Mobile app UX design

Navigation is the backbone of any app. The most widely adopted patterns are the bottom tab bar, the hamburger drawer menu and gesture-based navigation. The bottom tab bar is the standard recommended by both Apple and Google for apps with 3 to 5 main sections: it is visible, predictable and reachable with the thumb.

The side drawer has fallen out of favour because it hides navigation options. Google has removed it from many of its own apps in favour of the bottom bar. For apps with more than 5 sections, combining a tab bar for primary sections with hierarchical navigation for detail is the most common approach.

Gestures are the interaction language of mobile apps. Swiping, pinching, long-pressing and dragging are actions users expect to work intuitively. The key is to use standard gestures that users already know and avoid inventing custom ones that require learning.

Touch targets should be at least 44×44 points (Apple) or 48×48 dp (Google). The thumb-reachable area on large screens is concentrated in the lower half, which is why primary actions should be placed there. Haptic (vibration) and visual (animation) feedback confirms actions and improves the perception of quality.

25% of users abandon an app after a single use. Onboarding is your chance to demonstrate value before they leave. Best practices have shifted from explanatory screen carousels (which nobody reads) to progressive onboarding: teaching features in context, when the user needs them.

If the app requires sign-up, defer the data request until the user has experienced the product’s value (progressive profiling). Offering social login (Google, Apple Sign In) reduces friction dramatically. The first minute of use determines whether the app stays installed or gets deleted.

iOS and Android have different design conventions that users on each platform expect to find. Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines emphasise transparency, San Francisco typography and back-swipe navigation from the left edge. Google’s Material Design uses elevation, FABs (Floating Action Buttons) and a bottom navigation bar.

Respecting these conventions does not mean designing two completely different apps. The balance lies in maintaining brand identity while adapting interaction patterns to what users expect on each platform. Apps like Airbnb and Spotify achieve a distinctive design that feels natural on both systems.

Accessibility is not an add-on; it’s a requirement. 15% of the global population has some form of disability. Moreover, accessibility benefits everyone: good contrast helps outdoors in sunlight, larger text helps older users, and captions help in noisy environments.

Both platforms offer robust assistive technologies: VoiceOver (iOS) and TalkBack (Android). For your app to work well with them, every interactive element needs a descriptive accessibility label, images need alt text, and navigation must follow a logical order.

Micro-interactions are the details that make an app feel polished: a button animation on press, the transition between screens, the bounce of a pull-to-refresh or the state change of a toggle. Although they seem superficial, they determine the perception of quality and professionalism.

Animations should be fast (200–300ms for transitions, 100ms for touch feedback), use natural easing (not linear) and be functional (not decorative). Excessive or slow animations create the feeling that the app is sluggish, even if actual performance is solid.