The design of a mobile application is very important for buyers – we not only perceive the picture with our eyes, but also buy. The aesthetics of a product influences the buying decision, so a custom design is worth considering.
Minimalism, simplicity, intriguing typography and flatness are still the most popular trends to follow and implement. The so-called flat design is different:
- simple form,
- lack of elements that mimic reality,
- shadows, gradients or slopes.
Moreover, designers should focus on javascript and css animation, and harnessing the potential of augmented reality, image recognition and NFC communication, which is tied to the native functionality of mobile devices. Mobile app design services should be able to work in a team and understand the basics of app and website development.
How the work of a mobile application designer is structured
Mobile application design patterns and the development process are inseparable. Consider the option when a customer comes with an idea and without an application (not revision, not rebranding, but creating a project from scratch) in order to go through all, all, all stages.
Research and hypothesis formation
First, you need to understand what the business wants and what the user wants – and make friends with their desires. To do this, we start with interviewing the customer and immersion in the specifics of his project (usually a professional analyst helps us in this work). Then we look for potential users and conduct interviews with them.
Now we have all the data to form and prioritize hypotheses, write job stories and draw up a CJM (Customer Journey Map). This means that we know exactly where we will start designing and what the first version of the product will be (or MVP – minimum viable product).
Wireframing
This is when you draw screens, but not very detailed. There are no icons, there are circles; there are no pictures, there are rectangles. The task is to quickly assemble the main screens into a clickable (that is, one that can be clicked) prototype and check that everything is in place and everything is clear. Such a “blank” can already be shown to colleagues (this is called “corridor testing”) and to the customer (in order to be on the same wavelength with him and he was aware of what is happening with his product).
Design concept
This is already about the appearance and concept of interaction — about the interface and visual language, about the methods of communicating with the user, about the tone of communication (friendly or official), about gami cation (suddenly we need to encourage the user and come up with rewards).
It is important to think over all types of interaction between the application and the user, from micro animations when scrolling to push notifications (we see them outside the application, but they can become one of the reasons for hate and irritation of the user).
How is this done? We take key screens or small scenarios that best reflect our idea and work out how it will look in the finished application.
Transfer to development
In order to transfer the design to development, layouts must be in order, screens must be numbered and arranged according to scenarios. A design system (or UI-Kit) should also be created, where all elements are shown in all states (for example, a button in a normal state, on hover, on tap, an inactive button). Export must be configured so that the developer can download any icon in the desired format.
What you need to know to be a mobile app designer
Of course, you need a base and tools here, let’s start with the second one. Need to master Figma. This can be done directly on the service website (only all materials are in English), or you can find training videos on YouTube. It is important to learn not only how to draw all the shapes and customize the text, but also how to use styles, components, frames and auto-layouts (yes, a lot of unfamiliar words).
And in order to draw icons and prepare vector graphics, you will have to deal with Adobe Illustrator, and to prepare raster images – with Adobe Photoshop. You will also have to study the guides from Google (Material Design) and Apple (Human Interface Guidelines).
We must not forget about the general design knowledge base that everyone needs.
