DesignScan Support Forum

How Mobile App Designs Are Leveraging The Web Designs

2015-01-12T09:56:51+00:00

By observing the current design trends, it can be said that the mobile designs are certainly influencing the web designs.

The UI design for the mobile applications as well as the web applications is converging to efficiently cater to the growing needs of technology and its consumers. The usage of advanced mobile devices like Smartphones and tablets for accessing the Internet is substantially rising. And, it thus can be anticipated that in the coming future, the mobile traffic will pass the desktop traffic.

Therefore, it has become more than imperative for businesses to ensure a trendy and updated presence to reach both mobile users and desktop users. And, as the mobile and web both continue to unite together, designers are making strives to improve user experience by making them more relevant with better and common designing strategies. This will help users consistently and seamlessly access the mobile apps and web apps via a mobile device.

The improved web UI design is also influenced by responsive design and touchscreen devices that are used for accessing the web. This also represents how the proliferating mobile usage has contributed to the current design trend.

Let's ponder into the factors that are greatly contributing to the convergence of web app designs and mobile app designs.

1. A Plethora of Touchscreen Devices
Truckloads of touchscreen devices are available out there, including Smartphones, tablets, hybrids, etc. The larger touchscreen devices demand somehow a different design approach than the smaller touchscreen devices, since there are certain key differences between them. Thus, in order to effectively and efficiently design the apps to target the larger touch screens, you will need to keep the latest UI conventions in mind. Some of the conventions are -

Offer multiple hand support, but it should be operable via a single hand as well: Although, the screen will be larger, but it's better to let the user enjoy the view on a bigger screen. Thus, the users must be provided with an option to access the app via one hand or dual hand. That is, multi-hand input must be supported but only as an optional way, not as an only way to access the app.
Simple UI by facilitating users to move the UI elements in a desired fashion: Allow the users to insert or remove a preferred UI element as and when desired. This feature will help the users keep the interface clutter-free and well-organized. However, it is advisable to offer a limited number of modes and ensure the simplicity of the UI.
Don't make the interface appear overloaded with numerous options: It is better to display only the limited and feasible options, instead of representing all the options and graying some as they won't be accessible. By doing so you can efficiently streamline the look and feel of your User Interface. This will allow users to access the app with a flair.

2. Going Responsive
The responsive design is not only considered as an ongoing trend, but it is the future of the mobile and web. It is due to the rise in the usage of mobile devices for the past few years. Responsiveness have become an imperative attribute for the majority of the websites, thus it is essential to understand the term “responsive” precisely before diving into the way to design it.

Responsive design is not all about resizing the layout to fit on the targeted device's screen, rather it has a deeper meaning. This approach is basically aimed to deliver a design that best respond to the user's environment and behavior while considering other aspects like platform, screen size, and more.

However, it has been observed that the adaptive mobile web design approach is better able to cater to user's need in certain situations. Thus, to make this process more proficient and convenient, the web and mobile apps are preferably designed and developed in the same fashion. This further facilitates designers and developers to implement a change in an expedient way as and when desired.

3. Unified Digital Experience
The usage of touchscreen devices and responsive design is rapidly flourishing in web apps and websites. As, the application designs need to separately consider the attributes of targeted devices, it is striding towards a unified user experience. There are several digital devices that are more focused over the user behavior like the Internet of Things (Smart home appliances, wearable, etc.).

Therefore to conclude this, it can be said that as users have rapidly adopted the mobile devices for accessing web (due to its utile offerings), designers are more focusing over mobile and web design convergence.

The Terrain From Desktops To Mobile Is A Rough One

2015-01-08T13:18:34+00:00

Why the Terrain from Desktops to Mobile Is Typical For Web Designers
Mobile platforms are ruling the roost and it is hardly a surprise that more and businesses are taking the mobile route to connect to a wider band of audience. While there are those that successfully take the leap from a desktop-centric website to a seamlessly mobile-friendly one, more often than not, the challenges prove to be too insurmountable.

Creating websites for mobiles is still an endeavour approached with uncertainty since there are way too many dynamics to take into account:

The Restraints
With Smartphones and the devices of the same likes, there are a truckload of restraints to contend with. And the smaller screen sizes is just one of them. To begin with, these devices have far lesser memory than their desktop counterparts, not to mention their comparatively smaller processing speed and power. You also have to take into account that the navigational links that seem seamless on desktops are a pain to switch from one page to the other via a mobile device.

Also, it has been observed that despite the mobile connections being relatively weaker, the patience of the mobile web users runs thinner than that of the desktop web users. So, you need to be sure you aren't uploading massively sized images on your website that will eventually take painfully long time to load, especially on the smaller devices.

