How can you optimize your design for users on the move?

Users on the move have different needs and expectations than users who are stationary. They face various challenges such as limited attention, distractions, interruptions, and environmental factors that affect their interaction with your design. How can you optimize your design for users on the move? Here are some usability tips and best practices to consider.

1 Simplify the interface

Users on the move have less time and cognitive resources to process complex information and navigate multiple options. You should simplify the interface by reducing the number of steps, elements, and choices. Focus on the essential features and functions that users need to accomplish their goals. Use clear and concise labels, icons, and feedback. Avoid unnecessary pop-ups, animations, and sounds that can distract or annoy users.

Add your perspective

Alan H.

I help you build engaging and beautiful online experiences that work | Product and Web Designer |
Report contribution
Consistency is key, reduces cognitive overload, which leads to easy navigation. Use colours and typography well, optimise for quick scans, and make sure your touch points are easy to access.

Like

Unhelpful

2 Support one-handed use

Users on the move often use their devices with one hand, while holding other items, balancing, or gesturing. You should support one-handed use by designing for the thumb zone, which is the area of the screen that is easily reachable by the thumb. Place the most important and frequent actions within the thumb zone, and avoid placing them near the edges or corners of the screen. Use large and visible buttons, gestures, and swipes that are easy to perform with one hand.

Add your perspective

Bapusaheb Patil

4x Award-Winning Designer • Design Book Author • 7 Years of Exp
Report contribution
My top 3 tips: 1. Make the touch target at least 48x48px—this helps prevent accidental touch inputs. 2. For more frequent action buttons, there's a sweet spot to place them—right between the bottom-center and bottom-left or bottom-right. Avoid placing it too far bottom-right or too far bottom-left. 3. Avoid placing urgent and important actions at the very top of the screen.

Like

Unhelpful

3 Adapt to different contexts

Users on the move can encounter different contexts that affect their interaction with your design. For example, they may switch between portrait and landscape modes, use different devices or screen sizes, or experience different lighting or noise levels. You should adapt to different contexts by using responsive design, which adjusts the layout and content to fit different screen dimensions and orientations. You should also use contrast, color, and font size to enhance readability and visibility in different lighting conditions. You should also use sound and vibration to provide feedback and alerts in noisy or quiet environments.

Add your perspective

SHADAB ALAM

Web developer | Made over 46 Website
Report contribution
To optimize design for users on the move, focus on mobile responsiveness, streamlined content, fast loading, intuitive navigation, touch-friendly elements, and location-based features. Prioritize a seamless and efficient mobile experience.

Like

Unhelpful
Shweta Singh

UX Researcher @IU | Prev- Amazon | Ex- ADP | Content Creator for UX Collective @Medium
Report contribution
It's important to remember that people have different accessibility needs. So, we should include features like screen readers and keyboard navigation for users with disabilities. This way, everyone can use our app comfortably. It's also a good idea to follow accessibility standards like WCAG to ensure that our app is welcoming and inclusive for all.

Like

Unhelpful

4 Provide offline access

Users on the move may not always have a reliable or fast internet connection. They may experience network issues, low battery, or data limits that prevent them from accessing your design. You should provide offline access by caching or storing data locally, so that users can access the most important or recent information even when they are offline. You should also inform users about the offline status and the availability of the data. You should also allow users to resume their tasks or sync their data when they are online again.

Add your perspective

Bapusaheb Patil

4x Award-Winning Designer • Design Book Author • 7 Years of Exp
Report contribution
Communicate with your devs about offline access and collaborate closely with them about this. Work together to ensure that the user is informed of hinderances to their usage of the app—like internet problems, battery being low, poor data connections or even server/backend issues. As designers, we do not want to design an offline experience and declare the work done. Provide clear guidelines to the developers and test the offline experience for yourself if possible—a test environment or internal version of the app should help with this.

Like

Unhelpful
Himanshu Gupta

UX Designer | Navigating Startups & Designers to Success: Your Strategic Design Ally | Specialises in Health Tech, B2B, FinTech, E-commerce. Looking for growth through design? Let's talk!
(edited)
Report contribution
An additional insight to consider is the importance of optimizing user interfaces for smaller screens and touch interactions. Users on the move often rely on mobile devices, and design should be tailored to ensure a seamless and intuitive experience on these smaller screens. This includes using responsive design principles, larger touch targets, and minimizing the need for precise interactions. Incorporating these design elements alongside offline access can significantly enhance the usability and accessibility of your design for users on the move.

Like

Unhelpful

5 Respect user privacy

Users on the move may have more privacy concerns than users who are stationary. They may share their devices with others, use public or unsecured networks, or expose their personal or sensitive information to bystanders or hackers. You should respect user privacy by providing clear and transparent information about how you collect, use, and protect user data. You should also give users control over their privacy settings and preferences. You should also use encryption, authentication, and permissions to secure user data and prevent unauthorized access.

Add your perspective

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

Add your perspective

User Research

Rate this article

We created this article with the help of AI. What do you think of it?

It’s great It’s not so great

Report this article

See all

How can you optimize your design for users on the move?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Simplify the interface

2 Support one-handed use

3 Adapt to different contexts

4 Provide offline access

5 Respect user privacy

6 Here’s what else to consider

User Research

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

More articles on User Research

More relevant reading

How can you optimize your design for users on the move?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Simplify the interface

2 Support one-handed use

3 Adapt to different contexts

4 Provide offline access

5 Respect user privacy

6 Here’s what else to consider

User Research

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

Explore Other Skills