Mobile app UI/UX design · iOS & Android
Apps people open twice.
Mobile app UI/UX design for iOS and Android: research, user flows, wireframes, interface design and a tested prototype, handed over in a form your developers can build without guessing.
- iOS & Android
- Figma prototypes
- Design systems
- Developer handoff
The problem
Where apps lose their users.
Many people who download an app stop using it after the first few days. It rarely happens on one big screen. It happens in small moments, and each one can be designed out.
- 01
Onboarding
Long tours before any value. We get people to the first useful moment in as few steps as possible.
- 02
The sign-up wall
Asking for an account before showing anything. We let people look around first, and ask when it makes sense.
- 03
Permission prompts
Asking for location or notifications on first launch. We ask in context, when the reason is obvious.
- 04
Empty and error states
Blank screens and vague errors. We design every state so people always know what to do next.
- 05
Slow screens
Spinners with no end. Skeleton screens and instant feedback make the app feel fast.
- 06
Hard to reach controls
Key actions at the top of a tall phone. We put them in the thumb zone, sized to hit on the move.
Designed to Apple's Human Interface Guidelines and Google's Material Design, with readable type, strong contrast and screen reader labels from the first screen.
Process
From sketch to screen.
Every screen starts as a wireframe that answers one question: what does the user need to do here? Only then do we design how it looks. Drag the handle to see both stages.
Deliverables
What you get.
- 01
User research
Interviews, competitor review and the jobs your users hire the app to do.
- 02
User flows
Every path from first open to the key action, including errors and empty states.
- 03
Wireframes
The structure of each screen, tested before any visual design.
- 04
UI design
Every screen in high fidelity, for iOS and Android, in light and dark mode.
- 05
Interactive prototype
A clickable Figma prototype you can test on a real phone and show investors.
- 06
Usability testing
Sessions with real users on the prototype, and the changes that come out of them.
- 07
Design system
Components, colours, type and spacing, documented so the app stays consistent.
- 08
Developer handoff
Specs, assets and annotated flows, plus our time for the developers' questions.
- 09
Store visuals
App Store and Google Play screenshots and the icon, designed to convert.
How it works
How a mobile design project runs.
Week 1
Discovery
We learn your users, your business model and what the first version must do. We agree on scope and the key flows.
You get
A short brief with goals, users, flows and a fixed quote.
Weeks 2 to 3
Flows and wireframes
We map every path through the app and wireframe each screen, then walk you through it on a clickable prototype.
You get
A tested structure before a single pixel is styled.
Weeks 3 to 6
UI design
We design the look: type, colour, components and motion, built as a design system from day one.
You get
High-fidelity screens for iOS and Android, reviewed with you each week.
Weeks 6 to 7
Prototype and testing
We test the prototype with real users on real phones and fix what confuses them.
You get
A prototype that has been tested, not just approved.
Week 8
Handoff
We prepare specs and assets for your developers, or for our own development team.
You get
Everything needed to build, and support while it is being built.
Timings are typical for a first version with a handful of core flows. A smaller app takes less time; a larger product is planned in phases.
Shaped around your stage
- 01
New app
From idea to a tested prototype and a design your developers can build: the right scope for a first version.
- 02
App redesign
A UX audit of your current app, its reviews and its analytics, then a redesign of the flows that lose users.
- 03
Ongoing design partner
A senior designer on your product every month, for new features, tests and a design system that keeps up.
Need it built too?
Our development team builds iOS and Android apps from these designs, so nothing gets lost between design and code.
FAQ
Good questions.
How much does mobile app design cost?
It depends on the number of flows and screens, whether research and testing are included, and how many platforms you need. After a short call we send a fixed quote with exactly what is included.
Do you design for both iOS and Android?
Yes. We design one product with platform-specific details where they matter, such as navigation, controls and system patterns, following Apple's Human Interface Guidelines and Google's Material Design.
Which design tool do you use?
Figma. You get full access to the files, the design system and the prototype, and they are yours to keep.
Can you also build the app?
Yes. Our development team builds iOS and Android apps with React Native, so design and development stay with one team. You can also hand the designs to your own developers.
Can you redesign an app that already exists?
Yes. We start with a UX audit of the current app and its reviews and analytics, then fix the flows that lose users before changing the visual design.
Do you test the design with real users?
Yes, testing is part of the process. We run sessions on the interactive prototype with people who match your users, before development starts, when changes are cheap.
Tell us about your app
Let's scope your app.
A few answers are enough for a useful first call. We come back with questions, a rough plan and, after the call, a fixed quote for the first version.
- Free 30-minute call
- Fixed quote for the first version
- Code and accounts stay yours