Creating a mobile app that looks great and works smoothly is no longer just a nice-to-have—it's a necessity in today's digital world. With millions of apps competing for attention, the design of your mobile app can make or break its success. This is where UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience) design come into play. UI design focuses on how the app looks, while UX design ensures the app is easy and enjoyable to use. When combined, these two elements create a seamless experience that keeps users engaged and coming back for more. Whether you're designing an app from scratch or adapting a website for mobile use, understanding the key principles of UI/UX design can help you create a product that not only meets user needs but also stands out in a crowded market.
What is Figma?
Figma is a popular design tool that helps people create and share digital designs for websites, mobile apps, and more. It’s widely used by designers to draw shapes, design user interfaces (UI), and create interactive prototypes that show how an app or website will look and work before it’s actually built. Unlike many other design tools, Figma is cloud-based, meaning you can use it directly in a web browser without downloading any software. This makes it easy for teams to work together in real time, allowing multiple people to view and edit a design at the same time. Figma is known for being user-friendly, making it a great choice for both beginners and professional designers.
UI of Food Delivery App
Since we are making a food delivery app, three pages are essential for it: Home page, Single Food product page, Order page. We will be creating the following pages:
1. Home Page
Step 1: Add a header and footer for the mobile screen. The header should consist of a few mobile phone icons and the footer should consist of features to implement the idea of a food delivery app.
Step 2: Start by adding a left text with a catchy phrase & add a hamburger menu in the right to add navbar in smaller screen.
Step 3: Add a search bar to search for different food items & under that add categories to scroll horizontally through.
Step 4: Add the names of a few restaurants nearby through which a generalised notion can be provided through the app & here's the final design:
Mockup of Home Page
2. Single Order Page
Step 1: Add the navigation bar and footer for the mobile design.
Step 2: Add a title of the food item & also add it's image below.
Step 3: Add the pricing details about the food item.
Step 4: Add the ingredients for the food item & here's the Final Design:
Mockup of Single Order Page
3. Order Checkout Page
Step 1: Add the header & footer and then add the details of the user, such as Shipping address.
Step 2: Add the name of products that user orders & functionality to remove or increase their quantity.
Step 3: Add the total order value and options to add sides or toppings & here's the final image:
Mockup of Order & Checkout Page
UX of Food Delivery App
1. Increasing the Quantity of Food item
Add a property and an action of Change to a particular value on click so that the quantity of food item increases.
Here's how this will work:
2. Add Navigation Bar for Hamburger icon
Add the property of onclick on the hamburger icon to generate a navigation bar with move in effect in the screen.
Here's how this will work:
3. Add Active & Select Effects
Add another property for the button & checklist items with different colors through variants & with the trigger property on click. Also add the favourites effect.
Here's how this will work:
Key points to consider
- Similar UI on all pages: Use contrasting colors, say if you are using Blue color, then use different gradients & colors of the tone blue to create a uniform UI. Using different colors will impact the UI, it does not make it look colorful, rather too bright & alarming to the eyes. So always prefer a uniform color composition.
- Header & Footer on every page: While making a mobile app design, we should always include the header details of mobile such as battery percentage, timings and Wifi settings, etc. And in footer, all the navigation links of the website are necessary to allow the user to navigate through the websites with ease.
- Use high quality images: Always use good quality & HD images so as in to create a good impression of the website on the user. Poor quality images do not highlight important aspects of the website. Say for eg. a poor quality image of food in the food delivery website would leave a wrong impression of not so tasty food on the user.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Avoid too much of text: Too much of text looks more of like a paragraph text rather than designing art. While designing UI/UX, use the amount of text that highlights or says about the context a bit, and try to explain the rest by means of designing elements & graphics.
- Using low quality pictures: Never use low quality pictures or blur images as this sets a wrong impression on the user. It also does not make the website look good and makes it dull and boring. Always include good infographics in your designs to make it more interactive for the users.
- Use frames and not rectangles for designs: Never use rectangles for the design you will be making for the mobile as this does not ensure responsiveness in the frames. Always use frames, be it for desktop, laptop or mobiles so that making it responsive in all screen sizes will be easier.
Conclusion
In the fast-paced world of mobile apps, having a well-designed UI/UX is essential for attracting and retaining users. A thoughtful design that combines appealing visuals with intuitive navigation can greatly enhance user satisfaction, making it easier for them to engage with your app and achieve their goals. By focusing on both the look and feel of your app, you ensure that it not only stands out visually but also provides a smooth and enjoyable experience. Whether you're converting a website to a mobile app or creating something entirely new, prioritizing effective UI/UX design will help you build a product that users love and trust, ultimately driving growth and success for your business.
