What is the Role of UI/UX Designer in Mobile App Development?

Smartphones have become common these days. People from all demographics have taken interest in this device and rightfully so. It has shown incredible calibre and is truly changing the lives of everyone.

Since we all are using mobile phones in our every day lives for our every day work, it is obvious to know certain things about it. For instance, mobile applications. Most of the things we do on a phone are either carried out on a pre-installed app or one that we download as per our needs. But where do these mobile apps come from?

There is a lot that goes into making a mobile app. It is not something that just happens overnight. It takes a team of professionals who are superb at their job to get things streamlined and on to our phones. One such person who plays an essential role is a UI/UX designer.

In this blog, we are going to explore the field of mobile app development. Along with this, you will also learn that what is the role of UI/UX designer in mobile app development. And if you are thinking about becoming a part of this field, then we will also cover the essential skills needed to become one. So, keep reading and see if the field is a good fit for you.

Taking one step at a time, let us first give you a brief about what mobile application development is.

 

What is Mobile App Development?

Mobile app development is a process that involves making software for digital assistants, tablets, and smartphones. The most common operating systems it makes these apps for are iOS and Android. As we mentioned above, the software can either come preinstalled or be downloaded from your phone’s play store.

There are various markup and programming languages that are used for this development. Some of the most widely used ones include HTML5, C#, Swift, and Java.

The field of mobile application development is growing at a rapid pace. Any industry you see around you is using this technology to spread its wings. Retail, e-commerce, government organizations, healthcare, and telecommunications are a few to be named.

Every organization that wants to stay closer to their intended audience is taking the aid of mobile apps. These applications aid companies in a lot of ways.

There are dozens of things that go into the process of building an app. A UI/UX designer plays a big role in determining the overall performance of any software. This is because the first thing a person sees is the appearance of the app.

Further in this blog, we are going to give you a list of the key skills you will need to possess if you wish to become a UI/UX designer. Let us begin!

 

Skills you need to become a UI/UX Designer

There are a lot of skills that you will need to ace this field. While you can begin with only a handful of these, it is essential you keep reinventing yourself. This is a highly dynamic world and in order to excel you will need to stay ahead of your competitors. Thus, you will have to keep learning new skills and technologies as and when they gain that kind of traction.

Here are some of the key skills you need to become a UI/UX design professional.

 

1. Prototyping, User Flows, Wireframing, Mock-ups

In order to get started, the first thing you need is to envision how you want your final product to look like. As per the development stage you are one, this can be done in various ways such as creating wireframes, mock-ups, user flows, and high or low fidelity prototypes.

Here is a brief about each of these terms –

• Prototyping – It refers to a simulation or a sample of the final product that is used for testing and gathering feedback. High-fidelity prototypes are generally computer-based, giving space to keyboard and mouse interaction. Low-fidelity prototypes, on the other hand, are generally sketched on paper. Thus, they do not allow interaction.
• User Flows – It refers to a diagram mapping out every step that a user will take when using the final service or product.
• Wireframing – This refers to a web page layout without any visual designs. This gives space to prioritise the page elements on the basis of user needs first.
• Mock-up – A mock-up refers to a highly realistic visual model depicting what the final application or webpage will look like.

These all are elements of interaction design. To excel these, you will need a lot of hands-on practice. The best part is that you can start with a paper and pen to get familiar with the components.

 

2. User Research & Usability Testing

Having knowledge about who is your user is key for the entire process to be fruitful. This will help in ensuring that the design meets the user needs, delights them, or solves their problems. This is where user research is essential.

As and when you develop prototypes, you can conduct user testing on them. This will further help you validate your design choices. Knowing how your intended audience will perceive your product can be empowering.

The criticality of this role can be judged from the fact that some companies prefer to hire an expert for the role whose job title is UX researcher.

 

3. Information Architecture (IA)

Having all the information is not going to make any difference without information architecture. It refers to effectively structuring and organizing the content in hand. A well-designed IA aids the user in finding the information they are looking for swiftly.

 

4. Visual Design & Design Software

A UI/UX designer uses various visual design software such as Photoshop, Sketch, Figma, and Illustrator for the creation of a product’s visual elements.

It is important to gain proficiency in these tools. Along with this, you must also enhance your knowledge about visual best practices for colour theory, icons, general design theory, typography, layout, etc.

 

5. Agile

Agile is a set of project management practices that are highly popular in the world of software development. These are cemented on the base of following an iterative approach to build a service or a product.

A lot of software development teams employ the Agile methodology. Thus, it is only conscious that you too get its working knowledge to become a successful UI/UX design professional.

 

6. Application Development

We know you must be thinking that this is not a part of the job description. A developer is generally the one who is tasked with the responsibility of writing the code. However, having a basic understanding of the process of application development and programming languages such as HTML, Python, CSS, and JavaScript, is going to ultimately benefit you.

 

There’s More!

But do you think these are the only skills needed to excel in today’s time? As much as we would like to say yes, it’s not true.

We are living in a world where having communication skills, interpersonal skills, and great soft skills is essential. If you want to become an indispensable part of your team and your company, you will need to communicate better. Thus, here are some workplace skills that you will have to take care of learning too.

 

• Communication & Presentation

A key skill to have, communication and presentation are something you will learn during your training and certification course. Your institute will help you learn more about these skills during your training days.

Strong communication skills not only get you noticed better at work, they also help you build a better rapport with your customers. Thus, enabling better research. You will need to practice good writing, spoken, and visual communication.

 

• Collaboration

As a UI/UX designer, you will be working in a team. Thus, you will be collaborating with a lot of team members to get things done. But your team members are not the only ones you will be collaborating with.

Your development team will also work with other teams to gain the best insights and pieces to bring together a great product. Giving and receiving feedback is a crucial aspect of working in a team and thus, must be learned.

 

• Time Management

The work you will be doing is time-oriented. Your clients will have clear expectations about when they would want to final product up and running. Your part as a UI/UX designer facilitates the work of many others in the team. Thus, you will need to learn to manage your time while keeping up the quality of the work.

Organization and flexibility are crucial skills to learn if you are looking to excel here.

 

Conclusion

Becoming a UI/UX design professional is not an easy task. However, it is not something you cannot accomplish with your hard work, zest, and push from the best. Thus, enrolling with the best training and certification course in India is a key element in the mix.

Become a part of Grras Solutions now for your UI/UX design course and you are sure to come out of the process ready to ace the world of designing.