Can Designing Apps For One-Hand Usage Improve Usability?

1
Can Designing Apps For One-Hand Usage Improve
Usability?
More than 90 of the mobile phones sold today
have a greater than 5-inch screen. Bigger screen
means bigger visuals and a better experience when
you read, watch, or play. While, on the other
hand, a smaller screen means better grip and
usability. Its easier to move your fingers on
small screen smartphones than the bigger ones.
However, designing apps and websites
2
for bigger screens are newer challenges for
designers and developers that they need to solve
very soon. In this blog, we will see how
designing apps for one-hand usage can improve
usability and enhance the users experience. But
before grasping important information about the
one-hand usage of mobile devices, I must tell
you something about SFWP Experts. It is the top
web design Los Angeles company that has seasoned
designers, developers, copywriters, and SEO
analysts who work on projects passionately and
make it highly successful. You can trust us for
getting a wide variety of services starting from
professional web design and development and going
up to online marketing and search engine
optimization. How Mobile Phones Came Into
Existence? Back in January 2007, the world shrank
into our palms when three revolutionary products
- a phone, iPod, and internet - were merged into
one. The product developed after unification was
not something to introduce you with, it was a
smartphone we know and love today. iPhone was
built to be comfortably used by people
single-handedly, allowing smoother movement of
thumb across the whole screen. One of the great
designers at that time once said that the
3.5-inch screen is the perfect size for users to
operate a mobile phone and anything larger than
that is foolishness. Well, the statement he has
given was quite practical and it definitely
relates to our mobile-usage experience. For
example, if you use some app on your phone that
has a 6-inch screen and some of its buttons are
located at the top left corner, you will find it
difficult to tap on those buttons. But the case
is completely different in the mobile phones
having less than 3.5 inch screen. You can touch
or tap on any of the links or buttons that are
positioned at different places on the screen.
3
Now you know why mobile devices with small-sized
screens have better usability? If you want to
design your app for one-hand usage on mobile
phones, be informed that our Los Angeles web
design company can help you achieve your goals.
The result-oriented services that we offer at
fair prices include business website design and
development, website support and maintenance,
web hosting and domain registration, SEO, PPC,
and many more. Why Bigger Screens Have Low
Usability? While bigger screens are great for
showing more content, it has also larger
out-of-reach areas for thumbs. On the flip side,
smaller screens may not please you when it comes
to the great visual experience, but it is easier
for thumbs to move across the screen. The 1
design consideration of making mobile phones with
the 3.5-inch screen wasnt the result of
overnight thinking. To figure out the ideal size
of displays for one-handed usage, an American
designer had to do deep research. In his 2-month
long research, he spent time at airports,
streets, cafes, and on buses and trains just to
find out how people hold their phones. He found
most of the people holding their phone in three
ways that you can see in the picture above.
Also, users were frequently changing their grip
based on their comfort level and situation. What
was most important to take into consideration is
that 49 of users hold their phones with
one-hand, especially when they were on the
go. It was the point when he realized that
designing mobile devices for one-hand usage will
deliver customers a great experience. Since then
apps were designed for one-hand usage. If you
also wish to design your mobile application for
one-hand usage, you must lead with an
4
approach to place your links or buttons within
the reach of the thumb. Alternatively, you can
also assign your project to our Los Angeles web
design company and then we will develop your
mobile app to be operated by one hand. We are
not only into customized web design and
development, but you can also hire our company
for social media marketing, online advertising
and promotion, and conversion rate optimization
services.
Why Designing Apps For One-Hand Usage Should Be
The Top Priority For Developers?
We use our mobile phones a great deal when we are
in a hurry or looking for something very
important. It greatly impacts the way we hold our
phones and operate the apps. That hurried usage
of mobile apps translates into a lot more of
one-handed usage. As you remember well, 49 of
users hold their phone in one hand when they
have to perform a certain task, apps are the
greater part of their usage. According to some
research, the average user checks their phones 58
times a day, in which 70 of mobile interactions
last within 2 minutes. Often we use our phones
in distracted short-burst usage and continue if
there is something we cant afford to
miss. Here short-burst usage means one thumb,
one eyeball mobile user experience. This type
of mobile use shows how a distracting environment
compels users to engage with mobile phones
single-handedly, having a short span of partial
attention. Whats more, the best type of
smartphone usage with a single hand is one where
quick interaction happens due to smooth
functionality. Some of the examples for
short-burst usage of mobile phones are While
opening doors Walking down the street
5
Carrying a baby (clutched in one hand) Calling a
cab driver Standing in the buses or trains
Shopping household items Surfing social media
sites These are the scenarios when we use our
mobile phones for a short span of time. In case
you want to know more reasons for designing apps
for one-hand usage you can make a call to our
Los Angeles web design company. Our experienced
designers will get in touch with you and explain
the advantages of having such apps. Mostly, we
practice our skills in two main areas i.e., web
design and development, and internet marketing
(including SEO, PPC, copywriting, and content
marketing).
How To Design Your Apps Considering this
One-Handed Short-Burst Usage Of Smartphones?
The answer to this question is quite simple as
you are just required to do continuous usability
testing and study different ways for how users
hold their phones in different situations. If
your users usually use your app in the
distracting scenarios, then you should focus on
your design approach that targets reachability
and one-handed use. Spotify placed the
Hamburger menu at the top-left corner of the
screen that resisted users to use those
features. On top of that, when bigger screens
came into picture another design challenge was
added to the previous list - reachability. This
picture shows the level of difficulty and
discomfort that users experience when they use
the app.
6
Considering the seriousness of the situation,
Spotifys team pulled down the Hamburger Menu in
2016 and shifted its core features - Home,
Browse, Search, Radio, and Library - at the
bottom. As a result of this action, an increase
in the percentage of their clicks was observed -
9 on general options and 30 on menu items.
Wrapping up
You have seen how designing apps for one-hand
usage is the deal of profit for your company.
There is no denying the fact that the improved
reachability of users will translate into
increased engagement and higher conversions.
Therefore, it is important for every app maker to
test the newly developed apps for usability
while considering the different ways in which
users hold their phones. Keep collecting the data
and making changes to your app design, and then
you will be able to figure out differences
between the before and after results. For
technical help and guidance, you can also contact
our Los Angeles web design company where we
listen to you, analyze your app or website, and
then make the most appropriate changes to
increase your users engagement. Over a decade,
we have been offering quality services to
businesses around the world, some of which are
eCommerce web design and development, mobile app
development, software development, and a full
range of online marketing services. So, if you
are in the market, looking for the most trusted
Wordpress website design company for your next
project, you want to work with SFWP
Experts. Contact Details 213-277-9177
7
la_at_sfwpexperts.com Visit Reference Profile
Websites https//bit.ly/2xb1a6c
http//bit.ly/36QoXog http//bit.ly/2V3vVDL
https//repl.it/_at_sfwpexpert http//bit.ly/3b2uoUa
http//bit.ly/3al4Cdi http//bit.ly/3c337Bz
http//bit.ly/2U7hJcF http//bit.ly/399jLxw
http//bit.ly/2v4XUYJ http//bit.ly/2SQo9MD
http//bit.ly/2EyIzRQ Wordpress Developer