Principles for Mobile Interface

5 Heuristic Principles for Mobile Interface .

Posted in: Blog

Do you have an idea of what defines a successful mobile interface? We can go into the jargon and terminologies, but what really lies behind a good mobile interface?

We’ve got one word for you. Heuristics. Heuristics is a term that can be defined as something that enables a person to learn usability by himself. Heuristics for User Interface Design can be seen as a set of principles that define a mobile interface. In fact, heuristics aren’t even limited to just mobile interfaces. Any sort of design that is to be developed into software must have certain heuristic elements for it to be considered as a quality interface design.
heuristics
The heuristics for user interface design are universal because an application when designed for the users must have these principles. Also because the mobile application can work in accordance with a user’s cognitive ability. Heuristic principles can also be used as a form of usability evaluation. If your mobile interface falls short in these principles, then you must look into its revamp to make it more user friendly.

Here are 5 heuristic principles for a successful mobile interface:

1) A Transparent System Structure:

A mobile application’s UI must have some form of a structure whose sole purpose is to depict an understanding. A transparent system structure notifies ease of understanding of the context and its consequences. If you have a mobile application that has a hard to understand system structure and is overly complicated, then chances are your mobile application will fail under the principle. Hence, it is essential that the system structure should be transparent and worth a user’s time.

 structureSuch a structure also signifies some important questions that a user might face when he stumbles on your website for the first time. For example, he should know where to go or which button to click to get the desired result.

2) Recovery from the Errors:

Of course, users aren’t infallible. They are bound to make mistakes and get stuck in unproductive situations on your website. Such a scenario is going to occur regardless of how good your mobile interface is. The good news is that there’s an easy way to take control of such a situation. Stay with us to find out!

If a user is indeed stuck at a dead end on your mobile application, then your interface must acknowledge it and provide means to get out of the mess. Recovery from errors is a principle that shouldn’t be ignored under any circumstances because if this is indeed ignored, there are chances that the user will end the journey.

3. The Principle of Universal Experiences:

With the rise of digitization, certain experiences in the world of design have become quite universal. These elements must be incorporated in your mobile interface so that familiarity can be drawn and users can form a relationship with the mobile application.
navigationA perfect example is navigation bars. They are quite universal to all kinds of designs and allow users to expand or collapse a menu or to move from one page to another. These symbols must be added so that universal experiences can be catered to the design itself. This also signifies how a mobile interface can become intuitive as it’s almost like it is predicting your next move!

4. A Minimalistic Approach:

There’s a reason why minimalism is on the rise and can be seen on almost all great websites and mobile applications. The act of creating a minimalistic design eliminates unnecessary information and induces a meaningful experience for a user. In other words, too much content increases the cognitive overload of a user and destroys the journey itself.

minimalism Color schemes, design aesthetics & typography are some of the elements that you can use to create a minimalist approach. Remember, users aren’t really interested in the nitty gritty. They just want their purpose to be fulfilled as soon as possible and that can be done through a minimalistic approach.

5. The Principle of Reliability:

Being reliable is a virtue. Not all mobile interfaces can claim that they are reliable and we aren’t talking in a functional sense. Reliability refers to elements within your mobile interface such as text, situations and even call to action. Being reliable is all about being consistent with your very own philosophy and what really defines it. Heuristics for User Interface Design has reliability on the top!

In a Nutshell:

The Heuristics for User Interface Design are universally accepted ideals to follow in a design. A mobile interface should be user friendly but it should also get the job done. Follow the above principles of user interface design and design a mobile interface that you can be proud of!

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