7 Tips to Design Top-Ranked Mobile Apps in 2018

Mobile applications have become a buzzword for people globally in today’s world. They have changed the way people do shopping, make payments and keep in contact with each other. Only greatly designed, successful apps are worth the user’s attention, choice and time. There are some noteworthy tips that should be taken into account to design better your mobile app in 2018. In this article, we have compiled a list of seven best tips you can tap into to make a mobile app design high-quality.

The Key Features that Turn an App into the Market Leader

Let’s explore the major mobile app features below:

• Fast loading. An app should be downloaded and set up fast to increase its popularity and not to lose the prospects that don’t like to waste their time waiting for page loading.
• Personalization. When choosing an app, users more focused on the one with personalization availability. Flexible settings such as changing colors, fonts, backgrounds are a high priority among users.
• Security. Incorporate biometrics specific characteristics as the more secure way to protect both end-users and businesses data.
• Social networks connection. Make sure the integration feature can be taken into account when designing an app. It enables users to log in/sign up by using their preferred social platforms.

Credits: Moose

Below we have outlined the most sought-after tips to follow.

1. Functional Minimalism: Avoid Clutter and Overload

The most sophisticated content and perfectly designed features are useless if the user cannot find them. That means navigation should be simple and intuitively comprehensible, the navigation menu should be designed in a manner not to take up too much space on the device screen.

Use the easily-recognizable elements to be found without difficulties. Irrelevant information should be removed, and relevant one should be prioritized by focusing on content and elaborating clear visual language. Visual elements should be hierarchically-structured and kept to a minimum to make content comprehension easier and not overloading.

Credits: Jae-seong, Jeong

2. Give Attention to the Fonts and Unique Icons

Fonts and icons will become effective when designing an app in 2018. Manipulations with big and bold fonts, unique symbols or shapes can be strong enough to distinguish an app from the crowd. The main rule is to use easily readable text, create app icons in the style of your brand or company logo, combine aesthetics and functionality of each element.

Credits: IOS icons by Icons8

3. Don’t Underestimate the Power of Color

The color scheme has an effect on how the users will perceive an app that can call attention, influence users’ actions, bring out emotions and set a mood. When it comes to an app, this is definitely the bright vivid color time.

We advise moving towards louder, more attention-grabbing techniques, as well as the two-tone subtrend, which features images with gradient and duotone overlays. This year, expect bold, dramatic colors for a fresh feel. When used responsibly, they give a sense of pulsing energy to your content, make it easy-to-understand.

Credits: Paperpillar

4. Provide Smarter Personalization and Conversational Experience

In 2018, place a focus on a smarter experience, actions, and beliefs. A wide range of apps has adapted their content and offerings relying on the current user location. This type of hyper-local information will continue to offer more personalized experience in order not to leave users guessing.

AI-based chatbots also continue to be embedded into mobile apps in 2018 to serve users better and offer more personalized experience. Designing conversational interface, every word your bot “says” should be correct and fall into line with a brand. Designers should create well-thought user flow and, then develop a unique and recognizable chatbot personality that will resonate more with the prospects.

Credits: Johny Vino

5. Incorporate Functional Interaction Animations

Moving further into 2018, bring into focus the well-thought-out functional interactions and animations that take effect on when added to the buttons, icons, or fonts. They should be used to smoothly transport users among navigational contexts, explain changes in the element arrangement on the screen, and reinforce element hierarchy; also should fit a functional purpose, match the general app style, support a harmonious app perception.

Credits: Tubik

6. Create AR Experience

Another direction that will completely change the way people use the apps in 2018 is augmented reality. Being a new dimension, it allows users to see digital images overlaid onto the physical world using the device capability.

AR-based experience is comparatively new, so designers should think carefully before it comes to the design process. They should also take into account an appropriate viewing distance of the content and design the augmented 3D content to fit comfortably to the field-of-view in order people can see it effortlessly through their screens.

Credits: Claudio Guglieri

7. Humanize Digital Experience with Emotions

This year focus on embedding emotions into the mobile experience after the user has completed some specific actions:

• Emoticons can be utilized expressing the feeling of other people when using an app.
• Gesture-focused interactions will change the way users carry out a dialogue with an app. It is about drawing a ‘heart’ icon on the screens instead of pressing the button or icon.
• Human-like feedback is also expected when interacting with an app.
• Designers should give serious thought to emotional design that evokes a positive reaction, makes an app usage memorable and comfortable.

Credits: Sochnik

Bottom Line

Putting an increased focus on the app design is extremely vital to enhance user acquisition and retention. Now, we think you are well versed in the top critical design tips and ready to design an app attracting users to download, give 5-star ratings, and boost user base.

About the author: It is a guest post by the DDI Development team that has a solid background in designing beautiful, identifiable, and trendy applications. If you have an innovative idea, these guys will help you turn it into an excellent app design.

Title image: Andrew McKay

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Check the articles on basic steps of product design for mobile apps and mobile design techniques.