Skynamo continually adapts mobile app navigation features to better suit user needs and habits and to improve user experiences. Read about the most recent Skynamo navigation improvements to iOS and Android interfaces implemented by our development team.
At Skynamo we continuously try and improve the way things are. Inevitably, that means that things change. Sometimes it helps to take a step backwards to get a view of the bigger picture. This is exactly what we did when we set out to improve the navigation of our apps.
In software, navigation is the vehicle that takes users where they want to go inside an application. In Skynamo there are lots of different “places” that users can go to like the Dashboard, To-do’s, Customers, Products and the Timeline. Each of these places makes different features available. Our challenge is to offer all of these useful features – and even add more – all while maintaining a simple navigational structure and hiding all the complexity from our users.
The design world has some guidelines that we follow to make it easy to find things in an app. We looked critically at the features that we offer and gazed into our crystal balls at what we want to work towards. We then set out to find the best navigational patterns that hide the complexity, while making it easy to discover the new features in Skynamo.
Here are just three of the main factors considered that justified the changes:
1. Think about how you hold your device.
Skynamo is used on a wide range of devices from very small phones all the way to 10-inch tablets. It is also used while on the move, with many users walking around while using the device.
When using a device with one hand it is typically held at the bottom, and the thumb is used to touch the screen. This is often the case with smaller devices, but just as relevant with bigger devices, when held with two hands while typing. This means that a large part of the screen at the top is not easily accessible in normal operation. As devices get bigger, this problem is exaggerated.
We’ve started to counter this problem by moving main navigational aspects and frequently used features of applications lower down on the screen, in order to make it easier to reach.
2. We have big plans for the Dashboard.
The dashboard screen on our app used to be the navigational hub that gave users the opportunity to jump in to the different places in the app. This, although functional, did not really qualify as a dashboard as it did not show important figures and stats that dashboards typically show. The newly laid out dashboard opens up a world of opportunities in terms of what can be shown. We are really excited about the future of the Dashboard, and over time it will be the place where users get an overview of what is going on, what’s coming up next and how well they are doing.
3. Consistency between applications on iOS and Android platforms.
The development of our native Android and iOS apps has always been in line with the design parameters provided by the platforms. This means that we’ve had to stick to the navigational patterns offered by each. Even these change over time and in the latest release of Google’s Material guidelines the bottom navigation was added as an accepted and supported pattern. Over time these platforms will likely move even closer together – making it easier to build unified experiences.
There are major advantages to a more unified interface in terms of training, support and maintenance, and users switching from one platform to the next should have a seamless experience without having to be re-trained.
Android and iOS before the navigational changes:
Android vs iOS after the navigational changes:
This is just the first step, but you can see that it is already much more similar in appearance and style.
We really hope you enjoy these changes, and we are excited to build and improve on them. If you have any questions or feedback, positive or negative, please get in touch at support@skynamo.com
Happy Selling!
Sources:
https://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2013/02/how-do-users-really-hold-mobile-devices.php
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2016/11/the-golden-rules-of-mobile-navigation-design/
https://material.io/design/components/bottom-navigation.html