Tricky Navigational Flow
As iterated before, building a navigational structure for mobiles is abundantly different from building the one for desktops. The mobile environment again throws a lot of constraints at us in this respect and we need to respect those. The designing techniques employed for desktops are not really applicable for Smartphones or tablets and sooner you realise it, better it would serve you.

Managing the space in the mobile interface is a demanding task, and one where there is a minimum margin for error. Also, you need to make it certain that the users reach from point A to point B with minimum number of clicks. As for the CTA buttons, placing them at the top or at the most visible area of the screen in question is another tricky part.

The Sheer Diversity in Platforms
There is not just one mobile platform! Contrary to the desktop platforms where MAC, Windows more or less respond to different designs in a similar fashion, the suite of operating system for mobile phones end up making the situation all the more messier.

Android in its own right tosses at you an array of screen resolutions and densities and it is extremely hard to keep up with. And then you have iOS, BlackBerry, Windows and a bunch others to deal with.

You might create a design for an Android phone, expecting it would work much the same way on other platforms, and you might as well be in for a rude surprise. What looks most sleek on Android may appear incoherent on iOS. And this pretty much runs throughout the range of devices you can stumble upon in the market. It won't be an overstatement to suggest that the diversity in platforms is the biggest challenge for any designer or developer.

The Designing Trends are Too Unsteady
The designing trends dictate which direction a company should take while charting out a designing plan or creating a roadmap. And this is where the unpredictability sneaks in. this unpredictability further elevates when it comes to mobiles. Because the trends on the more conventional platforms are already going through a rapid transformation, it becomes all the more difficult to keep up when you are designing for the mobiles.

While the average practice would suggest that you stay with the current flavour of the season, which is flat designs. Not only are the flat designs in vogue, they are most perfectly suited to the mobile environment since they are characterised by small page sizes and straightforward designing elements. There are lesser chances of incompatibility across the different mobile platforms.

All said, we also have websites these days that are taking the leap to have flashy designs, and yet retain compatibility with different mobile OS platforms. These websites are also making a lot of impact and inviting many footfalls. So, which way should you go? The answer to the question is surely not an easy one.

So, with all things considered, it would be safe to say that one is in a bit of quandary when it comes to this transition. Lately, there have also been questions raised on whether one should opt for responsive websites, or instead go for separate mobile versions. The logic behind opting for mobile websites instead is that the responsive websites have a lot of script that is not needed when accessing the site on mobile phones. So, they only end up increasing the load time. With questions galore, the best approach to moving forward and taking a conclusive decision is to consult the experts.

Have you encountered such challenges yourself. Do enlighten us in the comment sections below.

Merry Christmas & Happy 2015

2014-12-24T16:01:58+00:00

From the DesignScan team: Merry Christmas & Happy 2015. We have some nice announcements. Stay tuned.

[not a bug] responsive, main website.

2014-12-01T18:00:51+00:00

First of all congrats on the new support setup. Works great on my iPad mini.

Question: I noticed that the main website is not always showing well on my iPad?
What can I do?
And what is responsive?

Kind regards,
Hilligje

Send from my iPad mini

[new] Extra bbcode

2014-12-01T17:15:05+00:00

Please use these bbcode rules, in your body:
The words MUST BE lowercase.

Embed Youtube Video in post using bbcode
[youtube*]xxxxxxx[*/youtube] where xxxxxxxx is the video ID

Embed Vimeo Video in post using bbcode
[*vimeo]xxxxxxx[*/vimeo] where xxxxxxxx is the video ID

Embed SoundCloud Track in post using bbcode
[*soundcloud]track_url[*/soundcloud]

* use without the *

Before Reporting…

2014-11-26T15:34:23+00:00

Please follow these simple rules:

1) The bug MUST be related to the DesignScan website, front- and back-end or support section.
2) Check if you have cleared your [wiki]browser cache[/wiki].
3) Provide a link or attach an image related to the bug in this forum, the solution, if any, must be posted in Resolved Bug Reports forum.

Work in progress

2014-11-26T14:02:31+00:00

Support;
Forum and wiki;
Text;
Social;
Passing 200 designscans;
Next;

Support:
We rebuilt our support section from the ground up. Using the latest Bootstrap 3.30 and jquery 1.11.1. The support section is now also viewable with IE8 and higher (and all modern browsers) using html5shiv.js 3.7.2 and respond.js.
- Support section is now responsive, viewable with your computer, tablet and smart phone.
- Live search, where possible. (results shown while you enter your key word.)

