Learning from popular mobile apps

Creating a successful mobile app may seem similar to creating a popular website. Some of the same principles are involved, but the end result differs in important ways.

No business should assume that just because it has a web presence that mobile application development will be easy. Creating an intuitive, easy-to-navigate GUI design and ensuring that users can find the information they are looking for easily are key factors for both web UI design and mobile apps. However, the similarities end quickly after that.

For any business looking to improve its mobile presence, certain steps are necessary to ensure a positive, successful experience. Luckily for most, there are highly successful apps to pull examples from. According to Mashable, companies can learn from apps like Google+, Spotify and others to improve mobile development and create a high-quality user experience.

Some lessons learned from already popular apps are simpler than others, literally. According to the news source, one app of note displays detailed information in a simplistic way that makes it easy to read and understand - a key component of application design. StockTouch, an app for getting data on stocks, movement and other info related to the stock market, provides users with easy-to-digest charts and data points that are well organized and managed for viewing.

Companies can also learn other best practices regarding navigation, text layout and general mobile experiences. Businesses can look at Path as an excellent example of sliding panels for navigation, or Just Landed for high-quality typography choices. But it is important to remember that simplicity is still a key factor in user satisfaction. As the news source points out, it is easy to fall into the trap of specialty fonts in an app, but sometimes they can detract from the overall design.

Ultimately, a company needs to look at several factors during mobile development. Who is going to use the app is just as important as how and where they are going to use it. A stock market application, for example, should be just as easy to use on a train as it is in an office chair, as professionals are likely to check it on their commute. On the other hand, some apps, like a GPS tracker, may only be used in one specific scenario, and should be designed accordingly.