How to Design an App: In-Depth Guide & Tips

Slick web and mobile app design always appears clean, yet UI and UX decisions can have weeks of research and testing behind them. You risk losing customers quickly if you don’t know the ins and outs of how to design an app.

In 2024, app downloads decreased by 2.3%, but consumer spending increased to $127 billion. This paradox suggests that while users are more selective when downloading apps, they are also willing to spend more on high-quality, engaging applications.

UI and UX have always been fundamental to winning over and keeping users.

That’s right. Good design is what helps form first impressions about the app and makes people want to stick around. Sometimes, users choose a less feature-rich app precisely because it is intuitive and pleasing to the eye.

In this article, we want to explain how important app design is for your customers and business. We’ll explain some aspects of web and mobile design, guide you through the process, and tackle common challenges. So, let’s waste no more time.

What is mobile app design?

App design is the visual and interactive components of a software application. The design process covers conceptualizing, planning, wireframing, and developing how the app looks and feels.

Design includes optimizing the visual elements with interaction principles. Crucial parts of the design include color theory, typography, animations, screen size optimizations, and transitions.

It is also more intuitive. A well-crafted app requires minimal mental effort for users to understand it so they can navigate without feeling overwhelmed.

Consistency is the principle to go by. Every app screen is part of a larger system. We ensure consistent design with pre-defined guidelines, systematic design process, and excessive planning (so not a single page looks out of place). The user should never feel lost or confused about where to go next.

The difference between UI and UX

Knowing how to design an app requires understanding the distinctions between the UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience):

• User Interface means the visual elements and interactive components of the app. It includes buttons, color schemes, menus, fonts, micro-interactions (animations), screen organization, and other visual cues.

• User Experience defines how users feel using the app. UX design covers the structure and flow of information, the clarity of the user journey, and the ease with which users complete tasks.

To design an app for your business, you need to understand how UI and UX complement each other.

If UI is visible, good UX is invisible. High-profile organizations often cite Forrester Research, which noted that good design could improve conversion rates by up to 200 percent. Meanwhile, Google found that 53% of users will abandon mobile sites that load for longer than 3 seconds.

Take Tinder’s swipe gesture. It’s intuitive, it removes unnecessary taps, and it aligns with the app’s core function.

Many elements, especially micro-interactions, bridge UI and UX. For instance, a checkmark animation paired with a quick loading screen and a success message reassures users that their action succeeded.

We recognize that neither exists in isolation. Ours is to create apps that look great, work smoothly, and provide lasting value.

Why is app design important?

The application’s design is much more than aesthetic choices nowadays. Companies that prioritize a user-centric UI and UX can improve conversion rates, engagement, and revenue.

Here’s exactly how design helps businesses:

• Strengthened brand credibility. Customers and businesses associate good design with credibility. If an app feels inconsistent, buggy, or unintuitive, it creates doubt about the product and brand behind it. Given the fierce competition in the app marketplace, users won’t hesitate to abandon an app that feels clunky.

• Usability makes users stick. A well-optimized UX makes the app navigation easier and makes customers engage. Focus on making it easier for customers to find the necessary information and call-to-action buttons. If two apps provide the same functionality, users will choose the one that feels more polished and intuitive.

• Revenue generation. A proper design can encourage users to make in-app purchases, upgrade to a premium version, or interact with ads without disrupting their experience. Basically, seamless in-app purchases make users more likely to buy.

• Enhanced customer engagement. Good design can be used to keep users engaged with your company. Effective communication can include non-intrusive push notifications, in-app messages, and, of course, personalized content recommendations.

• Adaptability for growth. A well-structured interface makes it easier to add features, adapt layouts for new devices, and integrate external tools. Effective adaptability requires close collaboration between designers and an experienced development team.

We shouldn’t underestimate the impact of the design on traffic and conversions.

“Top-quartile scorers on the McKinsey Design Index (which rates companies on design) have increased their revenues and returns to shareholders (TRS) more than their industry counterparts—32% higher revenue and 56% higher TRS growth.” — from McKinsey’s The Business Value of Design report.

Not all types of web and mobile apps have the same effect on users. In particular, you need to differentiate how to design an app interface for web and mobile apps.

The difference between web vs native Android and iOS app design

The design approach can be vastly different depending on the type of app you develop.

