UX/UI Optimization for Apps

⏳ Designing Better Loading and Progress Indicators UX. Practical UX guidelines to reduce the impact of waiting and choose the right loading indicator based on anticipated wait time ↓ ✅ Perception of wait time is more important than its duration. 🤔 Users overestimate passive waiting (standing still) by 36%. ✅ Active waiting (walking, interacting) feels much shorter. ✅ 20% rule: users only notice speed changes of at least 20%. 🤔 Small optimizations (e.g. shaving 0.2s off 5s) go unnoticed. ✅ 2 questions: "How much longer?" and "Is it working?" 🚫 Don’t use any loading indicators for waiting times < 1s. ✅ Short wait times (1–3s): use skeleton screens or spinners. ✅ Medium wait times (3–10s): use progress bars or indicators. ✅ Long wait time (10+s): show progress and allow interaction. 🤔 Uncertainty makes waiting feel significantly longer. ✅ Explain to users what’s happening in the background. ✅ Optimistic UI: ask for next steps while procees is running. ✅ The more valuable the reward, the longer tolerance to wait. ✅ Aim for improving perceived speed with reduced passive wait. Often we can’t speed up interactions for technical reasons. But we can reduce the perceived waiting time, which is often way more important than the actual duration. When a UI visualizes progress, users accept longer waits because they have right expectations and can track progress ((Buell & Norton, 2011). People are impatient if they don’t know how long to wait. Waiting without any explanation (spinning circle) feels longer than one where the product says why it’s busy. Also, waiting to START a task feels longer than waiting for a task to FINISH, so early start helps reduce frustrations as well. Users also tend to be highly sensitive to “queue jumping”. If a process they started later finishes earlier than a previous one, it creates significant frustration and abandonment. In the end, it’s all about setting right expectations, explaining what happens frequently and keeping people busy when waiting. It might not necessarily help make the application faster, but it will make it feel faster — and it could be enough to keep users on the page for just a little bit longer, and drive them to success from there. – ✤ Useful resources: Perceived Performance (Series), by Denys Mishunov https://lnkd.in/dvVkt3r3 Loading and Progress Indicators UX, by Taras Bakusevych https://lnkd.in/e5KFPiiq ↓

A client spent over $400,000 on an app that barely worked. We took it over about 4 months ago. REALITY CHECK: Their previous dev team left them with: • Unstable codebase • Frustrated client and users • Monthly crashes • Zero scalability • Bleeding money Most agencies would rebuild from scratch. We did something different. Step 1: Deep dive technical audit Analyzed 50,000+ lines of code Found over 100 critical bugs Identified several security vulnerabilities Step 2: Strategic stabilization Fixed core functionality Patched security holes Optimized database queries Reduced load time by 73% Step 3: UX transformation Redesigned key user flows Simplified navigation Added performance monitoring Improved accessibility score by 89% Current status: • Zero downtime in 120 days • 94% reduction in user complaints • 40% faster load times • Platform ready for scaling Building from scratch can cost more. Smart optimization saves money. What we learned: Technical debt compounds like financial debt. Early fixes prevent costly rebuilds. User experience drives retention. Speed matters more than features. We're now building their next phase. Faster. Better. More scalable. Your software should work for you, not against you. Agree? Like and share your rescue story below.

I'm excited to share a recent project where I tackled the UI/UX design of a fintech app! The original design, while functional, lacked intuitiveness and clarity, leading to user frustration. Here's a glimpse into the transformation: Before: ↠ Cluttered interface with overwhelming information. ↠ Inconsistent visual hierarchy, makes it difficult to find key features. ↠ Unclear navigation, leading to user confusion. After: ↠ Streamlined layout: prioritize essential information for easy access. ↠ Enhanced visual hierarchy: a clear distinction between primary and secondary elements. ↠ Intuitive navigation: simplified flow for a seamless user experience. The results? ↠ Increased user engagement: Users found it easier to navigate the app and complete tasks. ↠ Improved user satisfaction: positive feedback on the app's ease of use and clarity. ↠ Enhanced brand perception: a sleek and user-friendly design aligned with the brand's vision. This project highlights the power of effective UI/UX design in the fintech industry. By prioritizing user needs and creating an intuitive experience, we can empower users to manage their finances confidently. #fintech #designthinking #uxui #finance #appdesign #userexperience Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below! P.S. I am also open to connecting with other design professionals and fintech enthusiasts!

