Common Mistakes in Mobile App Design

Founder, your "intuitive" app is fighting your users' brains. Plot twist: 90% of users never find that "intuitively designed" feature you spent months building. Why? Because our brains are hardwired to be lazy. That's not an insult – it's science. Here's what you're doing wrong (I made these mistakes too): • Assuming users will "figure it out" (TikTok proves simple wins) • Hiding critical features in "logical" places (Instagram keeps main actions visible) • Thinking users will remember your clever navigation (Spotify sticks to patterns) • Believing more options = better experience (Netflix limits choices per row) STOP fighting human nature. Instead: 1. Embrace the "Survival Brain": - Place critical actions where eyes naturally land - Use consistent patterns across ALL screens - Keep primary actions visible ALWAYS 2. Work with Mental Shortcuts: - Group similar items (our brains love patterns) - Use visual hierarchies that match real-world experiences - Limit choices to 3-5 per screen (Decision paralysis is real) 3. Design for Cognitive Load: - Front-load important information - Use progressive disclosure for complex tasks - Make next steps obvious (yes, obvious!) The best UX feels invisible because it works WITH our brain's natural patterns, not against them. The most successful apps aren't winning because they're clever. They're winning because they respect how human brains work. --- PS: What "obvious" UX change dramatically improved your user engagement? Follow me, John Balboa. I swear I'm friendly and I won't detach your components.

Small usability mistakes = big usability costs. And the worst part? Most of them are easily avoidable—if you know what to look for. So here are 5 common UI/UX mistakes I see all the time—plus how to fix them with clarity, accessibility, and confidence: 1️⃣ Weak link styles (looks like text, acts like a link) 2️⃣ Low contrast (pretty ≠ legible) 3️⃣ Tiny tap targets (thumbs are bigger than you think) 4️⃣ Poor form field labeling (guessing ≠ usability) 5️⃣ Missing feedback (if nothing changes, users assume it’s broken) 💡 Each of these can be corrected in minutes. And together, they can make your UX feel instantly smarter, safer, and more polished. Save this one. Audit your product. Share it with the team. #uxdesign #usability #accessibility ——— 👋 Hi, I’m Dane—I post a lot about UX and branding. ❤️ Found this helpful? Dropping a like would be 🔥. 🔄 Share to help others (or for easy access later). ➕ Follow for more delivered to your feed each day.

One common mistake I see from designers, especially early in their careers, is stripping too much away in the name of “minimalism.”…….. Things like: → Removing field labels → Hiding helper text → Hiding too many dropdowns → Removing visual cues → Hiding critical info behind hover states → Deleting important copy → Using only icons All to make the interface look clean. The reason why this doesn't make sense in many cases is.... Design isn’t just about how it looks, it’s about how it works. It’s about understand the user you are designing for It’s about understanding HOW they will be using your product. In enterprise tools and internal systems, minimalism often hurts more than it helps. These tools are used by ops teams running 100s of actions per day. When the UI hides friction points or forces extra thinking, it slows people down. And that slowdown? It costs the business real money. This usually signals that the designer hasn’t spent enough time in the problem space, or has only worked on lightweight consumer apps. → To Be Clear ← I still believe less is more when used intentionally. But minimalism should never come at the expense of clarity or efficiency. Sometimes, more is better, because more helps users move faster. Curious, where do you draw the line between clean design and functional design? ______ ♻️ Repost If you agree 👋🏻 I’m Wyatt—designer turned founder, building in public & sharing what I learn. Follow for more content like this!

Just finished a strategic session with an e-commerce client and it revealed some great insights. Particularly on their heatmaps. 90% of this client’s traffic is mobile. But users weren't scrolling past the first section. Why? Because homepage was designed for desktop users who don't exist. Simple mistake, but one we see all the time. Here's what the data showed: - The pop-up problem - 95% of interactions were people trying to close it, not convert - The scroll-depth disaster - Mobile users dropped off after barely one scroll - The women's category surprise - High click-through rate despite lower sales volume - The navigation nightmare - Users couldn't find what they wanted This is what we did: ➡️ Completely rethought the mobile experience. ➡️ Added anchor navigation that drives users deeper into the page. ➡️ Used psychological triggers like the Zeigarnik effect (Google it!) to create curiosity gaps. ➡️ Moved trust elements above the fold. ➡️Fixed the search functionality for ad traffic. This is why we did it: People don't scroll on mobile - they tap. So we gave them clear pathways to jump to relevant sections. When they anchor down to their desired content, they see everything they skipped. Curiosity drives them back up to explore. Result: Higher engagement, deeper page exploration, better conversions. It’s 4 weeks before this new design goes live. The lesson is simple… Desktop-first thinking kills your mobile conversions. 90% mobile traffic demands mobile-first strategy. Not mobile-friendly design. Mobile-first psychology. There’s a difference.