App design combines the user interface (UI) And user experience (UX) into a seamless balance of functionality and style. In terms of designing an app, the term user interface tends to speak more about the overall design in terms of style (such as colours, fonts and general look and feel), whilst the term user experience focuses more on the overall useability and functionality of the app.
The user interface tends to deal more so with the overall style of the app (including colours, fonts and general look and feel) experience focuses on the actual functionality and useability.
Creating an app with both beauty and functionality and marries the UI with the UX ideally is the essence of good app design. It’s almost impossible to build a perfect app without continual cycles of reiteration and revamping, which is why many apps are constantly updating to suit the needs and wants of their clients. As your customers/users grow, you’ll want your app to follow suit.
A good user experience, for example, may differ based on the targeted demographic of the app. But, even then, the target audience may not necessarily engage with the UX as planned, or the UX may engage better with a different audience.
Fundamental principles to consider when designing an app’s UX include:
- Is it useful? Will your app enable someone to achieve their goal in a logical, cohesive way?
- Do your customers find it easy to operate the app? How useable is the app? Is it user-friendly?
- Desirability – will the user base find this interesting? Will it elevate the user’s experience above and beyond the expected norm?
- Is it easy to navigate and intuitive to do so?
- Accessibility – are there restrictions to certain users that may affect how they interact with the app, roadblocks to certain features that can’t be circumnavigated, or increased challenges or difficulty in discerning information?
- How credible your app’s information is to your clients. Is it fact-checked or inconsistent? Can they trust the information that you provide them?
- Will the user find the value of your app within it? A lack of value will likely incite no return on investment with users, which you don’t want to happen.
A good user experience, paired with a well-designed interface, can aid in the app’s reception by your customer base and promote further communication.
There is software available for you to trial app designs with, but if you don’t necessarily have the skillset or time to play around and create your own, speaking with a designer/developer could be a path you may want to take if you have the money to do so.
