Mobile apps are essential to our lives. They have become part of our daily routine. From the moment we wake up in the morning and check our schedule to the moment we lay our heads down.

 

 

We use mobile phones to browse apps that provide us with information, entertainment, or inspiration. From the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep, apps have come to play a part in our daily lives.

 

Statista estimates that by 2019 there will be around 3.5 billion smartphone users - about half of the world's population.

 

So, you have an idea for an app. Great! Maybe you're a well-versed app user yourself, and the process seems simple enough — but you may be surprised to find that designing a successful app is a great deal more complicated than it looks.

 

It's no secret that developing a mobile app takes time, money, and lots of effort. But the good news is that, like with any art form, first-time app designers don't need to form their ideas from thin air.

 

 

Rather, the best way to start is to take inspiration from our favorite examples. Take inspiration from these successful apps to identify what makes their designs so effective, and apply these principles to your work.

 

How to Make the Best Mobile App Design?

 

Design is everything in the world of mobile apps. From deciding what buttons to include to making sure the layout is easy to navigate, every pixel matters.

 

 

So what makes for great mobile app design? We'll be exploring 3 main factors that we need to consider when looking for the best design.

 

1. User Interface Design

 

 

The look and feel of an app are its User Interface or UI. The UI is the first thing users see and interact with, so it must be attractive and easy to use.

 

 

Many app designers focus on creating a unique and visually appealing UI while still keeping the navigation simple enough that users can find what they're looking for.

 

 

Other common features of great UI design include typography that's easy to read, consistent buttons and icons, and minimal text.

 

 

Read More: How to Create a User-Friendly User Interface?

Read More: 20 Best Ways How to Improve Your Design Skills

 

2. App Navigation Flow

 

One of the most important aspects of a well-designed app is how well the user flows through it. Navigation is key, and if users can't figure out how to get where they want to go, they'll quickly give up on your app.

 

 

Good navigation should be habitual and easy to follow. It should also be consistent throughout the app so users always know where they are and what they need to do next.

 

 

The best apps make it easy for users to get started and keep them engaged from start to finish.

 

3. User Experience Design

 

The design of a mobile app is critical to its success. It needs to be natural and easy to use, or users will quickly get frustrated and move on to another app.

 

 

That's where UX (user experience) design comes in. This aspect of app design is all about making the user's experience as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

 

 

From the moment they open the app, everything needs to be easy to find and just make sense. The goal is to make the user feel like they're in control and that every interaction with the app is a positive one.

 

 

Great UX design can make all the difference in the world—just take a look at some of our most popular apps!

 

Read More: Top 21 UX Design Skills For Beginners

 

 

These 10 Examples Of The Best Mobile App Design Will Inspire You!

 

 

1. Slack

 

 

Slack is a communication and collaborative platform to help teams communicate and get work done. It’s one of the most beloved global businesses, and its onboarding process is really what won our hearts.

 

 

While there are many reasons why Slack became such a success, it’s obvious that the onboarding experience has contributed.

 

 

2. Dropbox

 

 

Airbnb has an enormous team behind its app, and it shows. This consistency means that the Airbnb experience is the same no matter what device you’re using.

 

Airbnb has updated its mobile app, and it is beautiful. The mobile app indicates Airbnb’s commitment to its visual design language – it’s very welcoming and accessible for the global community which uses its services.

 

The engaging use of photography for their new local experiences is enticing when mixed with on-brand typography and youthful copy.

 

It’s both loyal to its original brand identity and to its users – making it a success in our book.

 

3. Airbnb

 

 

Airbnb has an enormous team behind its app, and it shows. This consistency means that the Airbnb experience is the same no matter what device you’re using.

 

 

Airbnb has updated its mobile app, and it is beautiful. The mobile app indicates Airbnb’s commitment to its visual design language – it’s very welcoming and accessible for the global community which uses its services.

 

 

The engaging use of photography for their new local experiences is enticing when mixed with on-brand typography and youthful copy.

 

 

It’s both loyal to its original brand identity and to its users – making it a success in our book.

 

4. Houzz 

 

 

Houzz is the No. 1 app for improving and designing your home. Whether you’re building, remodeling, or decorating, Houzz has you covered.

