Essential UX design principles for small-screen websites and apps

Get the core principles for designing effective mobile user interfaces on smartphones and tablets. Learn how to derive your own mobile guidelines.

Who Should Attend

  • People who are new to designing mobile interfaces
  • UX professionals with experience who want to brush up on the basics

What You'll Learn

01 Build a foundation of mobile-design essentials
  • Mobile limitations and strengths
  • Principles and design patterns for mobile
  • Why users choose to use a mobile site vs. a mobile app
  • Mobile behaviors and activities
02 Learn best practices for critical components and organization strategies
  • Navigation and search: Hamburger menus, tab bars, navigation bars, search design, secondary navigation, and more
  • Listing items: Hub-and-spoke, deck-of-cards, horizontal swiping, carousels, cards, and grids
  • Form design: Input-field guidelines and errors
  • Mobile content: Scannability, images, videos, tables
  • Logging in and onboarding

This Course Includes

  • Free report: Mobile Website & Applications Usability 
  • Findings from our own user research
  • Findings from seminal large-scale research studies
  • Video clips from our studies
  • Examples of mobile designs that work (and some that don’t)
  • Small-group activities to practice your new skills

Why NN/g

What People Say About This Course

  • I really appreciated how many screen shots and videos of users interacting with these applications were incorporated within the presentation. Really helpful when pointing out positives/negatives of apps.

    Alexandria
    Zion & Zion
  • Excellent course covering a wide range of design patterns and recommendations for mobile design. All based on research. A must have for any person involved in mobile design on development.

    Augusto
    Philip Morris International
  • Excellent analysis through discussion and user testing videos throughout the topics. The videos help to highlight the hurdles users experience and the pitfalls the UIs cause.

    Leah
    IDEXX Laboratories, Inc
  • This course managed to find the perfect balance of holistic overview of mobile UX as well as covering all the details. It was very comprehensive and incredibly practical.

    Justine
    ResMed

Frequently Asked Questions

How will I get the link to the Zoom meeting for the course?

60 minutes before your course begins, your link will be available when you log into your NN/g profile.

Can I watch a recording of the course?

Virtual courses are live events that extend throughout the day and include many periods of interactive exercises. The learning experience cannot be replicated by simply watching recordings after the event. We will not be making course recordings, and making your own recordings is not permitted.

Will I be able to network and get to know other participants?

You'll join a Slack community for both course-related discussion and networking with fellow participants. You'll also be able to use the Slack workspace before, during, and after the event to maintain your connections. You'll be invited to join the Slack community the week before the event starts.

What equipment will I need to participate in NN/g live online courses?

You'll be streaming video and audio to your computer, and also speaking with other participants. Make sure you have:

  • A laptop or desktop (using a tablet is not recommended)
  • A stable high-speed internet connection
  • Speakers or headphones
  • A microphone
  • A webcam
Do I really need a microphone and webcam?

White it's possible to attend our virtual courses without your own webcam or microphone, you will not be able to fully participate in learning activities. Many of our courses use hands-on practice as the primary way of learning design and research techniques. You'll learn more during these activities if you can fully participate, and your collaboration partners can see and hear you. We also recommend using headphones.

Do I have to download any software?

All courses use Zoom and Hightail, a file-sharing service. Some courses require the use of Google Drive apps or Miro. All tools are free to use and do not require you to create an account, but you should ensure your device permissions allow you to access these tools.

  • Zoom is a video conferencing service. Our meetings follow security best practices, including passwords and waiting rooms. We recommend installing the Zoom app, which is free. If you are not able to install the Zoom software, you can also join through Chrome web browser. Test your access to Zoom.
  • Hightail will be used to share downloadable course materials (such as PDF copies of presentation slides). Test your access to Hightail. (If your network blocks you from access Hightail, during the event our conference team will be able to assist you with alternative ways to receive your course materials.
  • Google Drive apps are used for collaborative learning activities. If you are not able to use Google Docs or Sheets, you will be able to download copies of the activity materials, but may not be able to fully participate in group work. Test your access to Google Docs.
  • Miro is an online whiteboarding tool and is used for collaborative learning activities in some courses. You can download the Miro app or open a Miro link in your browser.
Will my internet connection be fast enough?

You will need a stable internet connection with a minimum of 3 Mbps (up and down) in order o participate in 
NN/g virtual courses. Ideally, a faster connection speed of 25 Mbps download and 5Mbps upload is recommended to ensure HD video and audio quality. If you are using a WIFI network, disconnect all other devices from that network to improve the streaming quality. Check your internet connection speed.

Can I join from my phone or tablet?

We do not recommend attending our classes from a small-screen device. Although you will be able to connect to the meeting, it will be difficult to see the detailed examples shared during class. It will also be extremely difficult to participate in collaborative exercises which require typing and interactive documents.