Issues in Mobile Application Interface Design

Jason McDonnell
designing interfaces that are both user-friendly and efficient in
performing their intended task.

ABSTRACT
Mobile devices such as smartphones continue to increase in
popularity, and as such the uptake and use of mobile applications
also increases. However, owing to the unique nature and
capabilities of mobile devices, interface designers must take
various issues into consideration when designing interfaces for
mobile applications. This paper reviews the main issues faced by
the mobile interface designer, including hardware related issues
(input/output related issues such as touchscreen and screen size),
software related issues (navigation, browsing, and menus) and
other issues (heuristics, consistency).

However, designing effective interfaces for mobile applications

presents its own unique set of challenges. As such it is important
for designers to be aware of these challenges and how they differ
from those presented by desktop or browser-based interface
design so that they can address them to an adequate degree. This
paper will outline the most prominent issues through a review of
the available literature relating to interface design in mobile
applications.

2. HARDWARE ISSUES
2.1 Input Related Issues

Categories and Subject Descriptors

2.1.1 Touch Screen

H.5.2 [Information Interfaces and Presentation]: User

Interfaces Evaluation/methodology, user-centered design.

With the majority of smart phones now utilising touch screen

inputs [2], thus enabling an increase in the average screen size
and fewer mechanical buttons, designers must always bear in
mind the size of interactive on-screen elements relative to the
primary input mechanism, that being the users thumbs. When
designing an interface for a touch-based mobile application, it is
important not to sacrifice the size of interactive elements in order
to conserve screen space, as this can have a severe impact on
usability. Recommended sizes for interactive elements range
from 9.2 9.6mm, depending on the type of task [14].

General Terms
Design.

Keywords
Usability, Mobile Application Interface Design.

1. INTRODUCTION

2.1.2 Gestures

As the popularity of smartphones, tablets, and other mobile

devices continues to increase [5], so too does the necessity for
digital service providers to optimise their content for such
devices. While many websites offer mobile versions for users on
the go, mobile browsers tend to offer an impoverished user
experience in the context of browsing websites, even when these
sites have been optimised for mobile.

Gestures are platform specific input methods that enable the user
to interact with the system more efficiently. Examples of gestures
include swiping, pinching the screen, or tapping. While these
gestures typically adhere to specific platform conventions in the
context of their functionality, interface designers should be aware
of these in the context of what they can add to the application in
question [1].

Bearing this in mind, it is not difficult to fathom the rise in

popularity of the mobile application, or app; pieces of software
designed to run on mobile platforms that can take advantage of
device-specific features such as GPS, camera, or gyroscope,
among many others. Indeed, research indicates that users perform
better with apps than with mobile-optimised websites, owing to
the capacity of apps to target the specific abilities and limitations
of each individual device [13].
While nowadays there are countless mobile apps available
through the likes of the Apple App Store (iOS) and Google Play
Store (Android), many of these are either poorly designed or
leave room for improvement from a usability perspective.
Because the interface of any application or website represents the
means through which the user and the system must interact, it is
of critical importance that the utmost consideration be given to

2.1.3 Other Input Methods

Many smartphones and tablets now possess on board sensors
such as accelerometers, proximity sensors, gyroscopes, and
ambient light sensors. These offer opportunities for nonconventional input, and should be considered in the context of
the interfaces design [3] [9]. For example, a gyroscope is
typically employed to change the screen orientation from portrait
to landscape, should the user rotate their phone. Interface
designers must therefore design for both orientations, in the
event that the app in question supports this functionality.

2.2 Output Related Issues

2.2.1 Screen Size
Due to the reduced screen size offered by mobile devices, it can
be challenging to achieve a balance between the presentation of
relevant information/functionality, and the efficiency with which
the user can navigate to and from the information/functionality
they require. Put simply, designers must decide what should and

should not be displayed on the screen at a given time in order to

make the most of space available [8]. Furthermore, achieving this
balance may result in reduced aesthetic appeal due to clutter.
How these difficulties are approached is largely dependent upon
the nature of app in question. Typically, this can be achieved
through an iterative process involving multiple prototypes and
phases of user testing, thus enabling the designer to experiment
with a variety of different layouts and specific interface elements
[10].

