UX design for any mobile based platform comes with its own set of essential principles. There are things a developer must always bear in mind whenever conjuring up new ideas in their head. Considering that smartphones have pretty much taken over the world it is a safe assumption to say that smartphone apps play a huge role in that takeover.
One must understand that UX design isn't just a matter creating something through a set formula. Creativity and a developer's own personality are infused into the UI - even if only a little. It's important to treat UX design like a work of art while also maintaining a few strict guidelines. Missing or just down right ignoring basic essentials will impede success.
Mobile UX design comes with a few stagnant such as making sure everything is as self-evident as it possibly could be, letting the user have room to breathe, passing along as much information as possible without seeming too pushy. Now all these things may seem to be common sense and relatively easy but that is far from the truth. Let us now discuss these specifics more in depth and what role they play in ensuring the success of your UX design.
No Room to Breathe
If a user needs to zoom in as much as possible to tap on a specific button in an app then there is just too much clutter going on. If there's too much on any given page on your product, you can easily frustrate the user. Ensure that there is enough space for a user to easily visualize all buttons, widgets etc. and also make sure there is room for tutorial pop-ups which we will get to later.
This brings us back to when you are coming up with ideas and scoping them out properly. With a plan in mind, as to where each thing should be, while considering yourself the user - app layout should be easy.
Be one with the flow!
Transition between various areas in your design is imperative to making sure a user not only stays engaged but also interested. This flow shouldn't be something the user has to spend hours learning - the teaching process should start from the get go. Simple tutorial popups or loading bar tips and tricks can make all the difference.
We know that the user wants to get from 'point a' to 'point b', however, we MUST assume that they don't know who to do that. Making everything easy to find and evident is the best way to ensure that they learn quickly.
Be the User
Visualize yourself as the user and rate your own UX design without any bias. Being able to find weaknesses on your own has proven to be a great strength throughout history. If you're not comfortable with being the user yourself and are looking for 100% genuine feedback - just ask a sample group of your users.
Things like market research are quite easy these days. Getting feedback from users is very imperative and it can be the make or break aspect of a product.
Conclusion
Think about a road map and how everything is listed down to the name of the streets - assuming the "user" has no idea whatsoever. The purpose of any design is to ensure efficiency in completing a task and if the UX design is not achieving that, it needs to be revamped. Automation is integral to success in this day and age and any process that could be made shorter should be.
