From a marketing perspective, one of the most important reasons to use icons in mobile apps is that they provide an easy way to identify your application from the hundreds of other similar applications. With a simple tap, a user is able to quickly tell the difference between your application and the rest. This is especially true when the user is searching through the Android Market or the iPhone marketplace, where thousands of similar applications have been developed in recent years. The icons you choose for your mobile app should be distinct, representative of your brand, and easy for a user to understand and use. In this article, learn more about why the use of icons is the best choice for improving the user experience (UX) in mobile apps.
Icons Increase Functionality
One reason to use icons in mobile apps is that they increase the functionality of your app, making it easier for a user to access your application and use its features. You can change the appearance and the functionality of your app, without having to develop a new version of your mobile app. Icons allow users to instantly recognize your application and increase the ease by which they can find and use it.
Icons Provide Instructions without Words
Icons serve the purpose of providing instructions in mobile apps without the need for words. This helps in simplifying the process of understanding the app and enables users to find the most suitable options within a very short time. Icons provide useful information in the form of images or small graphics. They appear at the top, bottom, side or in the form of a video. Icons serve as a visual representation of important information that a user would like to convey to the user.
Icons in a mobile app are used to draw the attention of a user towards certain features of the mobile app. For example, an image of a user interface or a video might attract a user's attention towards a particular object or feature. It is the job of an app designer to make the icons highly attractive so that the users find them extremely user-friendly without needing written instructions or tutorials.
Icons play an extremely important role in making a mobile app successful. They are the first thing that users see and they form an impression about the behavior of the app in the user's mind. Irrespective of whether you have an app for business or entertainment, icons play a vital role in drawing attention toward certain aspects of the app. The icons also provide the necessary instructions or suggestions in the form of icons in a mobile app.
Icons Take Up Less Space
When designing your application for iOS or using an Android device, you should always keep in mind that icons take up less space on the screen and this will not be a problem for the users in terms of obstructing content or making the screen look cluttered. Icons are small graphic images that are used to represent something in the user interface and these graphic images take up less space because they are very small in size. This is one of the reasons why the user interface designers make use of so many small icons in the different areas of the interface of the application. Even if you are using a widget to display some sort of information in your application, the user interface designer will make sure that these icons are not so small that they do not allow the user to view what he wants to view.
Icons Create a Continuous Experience Between Devices
Another thing that you must consider when it comes to icon design is the fact that you should maintain a consistent user experience between devices. You need to ensure that the icons in your application conform to the user experience that they would get on each of the two different types of mobile devices that they may use. It will be difficult for the user to browse through the menu or the items that are available to them if everything changes between versions.
Icons can be Branded and Styled
When it comes to designing icons, you should make sure that the icons in your application are visually appealing. You can even brand and style icons to reflect your brand’s mascot, colors, or theme. This means that they should be able to create a visual appeal that makes it impossible for the user to mistake one icon for another kind of icon or a part of the graphical user interface used in a different app. This will make the experience of the user easier and simpler because he will not have to think too hard about what the icon is meant to represent or what the information that he needs to view on it. It will just stand out and make it easier for the user to access the information that he needs.
Icons can be an important part of designing a high functioning mobile app. No matter what your industry is, partnering with a mobile app development and design company like KitelyTech can help to ensure that your app engages with its intended audience. Call us at (800) 274 2908 to schedule a consultation to learn more.
