Mobile UX: Reshaping the Future

As mobile increases in relevancy by the second, brands are scrambling to find ways to improve the user experience – not only with their websites but with their new mobile initiatives. While having a beautiful interface and easy-to-use, followable instructions are clear needs that must be addressed; a few tips point to the optimal user experience that may not be as intuitive when implementing a mobile site design.

Mapping

Often, users come upon the site while they are tumbling through their initial research, especially about retailers and companies that focus on selling services or goods. A new priority has arisen for every market – catch the eye and hold it through UX and UI. One method involves suggesting alternate routes for users if they don’t find what they’re looking for on a site, guiding them or assisting them if your services are not their end goal. They will remember the positive experience and will want to associate with your brand in the future.

Use descriptive and clear terminology when indicating instructions and menus. If any input is required, ensure that your users know where their information is going and how it will be used. Show a logical relationship between various actions. Make sure any context is understood so the audience can make a meaningful choice. Additionally, design for the device itself – users navigate differently on their mobile devices than on their desktop or laptop. Observing and conforming to their habits will make the experience easy and engaging, allowing them to relax instead of scrambling around the mobile site, looking for the appropriate calls to action.

Aesthetics



Keep the layout consistent – we can’t stress this enough. We are all creatures of habit, and that definitely translates into our web usage. Consistency draws to the visual center of the human brain and positively adds to the user experience. Maintain the same layout, voice, look and feel throughout your entire website and mobile design (e.g., keeping significant buttons in the same spot on the page) in order to maximize usability and clarity.

Unsure how to implement that clarity? Practice minimalism/simplicity – keep it clean. Clear lines that display your company’s message in three sentences or less, with engaging graphics and confident, coordinated colors that embody your vision without needless clutter. This simplicity is actually scientifically appealing – visual memory describes the relationship between perceptual processing and the encoding, storage and retrieval of the resulting neural representations.

All of these creative opportunities have the ability to reshape the future of how we interact with all of our technology. Brands must design beyond the laptop and PC and optimize for their growing mobile audience – to keep moving forward toward the optimal experience.