• Web apps are browser-based applications. They function on any device with an internet connection, don’t require installation, and are adaptable to more screen sizes. However, they have limited access to hardware features (like cameras, biometric authentication, or GPS trackers).

• Native mobile apps for iOS and Android integrate with the device’s hardware and provide somewhat better performance, as well as support offline capabilities. They also require separate development for each operating system and must undergo app store approval.

• Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) combine the reach of web apps with some native app features. They run in the browser but can also be installed on a device and launched like standalone apps. PWAs support offline use, push notifications, and better performance caching.

The following table shows how target platforms can impact the UI/UX decisions and the development process:

We can help businesses choose the best path based on their target audience, business goals, and budget constraints.

How to design an app interface: All stages

A deliberate methodology and an action plan help our company realize our clients’ ideas while meeting deadlines and budget targets. The following guide includes our general approach with key challenges at each step.

Step 1: Defining the goal and target audience

Before you start designing an app, you should be able to clearly define its unique value proposition and target audience. The questions you’re searching for are: What problem does the app solve?

Even if an idea is original, there are always competitors offering similar services. You must research direct and indirect competitors to understand how they solve the same problem and find successful features to adopt, as well as weaknesses to improve upon.

At Overcode, we approach mobile app design as a fusion of functionality, aesthetics, and technology. It’s not enough to look pretty and cool. Design choices should be made with real users in mind.

Key challenges:

• Targeting non-existing problems. A company may think that the app is useful, but the problem may exist only on paper or be not serious enough to even warrant a solution. Conduct stakeholder interviews and use a goal-mapping framework to define clear objectives.

• Lack of clarity on the value proposition. Even if the problem is real, users won’t be motivated to download it if the value is unclear. Write a clear value proposition statement and try it with different users.

• Overly broad scope. Trying to design for too many use cases results in feature overload or confusing UX. Define functional and content requirements at this stage to keep the app design process focused (at least at the early stages).

• Unclear expectations. Conflicting priorities between designers, developers, and business owners can slow down progress. To bring clarity, we thoroughly interview stakeholders and create a detailed project brief that outlines key timelines, features, and success metrics.

Take our Telehealth app as an example. Before designing it, we conducted an extensive UX study, interviewing potential users and observing how other companies provide telemedicine services. Additional research was devoted to data security and privacy requirements.

Step 2: Creating customer journeys

We use the research to create realistic user profiles that represent different segments of the user base and visualize the steps they take when engaging with the app.

The customer journey should be thorough, and app phases should be visualized. Start by outlining where the user finds the app. What happened after their installation, and how did they engage with it for the first time? Map different activities to uncover and address friction points and keep the interactions intuitive.

Key challenges:

• Lack of segmentation. Your target users will come from different locations and have different ages and occupations, preferred devices, and motivations to use the app. You must design customer journeys for each of the key demographics.

• Insufficient user behavior testing. People often act differently in practice than they claim in surveys. We can test the journeys on focus groups to observe how different users interact with similar apps.

• Overlooking subtle pain points. Some frustrations and perspectives may not be obvious but impact long-term engagement. It’s best to test the journeys over time and document the experience.

Overcode took extra time to craft customer journeys during the development of the Voyagi trip planner app. The result is a seamless flow where users can find destinations, book places to stay, and secure flights without juggling apps.

Step 3: Wireframing and prototyping

An app wireframe is a “skeletal” representation of an app’s design. It’s more of a structural guide of the content hierarchy, button layout, screen transitions, and key interactions.

We wireframe with different levels of detail depending on the project’s scope using anything from hand-drawn sketches to digital mockups with interactive blueprints. Some of the tools we use include:

• Figma for collaborative design and wireframing

• Sketch for high-fidelity mockups

• Adobe XD for interactive prototypes and high-fidelity wireframes

A prototype is a functional simulation of an app that allows users to interact with the design before development. If wireframes define the structure, prototypes allow us to test how users interact with the app.

Key challenges:

• Unclear layout hierarchy. While wireframing is barebones, it should still provide clear visual and structural hierarchy and essential information. The wireframes should also follow established design systems and concepts (like contrast, color theory, positioning, etc.).

• Time-consuming iterations. It’s easy to get caught up at this stage. Our advice is to stick to low-fidelity wireframes in the early stages and focus on user flows before refining aesthetics.

• Lack of focus for a prototype. Too many features in a prototype or a minimum viable product (MVP) can lead to complexity and scope creep. Create a feature priority list and only focus on the must-have design elements and functionality.

