The software market is as competitive as it has never been before. Users have become very demanding, expecting mobile and web solutions to be as simple and user-friendly as possible. Since there are billions of products, in most cases, it’s extremely difficult for both developers and businesses to convince users to install and use the app.

But an even more difficult task is to gain their loyalty. To achieve success and win over the audience, you should place a key emphasis on design, thinking it through as thoroughly as possible.

The key software product design principles

Today, it’s not enough just to solve a user problem. A mobile or web product must do it in the simplest way while also providing an amazing user experience. Sounds a bit complicated, doesn’t it? Don’t be afraid–there are 5 software solution design principles that you should know. By following them, you’ll develop a great solution that has a cool design and high usability. So, let’s start!

1. You are NOT your end-user

mobile app design

When you create a web or mobile design, always remember that something obvious for you can be a total mystery for your end-user.

You may think that the menu you have in mind is great, but your customers can perceive it absolutely differently. For instance, it may deviate from the generally accepted design standards or have a complicated structure.

We recommend that you do some research: find similar products on the market, check the number of installs, rating score, the number and quality of user reviews (you can easily find mobile apps on the App Store and Google Play, and custom software on websites like Capterra), define the most successful solutions, and take a look at their design.

2. Include only the main features

best apps

Don’t overwhelm a mobile or web solution with multiple features. Users don't like when they can’t understand something and get tired of “heavy” functionality. Instead, they enjoy when everything is simple and convenient. Perhaps you’ve heard of MVP (minimum viable product) development, implying only the key features are developed in the first version.

We also made this mistake once. Get to know how we got rid of heavy functionality, skyrocketed our app and got featured on TechCrunch!

This approach is effective in web and mobile design, too. Define the function that will enable you to implement the app idea and solve the user problem. If you build, for instance, a mobile app for online hotel booking, the key function is booking.

You should allow your customers to book a hotel with a few clicks/taps, make a payment online, use filters to automate the search (time period, cost, location, city area, proximity to the city center, Wi-Fi, the number of rooms, etc.), and contact the hotel. And that’s all.

What’s important is that you should facilitate the search process to the maximum: place all the filters in one location, separate available and already-booked rooms, show the best offers in the top of the search results, give names to icons, place a search box and the main buttons (“book,” “contact,” “pay”) in a prominent location. These small tips will help you create a software product design that meets the user's needs and expectations.

3. Provide intuitive navigation

how to design apps

In 2000, Steve Krug, the design guru, introduced the design principle “Don’t make me think” about creating intuitive navigation. Although he was speaking about web usability, this rule is successfully applied to mobile applications. By now, it has become one of the key software product design principles.

By the way, in the third edition of his book, Steve Krug included a chapter on mobile usability and said that the mobile app interface should be developed in such a way that people use the product without thinking.

To provide intuitive navigation, follow two simple rules:

Guide your users through the app/website - each screen/page should logically lead the user to another one while giving what he/she expects.
Make the transition between screens/pages as simple as possible - when the user opens your product, he/she should be able to quickly and easily find the desired content or do a certain action.

Good navigation directs users through the app/website and enables them to focus on the content. However, providing it in mobile solutions is a real challenge due to the small screen size of mobile devices and the need to create a contrast between the content and the application interface.

4. Create a user-friendly interface

basic design principles

A user-friendly mobile or web interface like a good joke–it’s self-explanatory. Simplicity, convenience, and clarity are the three main factors that define it. Wanting to make a cool UI/UX design, designers often look for the “golden mean” between something nice and intuitive or stylish and creative.

The ability to find the right balance is an important thing that determines the designer’s professionalism and affects product success. Check out several recommendations that will help you create a great interface of your mobile/web solution.

Don't reinvent the wheel

We’ve gotten used to having a "close window" button in the upper right corner of the page/form and expect to see it in this very place. Surely, if a designer puts it on the bottom or removes it at all, we’ll be confused. The same goes for plenty of elements: icons, buttons, screens, etc.

The use of software design standards that have been formulated throughout the existence of mobile applications facilitates the life of both users and designers. When different interfaces use similar elements, the task gets even simpler.

Certainly, sometimes standards become outdated. Someone, for instance, decided to develop something extremely innovative, which resulted in the emergence of a new design trend like it was in the case of Tinder.

Instead of putting buttons such as “Yes” and “No” or “Like” and “Don’t Like” when viewing user profiles, they replaced them with swiping to the left and to the right when defining whether you want to meet some person or not. After that, many product owners started using this feature.

So, if you want to move away from software product design standards, think through this option thoughtfully and test your idea on your target audience.

And we can save so much of your time and money with just one thoroughly designed wireframe

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Combine similar functionality instead of fragmenting UI

Users aren’t happy with encountering similar functionality on different screens. By overloading the app with the same things–sections, elements, features– by doing the same, you make the product usage more difficult and less pleasant. The more duplicates you have, the fewer chances that the user will stay with you. So, if you can combine similarities in one place, combine.

Make fewer input fields instead of using many of them

People avoid time-consuming tasks by their nature–and in our hectic lives, filling out a number of fields is just one of those tasks. You probably get irritated when having to type a lot of information and then retype it because of a small mistake or a non-working captcha. Also, most mobile and web solutions just don’t require so much user data.

Think about which fields are really necessary and remove all the others. If you do need many fields (for example, to register the company), display the forms sequentially on different pages (screens) so that one page doesn’t have 10 or more fields. Also, create an indicator showing your users how many pages are left.

Use contrast instead of monotony

It’s much easier to attract a user's attention and motivate a customer to do a certain action with the help of contrast. That’s why a mobile or web interface should highlight the information you need. By doing so, you will increase the conversion rate, collect a higher number of user emails, and improve the app/website statistics.

You can achieve contrast with various methods. For example, you can use different colors and their shades or make some elements seem to be closer than others by applying shadows and graduated fill. To achieve the best result, you should clearly separate a call-to-action from the rest of the screen.

At the same time, don’t overload the page with a lot of elements. Instead, make the main focus on attracting the user's attention to the conversion actions by choosing bright, different colors for the contact and callback forms, buttons for adding goods to the basket and leaving an email, and more.

Also, if you're developing a business application for the company's clients or employees, use the colors of your corporate/brand identity. If you're building a B2C solution for ordinary users (e.g., a fitness or dating app), design it in one style.

5. Make a friendly impression

successful apps

Show the value of your software solution before asking users to create an account. They avoid products that require an immediate obligatory registration.

You should pay special attention to this rule if your brand/company isn’t famous and you need to promote the app. In the case of pizza delivery service, online store, or hotel booking platform, a successful solution is to ask for registration before the checkout.

A good way to attract users, improve customer loyalty, and increase the conversion rate is to offer some gift, for instance, a discount or free trial period. You can place it on the first screen–it will become a friendly gesture convincing users to try your product. It’s an effective psychological technique: if you do a favor, a person wants to do something in return.

What’s more, the user starts thinking about you better. We all appreciate things like Uber promo codes and Canva’s free trial period. No wonder that so many businesses use this approach in their product marketing strategy.

Final words

Today, users need just a few seconds to understand whether they like the app or website or not. So, to convince them to use it and build customer loyalty, you should provide them with a seamless user experience. Following the aforementioned software solution design principles will help you develop a successful solution.

Have some questions about the topic? Wonder how to balance UI and UX and create a cool user-friendly web and mobile design? Have a project idea and want to discuss it with a reliable software design company?

Feel free to contact us!

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