In 2024, we are an official pinnacle of digital technology. Today, every teenage and mature person holds a mobile phone. According to a survey, an average person spent a minimum of 2 hours on their mobile phones.
In this digital world, businesses are building applications to cater for the broader market with fewer resources. Mobile applications are probably the best way to provide your service or products in the market as they provide an enhanced experience and full reach to customers.
However, designing mobile apps that attract users requires understanding their preferences and behaviours. Today, there are two main operating systems ruling the market: Android and iOS. Although Android is more used than iOS, there is still a need to build applications for both operating systems. Each platform has its design philosophy, conventions, and unique visual languages that must be respected for the best user experience.
In this blog, we’ll discuss the key differences between Android and iOS Application UI design. From basic Application UI design to navigational patterns and typography, we’ll try to cover everything. Whether you are a designer or a businessman thinking about creating an application, this article will be useful to you.
Also, if you want a perfect app that is an exact fit for your users, Ftechiz, one of the best mobile app development companies, can help you turn your ideas into reality. So, let’s start with the blog:
1. Foundational UI Design Principles
Material Design (Android)
In order to achieve common guidelines for Android applications, Google brought Material Design as the design language. Material design allows developers to mimic real-world materials like paper and ink and focus on tactile and dynamic interfaces.
Key Features of Material Design:
- Vibrant colours and bold contrasts: Android apps are generally more colourful, gradients, and have a focus on strong vibrate colour.
- Shadows and elevation: Transitions are obscure to point out the priority of the objects and to provide directions for using the interface.
- Dynamic animations: It offers a smooth transition between app states that enhances the user experience.
Real-World Example: Well-known applications such as Google Maps and Gmail are examples of material design; they have big letters, illustrated cards, and easy-to-use navigation.
The Human Interface Guidelines (iOS)
HIG of Apple concentrates on simplicity, clarity, and tasks. By their nature, iOS designs are simple and sleek – because Apple states that less is more.
Key Features of HIG:
- Minimalism: iOS apps use subtle colours and focus on whitespace.
- Depth and hierarchy: Overlay semitransparent elements and layering keep such layouts simple and avoid impact on readability.
- Gestures and animations: iOS focuses on gestures as the common interaction type, for example, swipe or pinch to zoom.
Real-World Example: Native Apple applications like Safari or iMessenger use HIG with seamless, intuitive designs.
Why It Matters:
- These principles are the cornerstone of Android and iOS design languages that dictate the appearance of Android and iOS applications. Creating applications that are too ‘different’ from these frameworks might be counterproductive and may throw off users who are used to the particular platform.