A shipping insurance company Freighty wanted us to build a working MVP at a specific budget target and deadlines. Our teams created a fully working MVP with a dashboard, insurance claim functionality, and JWT-based authentication system in under 4 months.

Step 4: Choosing the design elements

After validating the wireframe or a prototype, we choose the visual elements that define the UI and UX. Our team follows the best design practices to make the app visually appealing and functional. Naming all of them here would be impossible, but let’s at least name some basics:

• Color design that contrasts with the backgrounds evokes the right emotions and remains accessible to impaired users.

• Typography that makes it easy to read and engage with the content.

• Universally recognizable icons with consistent styling.

• A layout that follows Google’s Material Design and Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines.

We ensure all screens maintain a consistent style across platforms and follow the company’s branding rules.

Key challenges:

• Overly complex visuals. Too many graphics, color patterns, or text blocks can overwhelm users. Design an app around the 5-second rule. If a user can’t find the primary CTA in 5 seconds — refine the layout.

• Ignoring the 3-click rule. When creating an app, you should ensure that all critical interactions (like search or checkout) can be accessed in 3 taps or less. Your engagement will drop if users struggle to find key features.

• Poor accessibility. Make sure your app design follows accessibility guidelines to account for visually impaired users. Use proper contrast and properly sized text, and consider adding voiceover support.

Sometimes, we optimize and redefine existing apps. For the Hydrolix cloud database platform, our team completely revamped the software while making sure the clients wouldn’t get distracted by new workflows.

Step 5: Adding micro-interactions (animations)

Micro-interactions are small animations that provide feedback and make interactions more engaging. When designed correctly, they make an app feel dynamic and responsive. Poorly designed animations, however, can confuse users and affect performance.

We design every animation to serve a purpose, align with branding, and enhance usability. This includes page-loading animations, screen transitions, animated icons, system indicators, and even gamification elements (like celebratory animations when completing a form).

Key challenges:

• Overly flashy and distracting animations. Designers should ensure micro-interactions remain subtle, non-intrusive, and don't cause lag or increased loading times.

• Inconsistent interaction patterns. Different animations across screens create confusion and inconsistency. Make sure you have a clear style guide and design tokens to maintain uniform effects.

• Added complexity for developers. Designers may create animations that are difficult or time-consuming to implement. That’s why it’s important to collaborate with developers early.

Step 6: Testing on users and platforms

Overcode conducts testing throughout the production. Early-stage testing with real users helps us spot UX issues and refine the app's visual elements.

We actively use methods like heatmaps to understand where users click, scroll, or hover the most on an app. Our team also incorporates A/B (comparative) testing with focus groups and beta testers to see which design choices work better.

Different platforms (iOS, Android, PWAs) have unique challenges. For example, Android devices come in hundreds of variations and screen sizes, unlike iOS devices, which Apple controls all hardware. Additionally, PWAs must also be optimized for various web browsers.

Key challenges:

• Neglecting real-world scenarios. Many underestimate how unpredictable real-world use cases are. You should include numerous testing scenarios and real-world conditions, factoring in performance on older devices, weak networks, or multiple background apps.

• Overlooking user contexts. One target audience may have varying expectations and usage habits. Test with a diverse group of users (age, region, experience level), incorporating field studies and focus groups for broader insights.

• Major redesigns late in development. Infrequent testing, especially at later production stages, can result in massive redesigns. That’s why our team has shorter iterative design cycles with frequent usability tests.

• Slow feedback cycles. The design can stretch massively if you wait too long for testing results. We focus on cross-team collaboration and design in rapid spring with real-time feedback loops.

Step 7: Collaboration between designers and developers

It’s no secret that designers and developers often have different priorities and mindsets.

To preserve design intent and reduce development time, collaboration should be established as early as possible.

At Overcode, we ensure collaboration from the very beginning so that engineers can implement design elements in a way that maintains usability, consistency, and performance. Our teams use shared design systems, component libraries, and clear documentation.

Key challenges:

• Lack of a centralized communication system. Use modern tools with visual dashboards and frequent check-ins to ensure that design and development teams are on the same page.

• Feasibility misalignment. It’s not uncommon for designers to create intricate UI components that are too difficult to code. Again, engaging both teams early on can negate this risk.

• Incomplete design handoffs. Developers and designers should receive proper assets, guidelines, and annotations. Another good practice is to freeze UI/UX changes after a certain milestone (it helps prevent last-minute redesigns).

