Introduction

Jenny Gove, UX Research Lead, Google
www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/principles-of-mobile-app-design-introduction.html

Apps are now a mainstream, trusted way to deliver content and services. But in a crowded market, how does a mobile app become useful, relevant, and valued so it delights and retains users? Google’s UX Research Lead Jenny Gove details 25 principles for building a great mobile app.

Mobile apps: Users can’t get enough of them. Want proof? An estimated 200 billion apps are expected to be downloaded in 2017.1 (That’s billion with a “b.”) Marketers are experimenting with their own app experiences and investing to ensure that they’re discovered; they spent around $3 billion on app install advertising in 2015, an increase of 80% from 2014.2

Given this massive shift in consumer behavior, it is no surprise that marketers are keen to continuously improve the app experiences that they create. Apps provide opportunities to build around user needs and grow long-term and profitable relationships with loyal customers. It’s become tougher for developers and brand marketers to get people to find and download their apps, and once they do, stay engaged. As many as 25% of app users open an app once and never return.

More than ever, people are engaging with their phones in crucial moments and for shorter periods of time. Their experiences need to be efficient and delightful. Plus, a well-designed app that provides utility has the power to cut through the clutter. It can deliver on people’s many I-want-to-know, I-want-to-go, I-want-to-buy, and I-want-to-do moments.

As many as 25% of app users open an app once and never return.

We know that following a simple, powerful set of principles helps. That was what we learned from our prior work on mobile site design. It led brands to make changes and remove barriers so they could give their customers truly helpful experiences. As with mobile websites, mobile apps need to help users complete their tasks and make it easy to convert. With that in mind, we sought to uncover the key ingredients of a great mobile app. We partnered with AnswerLab to conduct a user study of more than 100 people on 100 different apps across a variety of verticals including e-commerce, insurance, travel, food ordering, ticket sales and services, and financial management. (Gaming apps, social networking apps and music services were not included in the study.)

Guide app users seamlessly through task completion

We looked at conversion-focused tasks, such as making a purchase, booking a reservation, and researching plans and prices, among other tasks.

我们关注转化，诸如产生的购买数、预订量和产品方案与价格分析统计，以及其他一些任务。

We are excited to share insights to help you build brand engagement by providing guidance on useful and usable functionality—essential for creating an experience that delights. Apps can seamlessly guide users through task completion by providing great e-commerce facilities and integrating effective ordering and payment systems. Ultimately, the creation of an engaging app begins with attention to usability.

Many more useful insights were uncovered by the study. We’ve collated them to deliver the top 25 across six categories: app navigation and exploration, in-app search, commerce and conversions, registration, form entry, and usability and comprehension. Let’s get started with Chapter 1, App Navigation and Exploration.

Sources

1 eMarketer “App Downloads Will Double in Next Four Years,” February 3, 2014.
2 eMarketer “App Install Ads Help Marketers Cut Through the Clutter,” July 17, 2015.
3 eMarketer “App Marketing 2015: Fighting for Downloads and Attention in a Crowded Market,” July 2015.

Chapter 1: App Navigation and Exploration

第一篇：App 导航与搜索

Users should be guided to the content they’re looking for, quickly. These key principles will help you design effective and delightful app navigation.

用户应该可被快速引导至他们想要查找的内容。这些关键原则将帮助你设计有效且让人愉悦的app导航。

1. Show the value of your app upfront.

1、前台展示有价值信息

Engage users by addressing their tasks clearly, placing calls to action up front and center. Highlight your app’s key and new features in context at the appropriate place in the app so they’re a source of delight and interest rather than frustration and confusion.

通过地址（路径）来引导用户明确他们的任务，在前台中心位置唤起用户行为。在app适宜的地方高亮关键信息与新特征是让用户愉悦并产生兴趣的源头，而不是产生失望及困惑。

2. Organize and label menu categories to be user-friendly.

2、友好的组织标记菜单分类

Users struggle to interpret and distinguish menu categories that do not align with their mental models for categories. Menu categories should be clear with no overlap. This is particularly important when a user turns to a menu as a last resort after exhausting options through search.

3. Allow users to “go back” easily in one step.

3、让用户很轻松的单步“返回”

Users may only want to go back one step as they use the app. Apps should leverage back functionality so that users don’t feel forced to have to start over from the home screen, which, in some cases, results in losing any unsaved data. Allowing users to go back one step eliminates this frustration and the need for any inadequate workarounds. Granular navigational controls are valuable in helping users convert.

4. Make it easy to manually change location.

Auto-detection of location can save users time. However, there are times when users need to find a store that’s not located nearby. Make manual entry of location easy and straightforward.