Understanding Mobile User Behavior
Do you ever find yourself wondering why, despite our best efforts, some mobile sites just donāt do it for people. Itās always baffling when customers in their droves choose to bounce from your website. So, what is driving them away - or more importantly, keeping them on.
First off, you need to remember that someone interacting with your site on mobile already has less patience than on desktop. Theyāre looking for instant answers and want to get things done fast. If your website isnāt fulfilling that need, then they're probably never coming back. You need to be well aware of the thumb zone - a region that is reportedly comfortable for the average thumb to reach while holding the phone single-handedly.
The zone does vary by size and type of phone, but typically thereās an easy-to-reach area, a hard-to-reach area and a zone that's somewhere in-between. Mobile devices typically have smaller screens - no surprises there. This means all content needs to fit into this limited space - which means all information needs to be condensed and presented efficiently without disrupting other elements of the page.
You really donāt want users having to scroll down endlessly looking for what they came onto your site in the first place for. If there are large blocks of text or slow loading images taking up precious real estate, visitors may not spend very much time engaging with your content. I think one way to keep visitors around is supposedly giving them the sense that theyāre in charge while using your site. Personalising user journeys can slightly help create intuitive and meaningful relationships between you and the potential customer.
This could come from letting them set up profiles or preferences so relevant information shows up as soon as they visit the site again - kind of like when Netflix knows what youāve watched before and already has good recommendations loaded up on your home page. Small but effective gestures that make users feel like theyāre in control of how their information is consumed makes a world of difference.
Key Principles of Mobile UX Design
What makes a great mobile experience. Itās a question every designer will ask themselves over and over. And thatās because the answer keeps changing. Iāve found that a lot of getting it right is arguably about being genuinely curious about the people at the other end of the screen.
What do they want. What are their anxieties. How fast do they need to see results.
Simplicity is key, I think. Weāre all scrolling through our phones on the go most of the time. People donāt have time to āfigure outā what your app does or how they can nearly always get what they need out of it.
It needs to be fairly obvious, fairly quickly. Along with this, it appears important to design for limited screen space - work out your hierarchy so you donāt end up with a cluttered situation - or create unnecessary stress points in a personās day (I mean, colour pallette choices). Accessibility, too, seems like a principle that really matters if you want more people to interact with your app in meaningful ways - and not have to overthink just getting things done.
More or less. At least from what Iāve observed and heard from other designers (and even app users) lately, creating experiences that are scalable across devices has become an essential part of designing for mobile. I think itās quite unrealistic to expect people to only use one phone or tablet for years and years on end (even though some purists would disagree).
I believe creating great design comes down to this: how do we make this enjoyable for everyone - even people who wouldnāt call themselves digital natives.
Essential Design Patterns for Mobile Interfaces
Ever wondered why some mobile apps are slightly so pleasing to use while others feel like learning a new language. Iām not talking about the colours or the fonts. No, itās the design patterns tucked in behind those pixels that can make you want to keep scrolling or have you uninstalling in record time.
It might not seem like much, but these little elements are what make an app feel seamless. Take bottom navigation bars for instance - they make it so much easier for us to navigate around the app with our thumbs. Of course, you could choose to stick with the classic top bar but with most of us using bigger screens, going all the way up seems like too much work.
Plus, there are also gestures that have found their way into mainstream apps. Swiping has become second nature and it makes no sense not to take advantage of how easy it is. Thereās something very satisfying about being able to swipe through endless content (think Tinder, Instagram Reels, etc. ).
It also adds an element of interactivity that is difficult to replicate on a desktop interface. Another user-friendly pattern is comparatively cards. This isnāt just a throwback to print design but itās also quite practical. They make content easy to consume and fairly easy to scan as well.
Unlike web interfaces where layouts can get quite complex, keeping things relatively simple on mobile works really well. Rather than crowding too much information into one part of the screen, tabs help users find relevant information easily without feeling overwhelmed.
Microinteractions are usually another thing that can make or break the usability of your app. These small animations create feedback loops for users every time they interact with your interface which keeps them engaged and wanting more.
