Navigating the Mobile-First Era
Practically overnight, mobile has become the primary way users engage digitally. And today, audiences judge brands by the quality of the experience they provide. Without a seamless mobile experience, you risk being written off as a waste of time and space.
Apps are not the only way to conquer mobile, but they’re a powerful tool – they’re natively mobile, offer broad capabilities, and give you a permanent presence on devices your customers check over 50 times a day.
With nearly two decades of experience in digital, the PNKMEDIA team understands what goes into truly intuitive and engaging mobile experiences. For clients ready to break into the app marketplace, we’re an end-to-end partner for mobile experience design.
Designing for the user
Downloading a mobile app is a commitment. If consumers are going to find your app and integrate it into their routine, the experience must keep them coming back. That starts and ends with the user:
Listen to the user. Your app design agency should be invested in understanding the needs of users, and how your app might meet those needs. Otherwise, there’s no reason to believe people will use it.
Design for user needs. Naturally, you want your app to look good. But great app design never complicates things; it gets out of the way and lets users do what they need to do.
Test with real users. You never really know until you test. Once your agency thinks they have everything just right, they should be letting users go hands-on with the product and prove them wrong. This feedback is key for designing an app that actually understands its audience.
Learning the landscape
We start with you: stakeholder interviews help us understand your plans for the app and the problems you want to solve. We conduct extensive audience research, identifying user needs and pain points.
In addition, our team combs the app landscape, identifying trends, best practices, and notable successes. We examine how other apps are solving your users’ problems, and how yours can differentiate itself from the pack.
Crafting the experience
Supported by a foundation of client and audience insights, our UX team builds out personas and user journeys – research-based tools that break down who will be using your app and how. Clear task flows help define exactly what features are required to support users across their user journeys.
An app map charts out the experience, screen by screen, through the use of wireframes. These help you visualize the layout and understand key user interactions.
Test, rinse, and repeat
User testing is an essential proving point for our team. Representatives of key user groups go hands-on with prototypes and beta versions from an early stage, and we note their behavior and collect their feedback throughout. We leverage this information to hone the experience and optimize the product.
Part of the brand
We begin visual design with an exploratory phase – we share inspiration and get a sense for what moves you and what doesn’t. Then, our design team goes to work crafting an on-brand visual identity for your app.
In designing the interface, we plan for the difference between user expectations on iOS and Android, while ensuring the overall experience remains consistent. We believe that beauty and functionality should never be at odds. We know when to add design flourishes – and when to get out of the user’s way.
Into the wild
Once we get approval on UX and UI mockups, your app enters development – another area of expertise of ours, and the final phase before launch. [link to App Development page]
Finally, your app is in the store – but the work isn’t finished. After assisting with launch, our team is ready to support your app with marketing across major channels and dedicated technical support.