For the Amber Care vehicle app, we wanted to make both a stylish and reliable tool for electric car owners. This required our design and engineering teams to work together to gather vehicle data, analyze usage patterns, and make interactions convenient.

If you don’t want to risk your time and money, you should learn from experienced teams.

Expert advice after designing apps

In addition to the step below, we wanted to share a few tips that designers often overlook.

• Study mobile app guidelines. For example, Apple’s App Store may require your apps to adhere to their design principles, as well as comply with intellectual property laws, have acceptable performance levels, and have robust security. Apps can be rejected for UI inconsistencies or unclear purposes.

• Use app analytics. Tools like heatmaps, session recordings, and event tracking reveal where users get stuck, what they ignore, or what they tap first. Additionally, A/B testing helps compare design changes and measure what actually works, which helps refine UI/UX to the user’s liking.

• Keep designs adaptable. Create multiple layouts tailored to specific device categories (smartphones, tablets, desktops). This includes delivering media such as images and videos optimized according to screen resolution and size.

At Overcode, we guide our clients through the design process. Once the mobile app is live, we offer post-launch monitoring to keep the performance in check and introduce regular updates to maintain user engagement.

New trends and innovations may also affect development time and costs.

5 App Design Trends 2025 by Overcode

We’re seeing several trends, with generative AI at the forefront (for better or worse). However, there are also a lot of other design trends to be aware of. We decided to highlight the following trends in 2025:

• AI-generated design elements: Various design tools, including Figma and Adobe, now have generative AI features. While the technology has gathered a lot of negative connotations in the design community, it can be used to speed up various tasks, such as wireframe variations, prototyping, and interactions.

• Hyper-personalization: Machine learning algorithms can dynamically adapt the recommendations and the app’s layout, fonts, and colors based on the user’s behavior and demographic info.

• Voice interfaces: Many apps are designed to handle voice commands via virtual assistants or custom voice features. These could include speech-to-action flows (like telling an app to book a table or order a taxi) and conversational responses to commands.

• Buttonless swipe-enabled areas: Swipe gestures work better for a lot of users, especially on devices with bigger screens. In addition to being convenient, swiping minimizes the visible buttons and creates a more spacious layout.

• Neumorphism and glassmorphism in modern UI: A combination of neumorphism (soft shadows and inner glows) and glassmorphism (translucent layers with blurred backgrounds) helps add depth and style while retaining a minimalistic look.

Good app design creates a product that users enjoy, remember, and return to. Businesses must tie the production directly to user needs and company goals. Compelling design also requires collaboration among designers, developers, and key stakeholders, as well as regularly collecting and applying user feedback.

How long does it take to design an app?

The app design should take as much as it needs. Rushing or skipping steps can lead to poor user experience or revisions.

Numerous factors influence the timeline: feature complexity, number of screens, target platforms, and client requirements being some of them. So, below is not a correct timetable but rather a median estimation for each of the steps.

For context, a feature-rich MVP may take us a few months. A fully customized cross-platform app may require over six months of revisions and refinement. Understanding how long each stage takes will help you estimate the budget.

How much does it cost to design an app?

Designing screens and UI elements can be relatively cheap, but making a fully customized app with advanced UX can get to 5-digit numbers. For example, Overcode considers several factors to estimate the cost of building an app:

• Pricing model: The model shows how the project is structured and whether we have room for flexibility. For example, the fixed-cost model with an upfront price is great for projects with a defined scope. The time and materials model is better suited for complex apps that are iterated based on user feedback.

• Design complexity: A minimalistic UI is cheaper and faster to design than apps with custom graphics, interactive animations, and complex onboarding flows. The frontend and backend choices also impact the costs.

• Platform choice: The costs will be different for apps designed for the web or iOS and Android. Obviously, the price may be higher for cross-platform options that support more screen sizes.

• Design team location: App designer rates vary significantly by region. For example, US and Canadian developers may charge up to $150 per hour, whereas Eastern European experts charge $25-$40 for the same output.

• Expertise: Highly rated companies with experienced senior designers cost more but bring valuable insights and prevent costly design errors.

At Overcode, experienced designers and developers work together, merging creative and technical expertise. You can refer to this table for approximate costs:

If you’re serious about launching an app that users genuinely love, partnering with us can give you the advantage you need.