 

 

Get the Best Design Ideas for Your Home: Meet homeowners who share their stories, and browse more than 14 million high-res photos of home interiors and exteriors.

 

A Houzz app is a valuable tool for homeowners and professionals alike, whether you’re shopping for the perfect finishes for your next remodel or a design pro looking to source items and manage projects.

 

 

Users can create Ideabooks to save items they’re interested in and collaborate with others, browse over 16 million photos, and discover new items across more than 1,000 categories in the home remodeling and decor space.

 

5. Glovo

 

 

 

Glovo is an on-demand courier company that works with a variety of businesses to deliver products. Their service is primarily focused on food, grocery, and pharmacy deliveries.

 

 

But they’re flexible enough to be able to bring you anything you want, so long as it’s smaller than their delivery boxes.

 

 

You can use the app to get updates on your order and get in touch with the courier while they’re on their way.

 

The homepage presents the main button to the user that represents purchasing new items for their home or business.

 

 

Surrounding this main button are other categories of items users can purchase, such as “Food” and “Office Supplies”. There is a learning curve, but it's minimal since the UI is so clean and well-organized.

 

This app has been designed to be flexible and very simple. Glovo changes the smaller buttons according to special significance, events, holidays, and so on.

 

6. Be My Eyes

 

 

Imagine a community of volunteers across 150 countries and 180 languages coming together to help more than 300,000 blind and low-vision users.

 

 

Or imagine a device that can learn to do tasks in one domain, like labeling images, and then apply that learning to another domain, like labeling videos.

 

The Be My Eyes App allows the visually impaired to get assistance from volunteers who use their live video feed to help identify objects. A great community for all!

 

7. Spotify

 

 

Launched in October 2017, Spotify’s music streaming service updated its mobile app, replacing its complex and unappealing feel with a major change –

 

ditching the three-tab bar at the bottom of the screen (which was previously used to navigate between search, home, library, radio, and premium) for a more user-friendly interface.

 

But what made the Spotify app so successful? They listened to their end-user and updated the app accordingly.

 

 

One of the hot-button issues in the industry is the experience of using music apps on mobile devices: Apps need to be easy to use and fun while providing value – otherwise, they might fail.

 

It’s not that hard to imagine how vital a good UX design is for this particular industry.

 

8. Trip.com

 

 

Trip.com's incredibly easy-to-navigate design won it the 2019 material design award for universality and puts it among the best-designed travel App in the world.

 

 

Its incredibly user-friendly interface and an impressive array of features – you’ll see why. We’re not saying Trip.com is the best travel app out there.

 

 

But we are saying it has a 4.5 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot, with plenty of users using words like ‘awesome’ and ‘impressed’ in their reviews.

 

9. Mint  

 

 

This App was created to give you a firm grip on your budget and help you set your financial goals. Just connect your bank account, and it will automatically download transactions, organize them for you and turn them into beautiful charts.

 

 

It also creates easy-to-understand reports. It's easy to use, highly effective, and affordable.

 

Managing your finances has never been easier. With Mint, all of your financial information is delivered in an essential, beautiful, and intuitive user interface that makes it easy to understand how you're spending your money and where you're going to save in the future.

 

10. Medium   

 

 

Medium is a digital publishing platform that has a clean, lightweight mobile app design. Its prose-based articles (using the old-fashioned newspaper-style font, Noe Display) on a white background allowed for a seamless and charming scrolling experience.

 

Medium is a carefully tested, well-designed app that takes the pain out of reading news. It works on any smartphone, tablet, or computer and displays even the most complex stories simply and cleanly.

 

 

Conclusion:

In today’s space-age mobile app environment, it can be easy to become distracted by flashy trends and opposite visual styles. Still, truly great design is all about helping users enjoy themselves, get their tasks done, and get the most out of the product.

 

Our goal with this article is to inspire you to improve your App design. After reading, you might be inspired to make some changes to the design of your App. It's an easy process that most call for an increase in design standards because it will ultimately mean a better product for its users. Are you next in line?

 

Hopefully, this list got you inspired to create the next big thing!