10 UX Myths 10 UX Myths
Review: 4- 5 5 10 UX Myths

10 UX Myths

Rating
UX/UI
25 Mar 2019
7 min read
Update:

It goes without saying that mobile usage continues to rise. People engage with their smartphones daily and in very important moments. This is something that defines associated industries such as mobile app development and mobile app interface design.

However, the availability of plentiful information, most of which is unverified, makes it challenging to see through myths and misconceptions.

As an experienced UI design agency, we’ve taken the liberty of debunking some of the most popular myths which can ruin your mobile UX.

Myth #1 Designers and Users Think the Same

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We’ll go right ahead and debunk this because you know it’s true. The most important, fundamental rule of user-centered design is very simple – you are not your user.

Regardless of whether you run a UI design agency or practice on your own, you’re likely to be familiar with that.

However, a lot of people tend to forget this and they project their own behaviors and reactions onto their users. While it’s tempting to think this way, it’s also just as harmful. Strip out of it, it won’t do you any good.

Myth #2 Mobile Users Are Always On The Go

As a professional mobile UX design company, we can’t tell you how many of our clients assume that a mobile app is only good because their users are on the go.

Naturally, there are times when your mobile users will truly be moving. For instance, when they are taking a ride to work or something of the kind. In reality, however, people tend to use their phones in a whole lot of contexts. In 2012, for example, Google found out that 60 percent of smartphone usage takes place while people are at home.

In other words, you should also consider the fact that mobile users are static and factor this in your design. We’ve devised a piece with some of the hottest trends in UI design for mobile to stick to in 2019 – take a look.

Myth #3 Originality is Always A Must

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It’s perhaps the tagline of every other mobile design studio – originality. A lot of product designers tend to believe that if they rethink some of the core mobile UI design conventions, they will get to create something that’s truly memorable for their users.

While there’s nothing wrong with originality, it’s also important to know that for a lot of the problems, solutions are already out there. What is more, people tend to like familiar experiences. Furthermore, the process of breaking mobile design conventions is oftentimes frustrating and ends up creating an unpleasant user experience.

Myth #4 A Good Product Allows Design Compromises

“My product is awesome, it doesn’t need a good presentation.” – These are the words that a designer simply can’t afford to say. However, it happens.

You can’t imagine how many amazing products have fallen into our hands as a modern UI design studio with the words “it’s already great, it doesn’t need that much work to it.”

While an amazing product is definitely amongst the most important things to consider, its wrap is also essential. Presentation sells. Remember this.

Myth #5 UI and UX is The Same

It pains us to say this, but a lot of mobile design studios and professionals, in general, tend to mix UX and UI. In reality, however, user interface (UI), is just a piece of the puzzle called user experience (UX). Naturally, it’s a very important piece of it, but a piece nevertheless.

Think of UI as a component – an important part of your overall UX journey. It’s something that you can’t go without but, still, it’s something that’s just that – a component.

Myth #6 Mobile Apps Are Stand-Alone Experiences

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A lot of developers, as well as UX design studios,  tend to think that mobile apps are an isolated experience and they don’t need further integration with additional channels

The reality is that users expect to have a flawless, as well as seamless experience throughout all channels. In other words, you need to make sure that mobile is just a part of the bigger picture in which all designs are mediums through which the overall flawless experience is delivered.

It’s true that people often start their journey on their phone. That’s because it’s usually the device that’s the easiest to reach and use. However, you need to guarantee that continuity is achieved.

Myth #7 White Space is a Waste of Space

Mobile app interface design requires a combination of approaches and it pains us to see how many people fail to understand the importance of white space. In one of our articles where we provided 6 tips that can drastically improve your website’s user experience, we’ve stressed the overall utilities and benefits of using white space.

There are plenty of benefits of using measured amounts of white space, including:

  • It improves content comprehension
  • It improves content prioritization
  • It improves readability
  • It improves emphasis

Myth #8 Users Are Always Online

In a connected world such as ours, it’s very easy to assume that users are always going to be online. Ubiquitous connectivity, however, is something that users are not always accustomed to. While it may be true for the US and Europe, it’s definitely not the case for the entire world.

Products that emerge in essential markets, for instance, need to have the capabilities to perform well when the internet connectivity is compromised and slow. Of course, that’s something you ought to consider following a preliminary audience analysis.

Myth #9 The More Features The Better

That’s not necessarily true. A lot of developers, as well as UI design agencies,  attempt to encompass as many features as they can in mobile apps. Remember, more is not always appropriate. You have to consider the fact that, after all, it is a mobile app that you’re creating – not a web app or a website. Hence, you need to make it as concentrated as possible.

Take a look at Facebook’s mobile app. It’s a great example of how the most important features are transitioned properly, but not all of them exist in both domains.

Myth #10 You Can Postpone Testing Until Market Release

It’s very tempting to postpone testing until your mobile app is ready to be available for actual users. Some would even go so far as to launch it and rely on user feedback to alter.

You can’t afford to test your product. This is something that you need to understand. If a user stumbles upon a problem with your mobile app, chances are that he’ll drop it instead of providing you with his feedback.

Therefore, it is best to test early and test often. That’s the so-called TETO approach and it works brilliantly if applied properly.

Conclusion

Mobile app interface design and development, in general, is a challenging process at any ux design services firm. Furthermore, the excessive amount of available yet unverified information makes it easy to stick to practices which just don’t work as you might think they do. We would recommend taking a look at the 7 pillars of UI design and keep them in mind in order to guarantee a slick and functioning product.

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