5 Best Practices for Enhancing Mobile App Navigation

Translator

Nearly two thirds of eCommerce business are conducted via smartphones as apps become the primary mode of engagement. This is one of the reasons for the proliferation of companies offering app design in Bristol, Cambridge and other major centres of tech innovation around the UK. But just as website designers realized early on that customer experience was the most important consideration, so too are app designers focusing on optimization for users. Lessons are being learned quickly and here are five of the most important ones.

 

1. Cognitive Load

 

This term describes the limits to the amount of information which can be processed at one time by an individual's memory. In terms of app navigation, the wisdom is clear: avoid overload. A smartphone screen is small which means the design should be simple and easy to follow, logical but sharply focused on the essentials. Strip away secondary functions, peripheral issues and the other luxuries that a website can accommodate. It should be easy to get around, to find what you need and to conclude a transaction or information search in as few steps as possible. Logos should be compact, fonts chosen for readability at small scale, themes and colour choices pared down. Keep notifications to a minimum to avoid unhelpful distractions.

 

2. Intuitive Flow

 

Good design is all about use. Even if you indulge the artistic tendencies of your website designers, when it comes to the professionals you engage to deliver your app design in Bristol, Birmingham, or any other tech hub, you need them to be rigorous in the creation of optimal customer experience. It is crucial to think like a user, imagine how visitors will interact and understand what their priorities are.

 

If the format and navigation of the app doesn't take the user from A to B to C by the fastest, shortest route, it isn't doing its job. In addition to these structural concerns, think about your menu items and page headings. Terms like 'Products' and 'What We Do' are wasting time because they don't tell users anything. Descriptive keyword phrases are much more effective. Similarly, a heading like 'Videos' is redundant: people aren't looking for videos but information. Flag up the content not the form. They're smart enough to know it's a video once they're watching it.

 

3. Short Menus and No Drop-downs

 

On a phone screen where space is limited, you should simplify menus and concentrate only on the most crucial headings. A website often benefits from the expansive nature of its content but on a smartphone, the user is not there to browse. They want immediate answers that are easy to find and goods that take just a moment to buy. Decide on the primary purpose of your app and pursue it single-mindedly. Avoid complicating the menu with dropdowns which simply add another layer to the process and increase the risk of a user disengaging. Apart from anything else, dropdowns can involve physical manoeuvres that are more complicated than a simple tap. If you understand the likely reason for their visit you can cut out these distractions.

 

4. Self-Explanatory Icons

 

It might sound obvious but while the use of icons is a highly effective way of guiding a user without wordy instructions, you must avoid being too clever with the symbols you use and simply causing confusion. A question mark might be a more obvious sign of a help or FAQ page than a light bulb, for example. Imagine yourself as a new visitor and ask yourself how obvious your signposts are.

 

5. Audit and Revise

 

Once the app is built, your job is far from over. Data analytics are now sophisticated enough to allow you to audit your app thoroughly and measure visitor behaviour. You can see what common pathways are followed, which information is most often accessed, and you can adjust the design accordingly, removing elements that are not contributing and optimising those that are. Learn from practical experience because technology makes it easy.

 

Find the Best App Design in Bristol

 

The UK digital sector is a global leader. Acknowledged centres of excellence have become established in several major towns and cities, many built around top universities. Our app designers are some of the best in the world, so you'll have no difficulty in finding the perfect solution right here at home.