Rather than thinking of mobile as a side project where you just adapt desktop designs and features, mobile needs its own unique approach - one that takes into account context and understands that users are engaging differently here compared to desktop interfaces.
Enhancing Navigation for Mobile Users
Remember the last time you got lost in an unfamiliar city because of poor signages. Now, replace the ācityā in your mind with your website. A mobile-friendly website without a clear navigation structure is a death sentence in todayās world.
Itās sort of easy to go overboard with aesthetics, but functionality, like navigation, still trumps beauty. With a spike in search traffic originating from smartphones and tablets, more people access their favourite brands on mobile devices than ever before.
This makes navigation a necessary component of any user experience plan. Often reduced to only icon bars that toggle or slide from the left and right of their screens, mobile navigations must be able to accommodate complex multi-level structures. The key is to group related pages together and highlight important sections like deals and offers.
Brands today are rather leveraging menu cards on their homepage instead of outdated hamburger icons because it allows for easier thumb reachability. Others are focussing on bottom-drawer navbars so that your users donāt have to keep straining their hands to explore what theyāre offering. And there appears to be sort of one design pattern thatās been working for quite some time - sticky navigation bars that float at the top while users scroll through your landing page. I think we can both agree - finding ways to create more thumb-friendly websites is key to enhancing navigation for mobile users.
Optimizing Content for Small Screens
Do you ever find yourself wondering how people can scroll on their phones while dodging potholes, navigating narrow footpaths, and crossing busy roads. Thatās the power of small screens. A single screen that delivers information to its users with that perfect balance of no clutter, rich information, and great aesthetic. Mobile devices have changed how people interact with content.
Thereās a lot to say and only so much that can be displayed on a 6-inch screen. It appears that more words donāt necessarily translate to higher value for content on mobile screens. It seems like in fact, users prefer content that is comparatively concise and relevant. That means content should be optimised by prioritising user needs.
A good way to do this would be by breaking down longer pages of text into smaller sections or links so itās easier to digest or scan through the page. It seems like most designers are aware of this but it feels like they donāt always remember that the mobile-first approach is about prioritising mobile experiences rather than making them an afterthought. Adopting this approach means designing web pages for the smallest screens first and then moving on to make them fit larger screens.
This would mean customising images and videos in a way that allows easy interaction without taking up too much space or causing users to leave the page. If needed, compressing larger files could also help in optimising the loading time.
A key feature of mobile-first design is arguably enabling accessibility for all users. This means considering their needs when designing elements such as fonts, colours, contrast, spacing, and readability for people with disabilities such as visual impairments or dyslexia. Sort of.
Making your website more accessible isnāt just about improving your SEO rankings but also about creating meaningful experiences for all users.
Testing and Iterating on Mobile Designs
Are you stuck with a mobile UX that doesn't seem to click with your users. Well, don't worry about it. Testing and iterating on your mobile designs is something that comes with the territory.
Sounds Like many successful digital companies have been where you are, and they come out with better designs every time. It's not about being perfect, it's about improving in increments. Testing and iterating on mobile designs essentially refers to the act of putting your app through different environments and seeing how users interact with it.
Yes, you can get your software engineer to run a test for bugs, but that's not what this is about. It's not enough to just make sure everything works. You need to see if it works as intended by putting it in front of your intended users and getting their feedback. It might look like doing an A/B test or running a quick survey on a focus group you've gathered.
More or less. There are several things you should consider testing for in your apps like: ease of navigation, visual design, user satisfaction, information retention, whether people are being drawn away from certain parts of the app or website because of how they're designed (or aren't), and more. You can do this using various methods like having actual users attempt tasks on the app while recording the screen for later analysis or you could use heat maps which can help you see which areas users interact with the most.
It's also important to remember that this isn't a one-and-done type of thing - it's an ongoing process. As trends evolve and technology adapts, so will your customers' needs. So take all the feedback you've received from these tests and iterate based on them regularly. Make small adjustments as often as you can manage so that you stay relevant without burning out your team or annoying your userbase with updates every week.