Whether you have a great idea for an app, or are creating a mobile version of an existing site or even are refining an existing design it’s easy to make a couple of common mistakes. Here our design team has produced a list of six easy to avoid mistakes associated with designing a mobile site.

Keep it simple

Don’t go over the top and try to incorporate too many design features. It is much more desirable to choose a few and then design them really well to give a great experience. On the other hand, focusing too intently on just one aspect means you may miss some potentially great ideas. It makes sense to write all your ideas down on paper first so you can then decide what to incorporate and what you can do without.

Consistency

If you want people to easily use – and keep using – your design, it has to be easy to read from the off. Space elements evenly, keeping margins aligned and don’t be afraid of using plenty of white space to make everything look neat. Keep to one or two fonts and typefaces and restrict the number of different colours to avoid sensory overload.

Big is beautiful

Use appropriately-sized tap targets. Buttons should be at least 44 pixels square, preferably larger, so that even the most ham-fisted user can use all the functions. If you keep the buttons slightly away from the rest of the elements then the tap area can be made a little larger than the actual button to help inaccurate tappers.

Avoid using breadcrumbs for navigation

The best way to avoid frustrating users who may find themselves accidentally clicking on the wrong button and taking them to a different page from the one they really wanted is to incorporate one simple Back button into the title bar. Developers who add breadcrumb-style navigation may think they are helping users by allowing them to jump back to any page they want but on a mobile device it can just make it more complex to use by cluttering up the page.

Keep titles in the title bar

Many companies like to have their logo repeated frequently to reinforce brand awareness. Whilst It’s fine to have the company logo on the home page title bar, ideally subsequent ones should merely show the actual page title. This keeps users informed of the content they will find further down the page.

Test it first

Although your design may seem perfectly straightforward to you, it’s not until others have tried it out that you will get an accurate picture of its usability. Take note of your trial user’s  feedback; find out which screens they got stuck on, watch what text they stop to read and if they just start tapping buttons randomly. you will soon realise what aspects of your design work and which may need improvement.

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Established in 2010, Nexus Websites are a creative digital agency based in Wigan working with clients all over the UK. With a vast range of experience and a proven track record we have everything you need to take your business to the next level.