2.2.2 Power Concerns

Owing to the limited battery life of any mobile device, power
utilised by the app in question must be taken into consideration
[10]. While most efficiency issues in the context of power
consumption relate to the coding of the app itself, excessive
animations or unnecessary onscreen activity can also contribute
to a faster-depleting battery. Designers must therefore take this
into account when designing between-page transitions and other
animations.

3. SOFTWARE ISSUES
3.1 Navigation and Browsing
Navigation and browsing present challenges in mobile interface
design owing to the relatively small display area these devices
typically possess. Information must be segmented into multiple
small presentation units, which can create difficulty when it
comes to users navigating from one part of the app to another
[10]. Hierarchical menus are the norm for mobile applications as
a method of segmenting information, but these present their own
challenges.

3.2 Hierarchical Menus

A hierarchical menu is a menu that presents information as part
of a hierarchy, such as the start menu common to Microsoft
Windows. Typically they are employed in the form of different
pages of an app, and the sub-pages within those pages. These
present a challenge in mobile interface development, as users
may find them confusing and difficult to navigate.
The designer must decide on the number of sections and the
number of items or subsections within each section. Again, this
will depend heavily upon the nature of the app in question.
However, research indicates that more pages are preferable to
more items per page, and that each page should have 4-8 items
[10].

4. OTHER ISSUES
4.1 Consistency
Consistency across platforms is a particularly challenging issue
from a mobile interface design perspective. According to Gong
and Tarasewich [7], it is important to offer users the same
experience across different applications on the same platform and
between the same application across different platforms. With
regard to the former of these, each platform generally offers
designers and developers specific guidelines that detail how the
interface should look and behave in response to different types of
input.
However, it is these very guidelines that present difficulties when
trying to maintain consistency between the same application
running on different platforms. The designer must strive to
maintain the same interface across the different platforms, while

still adhering to the specific guidelines for each platform [4].

Ultimately, compromises may have to be made in terms of
consistency in order to cater for small differences in individual
platform guidelines.

4.2 Heuristics
In addition to the 10 heuristics proposed by Nielson [12], others
have proposed an additional two heuristics specifically for use
with touchscreen based mobile devices [11]. These are listed
below.

4.2.1 Efficiency of Use and Performance

According to this heuristic, the number of steps required to
perform a given task should be minimized insofar as possible,
and all animations and transitions should be displayed smoothly.
This can represent a challenge in the context of the segmentation
of different information and functionalities at different stages of
the app.

4.2.2 Physical Interaction and Ergonomics

According to this heuristic, interface controls should be
positioned in such a way that they match the natural positions of
the users thumbs, leading to less strain. As previously
mentioned, the designer must bear in mind that interactive
elements can be no smaller than the tip of the average persons
thumb. Similarly, frequently used interactive elements should
appear closer to the users natural thumb positions, with less
frequently used elements positioned further away.

4.3 Icons
In the interest of conserving space, icon use is generally
encouraged [15]. Designers must take care to use icons that
accurately convey their functionality however. Furthermore, icon
use can be detrimental to user experience in certain populations
[6]. As such, the designer should take characteristics of the
intended audience into consideration when deciding on whether
or not icon use is appropriate.

5. CONCLUSION
The aim of this paper was to illustrate the various challenges and
issues present in mobile interface design, with reference to the
available literature on the topic. While these issues present
unique challenges in the context of mobile interface design, these
challenges are far from insurmountable, as evidenced by the
many well designed mobile applications on the market. However,
well designed mobile applications are still in the minority,
possibly due to designers not taking due consideration of the
unique requirements of mobile. As such, it is important that
mobile designers properly inform themselves of these issues so
that they properly meet the challenges presented by them.

1.

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