Things to Keep in Mind When Designing Native Mobile Apps
Youâve been designing web apps for years, and youâre a total pro at it. Well done!
Now you have to design your first native app and youâre not quite sure where to start. Donât worry. The good thing is most of your web design knowledge is transferable, but there are a few things you should keep in mind.
Respect Platform Conventions
Understanding the environment youâre designing for is fundamental. What are the patterns and interactions users expect? If you design an iOS or Android app using only web design patterns, people will be frustrated.
The best way to understand platform conventions is to use that platform for an extended period of time. If youâre an iPhone user, try using an Android for a few months, and vice versa. Donât let the Apple vs Google holy wars get in the way of doing great design work.
Iâm aware that itâs not always feasible to acquire a second device, so here are a few other options for learning more about a software platform:
- Read the documentation. Apple and Google both have great documentation around how to design for their platforms. Read it.
- Talk to friends and co-workers. Ask them to show you some of their favorite apps. Pay attention to how they are using their device and navigating around.
- Watch videos on Youtube
- Go to your local gadget store and play around with the phones
Performance Matters
This is not to say that performance doesnât matter with web apps, but peopleâs expectations are different. On native platforms, people expect fast loading, smooth scrolling, and an overall snappy feel.
Your design decisions affect performance in positive and negative ways. Work closely with your development team to make sure your design doesnât compromise performance. If it does, change your design.
Your UI doesnât have to be the same for every platform
Over the past few years, the design community has latched on to the idea that an app must look and function exactly the same for every single platform its on. The reason sounds something like this:
âIf the UI is the same on every platform then our customers can easily jump from web, to iOS, to Android and not have to re-learn anything. This is a better user experience.â
The statement above is true if people only use your app. Sorry to break it to you but your app is probably not the center of peopleâs lives. That would be nice đ.
Your app lives in the larger context of someoneâs life. They are not thinking about your app as much as you are. They use it when needed and then move on.
In reality, people view their phones as a single experience. They may jump from app to app, but the way they see it they are just âusing their phoneâ. Your app should fit nicely into that experience. Anything you do out of the ordinary will be noticed, and thatâs not always good.
I think itâs more user-focused to use native patterns because it takes into account the totality of the userâs phone experience. Theyâll understand the navigation structure because itâs similar to most of the other apps they use. Theyâll know they can swipe to go back because every other app on their phone behaves the same way.
Not every app needs to, or should, surprise and delight. Most of the time people just want stuff thatâs reliable and works well.
In Summary
Designing native apps is so much fun. Each platform has unique and powerful capabilities that are not available to web designers. Enjoy the experience of learning something new and donât forget:
- Respect platform conventions
- Performance matters
- Your UI doesnât have to be the same for every platform
Go forth and design great native apps!