user sees and interacts with when exploring an app on their mobile device: an assortment of icons, buttons, menus, forms, and screens. Mobile UI design, then, is the process of creating, placing, and optimizing these UI elements.

In our eyes, UI design is simply problem-solving. Sure, a thoughtfully designed interface allows for intuitive, engaging user interactions. But it also guides customers toward an intended action. Whether you want more account signups or fewer abandoned carts, intelligent UI design can address your business-related issues.

How are problems solved through UI design? By combining aspects of graphic design, typography, copywriting, software engineering, psychology, and more, we can point your target users to the desired path. When done correctly, UI design is as much an art as it is a science, and all of these elements come together to create a memorable digital experience that still feels natural.

With around 60% of web traffic coming from mobile devices, developing a superior mobile UI is more important than ever.

What makes for a good mobile UI?

A good UI should be intuitive, enticing, and easy to use. But what does that mean in practice? For most projects, developing an effective interface starts with following these UI design principles.

Clarity

Mobile apps aren’t made to be admired from afar; they’re meant to be used. When your app is approachable, you encourage use and exploration from the widest possible audience.

Regardless of features and functionality, a crystal-clear mobile app UI needs:

• Clear, concise language
• Legible text
• Minimal distractions
• A straightforward structure

By keeping your features simple and intuitive, we ensure your app will make sense to anyone, even a first-time user. And when complexity is unavoidable, we “hide” it behind technology and creative design, keeping the user experience first-rate.

Consistency

As your users interact with your UI, they’ll develop expectations and habits. Breaking from these expectations can lead to frustration and app abandonment. But when your design philosophy is consistent, you can add features and test new iterations without alienating your user base.

Your users also have expectations before they install your app—expectations they’ve formed through their everyday mobile device usage. Take the order of buttons, for instance.

Apple’s design guidelines suggest placing the primary button on the right, while Microsoft prefers putting it on the left. So, if you’re developing an iOS app, putting the “OK” option on the left breaks the hardwired pattern the user has already learned.

Remember that UI design doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it should always account for the overarching device UI. Your interface can surpass user expectations, but it shouldn’t challenge them.

Cohesion

Beyond internal app consistency, there’s also cross-platform consistency. For many brands, a mobile app is only part of their digital ecosystem. As such, a mobile UI is only exceptional if it exists in harmony with the UI of their other platforms and apps.

We took this idea of cohesion to the next level when designing for our client pliability, creating similar (but not identical) apps for iOS, Android, Web, Apple TV, and Apple Watch. The mobile app UI pairs seamlessly with other device interfaces, resulting in a seamless, interconnected experience for users at home and on the go.

Control

Users should also be able to adjust visual and functional settings to their liking. Whenever possible, we give users the power to change their:

• Privacy preferences
• Notification type and frequency
• Color scheme
• Font size
• App layout

Putting the user in the driver’s seat doesn’t just make for a more enjoyable digital experience, either. It also makes for a more accessible app. Users with different abilities benefit hugely from a flexible product.

Tolerance for errors

Unlike desktop users, mobile users are on the go. They have to use their fingers instead of a mouse. They may navigate the app with one hand instead of two.

All of these contextual differences can make mobile users more prone to mistakes, so mobile UI design needs to be forgiving. Errors shouldn’t have significant consequences, but if they do, “Are you sure?” messages and undo buttons can save the day.

What are the differences between mobile UI and desktop UI?

As you’d expect, mobile UI applies to smartphones, tablets, and other handheld devices. Desktop UI pertains to laptops and desktop computers.

While the design guidelines that inform “good UI” are largely device-agnostic, there are particularities that make mobile UI design and desktop UI design two distinct arts. These differences include:

• Screen size and orientation – Desktop UI is typically developed with large, landscape-oriented screens in mind, so there’s no sense in hiding menus or features. Mobile app design needs to account for smaller screens, as well as the ability to switch between vertical and horizontal orientations.

• Screen type – Using a mouse to navigate an app is nothing like using your finger on a touchscreen. As a result, scrolling functionality varies between mobile and desktop apps, as do button sizes and feature layouts.

• Processing power – Smartphones and tablets have come a long way, but they lack the sheer power of a desktop computer. Our mobile UI designers always keep device capabilities in mind, scaling back any features that might be too CPU-intensive.

Can you design a UI that works for both mobile and desktop?

Absolutely. This approach to cross-device design is known as responsive design. With responsive design, the UI elements on the page are dynamic; they rearrange themselves automatically based on the user’s device.

Responsive design is a cost-effective way to support multiple platforms, and it helps users transition between devices. That said, it’s practically impossible to perfectly recreate the desktop experience on mobile and vice versa. We don’t take a “one size fits all” approach to UI design; we create based on the project’s needs, whether that means two separate native apps or a cross-device solution.

The benefits of having a great mobile UI

A well-designed UI doesn’t just lead to an engaging user experience. It also benefits your business in several concrete ways.

1. Building user trust

A premium mobile app is evidence of a premium brand. When your app is visually appealing and easy to understand, your users see you as a trustworthy, professional business and are more likely to support you over your competitors.

If your UI design is poorly executed, users may perceive your app as unreliable or unprofessional. The resulting negative reviews and low engagement numbers play into your app’s performance in the App Store.

2. Reducing support costs

Users are less likely to encounter roadblocks when your mobile app UI is intuitive. With fewer support inquiries, your customer service team can spend less time on tickets and more time implementing improvements and dreaming up additional features. In the end, your customer support costs plummet.

3. Increasing revenue

Developing an intuitive, engaging UI may call for a larger upfront investment, but it’s time and money well spent. A well-designed mobile UI can serve to usher users through the in-app conversion funnel, encouraging them to perform desired actions.

And even if your users don’t reach the bottom of the funnel right away, they’ll spend more time on the app if they enjoy its UI. Eventually, you’ll have a loyal customer on your hands—one who’s much more likely to buy or subscribe.

A data-driven approach to mobile UI design

Ultimately, a streamlined and aesthetically-pleasing UI leads to a high-quality user experience (UX). And an unforgettable UX is what keeps your users coming back for more.

At Utility, we develop UI and UX that dazzle and delight your users. In fact, we do it all.

For us, it’s not enough for an app to look and feel right. We examine the cold hard data that drives user decisions, then turn it into a stunning user interface that begs to be explored.

If that’s what’s missing from your current mobile apps, schedule a call with our expert team.