UI/UX in a mobile app aren’t mere design elements; they’re integral components that can significantly influence your business’s performance. A seamless and intuitive mobile app UI/UX design can enhance user satisfaction, increase engagement and ultimately drive business growth. Conversely, a poorly designed mobile app UX/UI can lead to user frustration, high bounce rates, and lost opportunities.
In 2024, as the mobile app landscape continues to evolve rapidly, staying informed about common myths and misconceptions surrounding UI/UX is crucial. Let’s explore some of the prevalent myths in mobile app UI/UX design that you should be aware of to safeguard the success of your project.
5 Mobile App UI/UX Design Myths
- Dark mode is essential.
- Everyone loves the hamburger button.
- Digital accessibility is only a developer’s job.
- One mobile app UI/UX usability test is enough.
- You must follow the three-click rule.
Myth 1: Dark Mode Is Essential
Dark mode has become a big hit lately, with around 82 percent of smartphone users jumping on the bandwagon. But here’s the thing: While everyone talks about how awesome it is for making everything easier on your eyes and all, not all the hype holds up under close inspection. Like a bright interface, dark mode is only accessible if done well. We recently dug into this and found some surprising information that may make you reconsider dark mode.
When considering whether to implement dark mode, you need to weigh its benefits against the specific needs of different user groups. Due to compatibility issues with various color schemes, certain brands and products may not be suitable for dark UIs, presenting considerable obstacles depending on their type, context, and environmental considerations.
For example, designing dark user interfaces for B2B SaaS applications poses significant challenges. Traditional mobile app UI/UX elements like data tables, widgets, forms, and dropdowns often appear mismatched on dark backgrounds. Thus, dark mode's applicability for specific applications requires extensive research and user behavior analysis.
Practical Recommendations for Dark Mode
Here are some suggestions if you opt to use dark mode in your mobile app UI/UX:
- In dark mode, it’s best to avoid using shadows. But if you insist, make sure they aren’t darker than the background.
- Consider implementing the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0), as they provide valuable insights for UX designers.
- Test your design in dark mode to ensure that all design elements and illustrations are clear, particularly in email communications.
Myth 2: Everyone Loves the Hamburger Button
The hamburger menu is a polarizing topic in UX due to its numerous benefits and drawbacks, and you should consider both before using this pattern.
The primary concern isn’t the icon itself, but the practice of concealing the menu behind an additional tap. In mobile app UI/UX, ensuring seamless access to content is crucial. Users prefer efficient access to app content, minimizing the need for multiple taps. Hidden menus often cause confusion and difficulty in locating desired features. If users encounter challenges in finding the desired menu or screen, they may resort to random tapping and swiping, leading to frustration.
Practical Recommendation for Hamburger Buttons
In mobile app UI/UX design, consistency is key to ensuring a seamless user experience. Avoid combining different navigation patterns, such as mixing a hamburger menu with tab bars, which can lead to user confusion. Stick to one primary navigation pattern for clarity and uniformity across the app, fostering intuitive navigation and enhancing overall usability.
Myth 3: Digital Accessibility Is Only a Developer’s Job
Without a doubt, developers have a big influence on how accessible a website or app is. Other team members are also accountable for digital accessibility, however, not just coders. Take the content team, which consists of editors, digital strategists, and content producers.
Even if the website or mobile app UI/UX has been designed, planned, and developed with accessibility in mind, the actual content on the page can undermine all accessible efforts if these team members don’t contribute. The content of your website or app has a huge impact on how accessible it is.
Practical Recommendations for Design Accessibility
To delve deeper into this topic, consider exploring Dennis Lembree’s comprehensive series on incorporating accessibility into website and mobile app UI/UX design. Dennis is the creator of Web Axe and a member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP). His series shows how integrating accessibility into your design process enhances the user experience and empowers inclusivity, ensuring your creations reach and resonate with all audiences.
Myth 4: One Mobile App UI/UX Usability Test Is Enough
Another common misconception about testing a mobile app’s usefulness is that you only need to do it once, at the end of the development process, to confirm your design choices were correct and address any issues discovered. This is not a good idea.
We should conduct mobile app UI/UX usability testing early and often throughout the development process to gather continuous feedback and insights from users. Using different versions or prototypes, we can compare and evaluate design options.
Practical Recommendations for Usability Testing
Don’t just test mobile app UI/UX with positive scenarios. Testing with unfavorable conditions can reveal how people handle, bounce back from, and feel about poor circumstances as well. You can also test how your software responds to and helps users in these situations, as well as how it handles and avoids these issues.
Myth 5: You Must Follow the 3-Click-Rule
When it comes to mobile app UI/UX navigation, we should debunk the misconception of the “three-click rule.” This rule says that no website should require more than three clicks (or taps on a touchscreen) to access. No evidence backs this idea up, however, and it overlooks the intricate factors that influence user contentment.
You cannot solely determine the ease of navigating a website or an app by the number of clicks required to access a specific page. Although this guideline may appear obvious, it overlooks the various ways users navigate internet pages.
Tasks come at different levels of complexity. You can easily accomplish some tasks, like accessing contact information, with just three clicks. Tasks like completing a purchase naturally require more steps, however. In addition, the effectiveness of website or app’s usability depends on various factors such as user familiarity, efficiency of interaction, and overall design clarity.
Essentially, prioritizing the user experience of mobile app UI/UX goes beyond simply measuring clicks. It highlights the significance of creating a smooth and user-friendly interface. Creating a captivating user experience relies on the fundamental principles of simplicity, clarity, and user friendliness, taking into account the various needs and behaviors of users. Successful mobile app UI/UX design prioritizes user satisfaction by carefully considering usability and interaction dynamics rather than following rigid rules.
Practical Recommendation for Navigation
Instead of fixating on click counts, prioritize metrics like user confidence and satisfaction in mobile app UI/UX design. When users feel confident and perceive progress towards their goals, they’ll click as needed. So, focus on creating a seamless user experience that fosters trust and progress.
Don’t Let Mobile App UI/UX Myths Hold You Back!
Mobile apps open doors to thrilling financial and marketing opportunities for businesses. Yet, to fully capitalize on these prospects, breaking free from misconceptions about mobile app UI/UX is essential. With a wealth of tools, libraries, and frameworks at your fingertips, transforming your app idea into reality is more thrilling and accessible than ever before.
