Josh Clark: Myths about mobile design
Today we bring to the attention of readers tips from Josh Clark - an expert on UX / UI, developer and author of five books that are popular in the international design community. Below you will find a translation of materials from the designer’s interview with representatives of The Next Web resource and Forbes magazine, in which he discusses traditions and innovations in creating mobile interfaces and criticizes some well-established ideas about the specifics of UX on this type of device.
At some stage of understanding a new concept, a layer of “generally accepted knowledge” inevitably forms around it. Gradually, he begins to be perceived as something unshakable, and, instead of serving as a guideline in our work, in fact becomes an undeniable dogma. In such a situation, it is worth challenging the myths, seeking to explore what is in the depth of the postulate and get to the truth. Only in this way can we find a more effective solution based on user experience, even if this requires challenging “what everyone knows”.
Josh Clark, a well-known designer and developer, setting out his view on the problem in Forbes and The Next Web, offers a look at mobile design and development more closely and in detail analyze those myths that are rooted in this area. It cannot be said that there is no truth in these ideas - it’s just that if you recklessly rely on common truths, then ultimately you can come up with an oversimplified result that is unlikely to inspire the user.
So let's see what myths Josh highlights and what he proposes to do with them.
')
Mobile users are always in a hurry and distracted
Yes, quite often it is - in the short breaks between meetings, for example, or on a smoke break - but it happens in a different way. People "stick" to the phone for food, at home on the couch, in the airport lounge and so on. Very often, we are not in a hurry when we use the mobile Internet, but simply try to escape from boredom. This means that not every interaction with your mobile application should take a second or more. You should follow some time how your users will use your product, and then adjust the design to their needs.
Mobile applications and sites are doomed to be light versions
The screen size of mobile devices is really smaller, you can not argue with that. However, Josh rejects the idea that the user interface with the interface because of this should be simplified by default. On the contrary, you need to find ways to keep it in its original form, despite the new environment. After all, we do not throw away headlines, indexes and content from the book, even when it is published in a pocket format?
The simpler the better
Not at all. You need to be afraid of only overloaded designs, and complex structures are quite successfully used in many mobile applications without prejudice to the user experience. The secret is to make a complex interface simple in the eyes of those who interact with it.
The number of clicks should go to zero.
According to Josh, the designer should not count the clicks, but think about what the user gives each of them. If key information is provided on click, and not just displayed in the process of interacting with the application, it can improve the design usability and positively affect the user experience.
Each site - on the mobile version!
Somewhere they are needed, some are not. In essence, the designer should consider the mobile environment as an opportunity to analyze the user experience on each of the supported platforms, simultaneously noting how it can be improved by means of a particular platform. Your goal is not to create as many sites as possible, but to imagine the end result. Do I have to make a mobile version of your website based on a desktop? Or maybe the desktop version itself doesn’t hurt to squeeze if it is loose and crammed with elements that interfere rather than help the user?
Mobile application is better than the site
Seriously? The approach, to put it mildly, is short-sighted. Do you really think that the user will download, install and deal with a separate application for each of the companies with which he has to deal? The market of mobile applications, of course, is growing, but with it the suspicion grows that users cannot wade through 700 new releases every day and that it would be better for developers to focus again on mobile versions of sites.
Content and APIs are not our concern.
It is difficult to say how common this myth is. UX designers can not understand that their participation in the project is not limited to work on the appearance and the overall impression of the product. What distinguishes the mobile environment from others is the additional features it offers: a camera, GPS, and so on. In theory, the designer does not need to explain this, but just in case Josh Clark emphasizes: use all the advantages of the platform on which you work.
Conclusion
The myths that lead Josh, have in themselves a sound grain, but offer too narrow a podohd to develop designs for mobile devices. The main thing is to think about the user experience as a whole and create interfaces focusing on it, instead of blindly following the “can” and “not” lists for fear of going beyond the boundaries of the comfort zone that someone else outlined for you (and most likely, mistakenly ). Users will only thank you for this.
Original
Mobile design myths and why it matters
At some stage of understanding a new concept, a layer of “generally accepted knowledge” inevitably forms around it. Gradually, he begins to be perceived as something unshakable, and, instead of serving as a guideline in our work, in fact becomes an undeniable dogma. In such a situation, it is worth challenging the myths, seeking to explore what is in the depth of the postulate and get to the truth. Only in this way can we find a more effective solution based on user experience, even if this requires challenging “what everyone knows”.
Josh Clark, a well-known designer and developer, setting out his view on the problem in Forbes and The Next Web, offers a look at mobile design and development more closely and in detail analyze those myths that are rooted in this area. It cannot be said that there is no truth in these ideas - it’s just that if you recklessly rely on common truths, then ultimately you can come up with an oversimplified result that is unlikely to inspire the user.
So let's see what myths Josh highlights and what he proposes to do with them.
')
Mobile users are always in a hurry and distracted
Yes, quite often it is - in the short breaks between meetings, for example, or on a smoke break - but it happens in a different way. People "stick" to the phone for food, at home on the couch, in the airport lounge and so on. Very often, we are not in a hurry when we use the mobile Internet, but simply try to escape from boredom. This means that not every interaction with your mobile application should take a second or more. You should follow some time how your users will use your product, and then adjust the design to their needs.
Mobile applications and sites are doomed to be light versions
The screen size of mobile devices is really smaller, you can not argue with that. However, Josh rejects the idea that the user interface with the interface because of this should be simplified by default. On the contrary, you need to find ways to keep it in its original form, despite the new environment. After all, we do not throw away headlines, indexes and content from the book, even when it is published in a pocket format?
The simpler the better
Not at all. You need to be afraid of only overloaded designs, and complex structures are quite successfully used in many mobile applications without prejudice to the user experience. The secret is to make a complex interface simple in the eyes of those who interact with it.
The number of clicks should go to zero.
According to Josh, the designer should not count the clicks, but think about what the user gives each of them. If key information is provided on click, and not just displayed in the process of interacting with the application, it can improve the design usability and positively affect the user experience.
Each site - on the mobile version!
Somewhere they are needed, some are not. In essence, the designer should consider the mobile environment as an opportunity to analyze the user experience on each of the supported platforms, simultaneously noting how it can be improved by means of a particular platform. Your goal is not to create as many sites as possible, but to imagine the end result. Do I have to make a mobile version of your website based on a desktop? Or maybe the desktop version itself doesn’t hurt to squeeze if it is loose and crammed with elements that interfere rather than help the user?
Mobile application is better than the site
Seriously? The approach, to put it mildly, is short-sighted. Do you really think that the user will download, install and deal with a separate application for each of the companies with which he has to deal? The market of mobile applications, of course, is growing, but with it the suspicion grows that users cannot wade through 700 new releases every day and that it would be better for developers to focus again on mobile versions of sites.
Content and APIs are not our concern.
It is difficult to say how common this myth is. UX designers can not understand that their participation in the project is not limited to work on the appearance and the overall impression of the product. What distinguishes the mobile environment from others is the additional features it offers: a camera, GPS, and so on. In theory, the designer does not need to explain this, but just in case Josh Clark emphasizes: use all the advantages of the platform on which you work.
Conclusion
The myths that lead Josh, have in themselves a sound grain, but offer too narrow a podohd to develop designs for mobile devices. The main thing is to think about the user experience as a whole and create interfaces focusing on it, instead of blindly following the “can” and “not” lists for fear of going beyond the boundaries of the comfort zone that someone else outlined for you (and most likely, mistakenly ). Users will only thank you for this.
Original
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/316934/
All Articles