Forum and wiki:
The templates codes used for the forum and wiki where old, really old. They both are original modules from ExpressionEngine, maintained but no features added. So what we did, we rebuilt the templates using Bootstrap 3.30. This took time but we think really added that extras we needed.
- Responsive, viewable with your computer, tablet and smart phone.
- prefix, specially used in our "Bug Reports" section.
- responsive images and video

Text:
We hired a copywriter to rewrite our website text. Now it's even more clear what we do and offer.

Social:
DesignScan is running for 6 months and the internet is already loving us.
- Facebook 9.900 Likes
- Twitter 6.600 Followers
- google+ 653 Likes
- Pinterest 422 Followers
- Stumbleupon 221 Likes

Passing 200 designscans:
We are proud to announce that we past the 200 DesignScans last week.

Next:
We will start rolling out our new design for the back-end.
DesignScan pro will be activated and access for the Designers and Developers.

What element, that a great website will need, is the most important for you?

2014-10-15T13:44:45+00:00

If you are a business owner, your website is absolutely one of the most important tools you have to get more clients or customers. So what separates a good website from a bad website, or a good one from a great one? What element, that a great website will need, is the most important for you?

Navigation
The website design should be easy to navigate and the menu items should easily accessible from any page. The viewer should always know exactly where they are on the website and have easy access to where they would like to be. A site map is a great idea and will be used if available. This sounds elementary but most websites could be improved in this area. Remember, there is a ﬁne line between an interactive menu and an annoying one, so functionality should be the idea.

Visual Design
People are visually oriented creatures, and utilising great graphics is a good way to make your website more appealing. Your website has about 1/10th of a second to impress your visitor - and potential customer - and let them know that your website - and business - is trustworthy and professional. However, it's important not to go overboard with too much. Scrolling text, animation, and ﬂash intros should be used sparingly in your web design and only to emphasise a point for maximum effect.

Content
This is the backbone of your website. Not only does your content play a major role in your search engine placement, it is the reason most visitors are seeking from your website in the first place. Your website text should be informative, easy to read, and concise. Well, thought out web content and copy will do more than anything else to make your website design engaging, effective and popular.

Web Friendly
No matter how informative, beautiful, and easy to use your website design is, it's useless unless it's web-friendly. It is important that your web designers know the keys to making your website work on all the major browsers, and that they utilize meta tags, alt tags, are fully versed in SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Many factors effect your search engine placement and visual appearance of your site, so make sure your web designers know their stuff.

Interaction
A truly effective website design engages your visitors immediately and continues to hold their attention through EVERY page, as well as inﬂuences them to contact you. This is called 'conversion', and is probably your website's ultimate goal. Again, there is a ﬁne line between ʻinteractionʼ and ʻannoyanceʼ, so the level of interaction should never outweigh the beneﬁt.

Information Accessibility
Not all visitors to your website are interested in, or have the time to peruse the entire site. They may need to access only a phone number or address, or just a certain bit of info. For this reason itʼs important to place key information in plain site, in an area thatʼs easily accessible. Weʼve all had the experience of not being able to locate some needed information on a website, and the result is always a frustrated visitor. The experience is annoying at best, and a disgruntled visitor wonʼt stay on your site very long and is unlikely not to return, much less do business with you.

Intuitiveness
A great website anticipates what your visitor is thinking and caters directly to their needs, and has elements arranged in a way that makes sense. If a visitor is searching for one of your products or services on a search engine or directory where your site is listed, it's important that your website have a landing page that is directly relevant to what they searched for rather than forcing them to filter through all of your information. Remember, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

Branding
Your website should be a direct reﬂection of your business and your brand. Your visitor should immediately make a visual connection between your logo, print material, and brick-and-mortar location. A website that does this not only contributes to the memorability of your branding, but adds a level of credibility and enhanced image of that of your overall business.

Turnaround Time
The number one complaint of website design customers is the time it takes to get the site up and running. Unfortunately, a ﬁrm that takes unusually long to complete your website is par for the course. The longer it takes to complete the website, the more business - and value - you lose. A website that isnʼt on the web isnʼt going to bring you any business!

Conversion
Your website can be the most important client generator your business can have, and must place the primary emphasis on bringing in new clients and making additional services available to existing clients through increased awareness of all the services you offer. Providing them with the tools they need to do business with you in an easy and enjoyable way will increase your website conversion and bring you the kind of success you seek.

Video tutorials

2014-10-06T09:12:03+00:00

Today we released 4 Video tutorials for our website. Go and check them out.

Video tutorial: SignUp;
Video tutorial: LogIn;
Video tutorial: Dashboard;
Video tutorial: Voting;

Video tutorial: Voting

2014-09-30T19:28:50+00:00

How easy it is to vote & earn