This article throws some light on how messy codebases can get. Most of the improvements identified by the Groww team is a UI development 101 lesson. Key Takeaways for UI Engineers 1. Diagnose UI Performance Bottlenecks Early Large lists, especially when misused with nested ScrollViews, can degrade performance. Re-rendering issues due to higher-order components and poor state management need to be identified and fixed. 2. Adopt Efficient Rendering Tools Switching from FlatList to FlashList significantly boosts performance, especially for large datasets. FlashList is optimized for high-performance rendering and should be considered for list-heavy UIs. 3. Embrace Modular Architecture Split UI and business logic using custom hooks to improve readability, testability, and maintainability. Keep UI components lean by handling data and side effects outside of them. 4. Optimize Re-renders Use memoization (useMemo, useCallback, React.memo) to prevent unnecessary updates. Ensure targeted re-renders for only the components that need to change. 5. Modernize State Management Migrate from Redux-Saga to Redux Toolkit (RTK) for a cleaner, more maintainable approach. 6. Structure APIs and Hooks Intelligently Separate hooks per API and section keep responsibilities clear and reusable. Store API responses in Redux to reduce redundant calls and improve fault tolerance. --- Best Practices for UI Performance and Architecture Avoid FlatList inside ScrollView: This disables virtualization, hurting performance. Use modular custom hooks: Keep logic reusable and components clean. Optimize data flow: Use centralized state only where necessary and cache smartly. Design for separation of concerns: Clearly divide UI, data fetching, and business logic. Test at scale: Always simulate high-load data conditions to validate performance.

7-step blueprint for designing UI that feels just right: (I’d say stop adding unnecessary complexity.) I see so many app UIs that: - Have inconsistent spacing - Use random border radius - Ignore contrast rules As a senior designer, I cringe at this. This is not how it works. Everything in UI needs a proper strategy to feel intuitive. So, here’s my 7-step playbook for a clean,  ↳ high-performance app UI: 1. Spacing & Consistency Use an 8pt grid for: - Margins - Padding - Spacing → This removes visual clutter. 2. Border Radius & Shape Language Pick a consistent radius  (4pt, 8pt, or 16pt). Sharp edges = Clean & modern Rounded corners = Friendly & approachable 3. Color & Contrast Follow WCAG contrast guidelines  (4.5:1 for text). Primary buttons → High contrast Secondary elements → Subtle but clear 4. Typography Scaling Use a modular scale (1.2x or 1.33x)  for readable text. - Headings - Body text - Labels 5. Component Placement & Hit Areas Place interactive elements where thumbs naturally reach. → 48px+ tappable areas for mobile. 6. UI Animations & Feedback 200-300ms is the sweet spot for UI motion. - Faster = Snappy - Slower = Sluggish 7. Light & Dark Mode Optimization Dark mode isn’t just inverting colors.  Adjust: - Contrast - Shadows - Elevation No more frustrating UI.  No more confusing layouts. Just smooth, pixel-perfect design that feels right. Still struggling with UI design? Let me know in the comments! 👇

Most apps don’t fail because of bugs. They fail because they feel cheap. And the crazy part? It usually has nothing to do with features or architecture. It’s the micro-interactions. The tiny moments your users never mention… but always feel. Over the years building mobile apps, I’ve noticed something: You can have perfect code, clean architecture, and zero crashes but if your app feels stiff, sudden, or unresponsive… people will say it “doesn’t feel good,” and they won’t know why. So I put together 3 simple micro-interactions that instantly make an app feel more premium: 1️⃣ Add subtle haptic feedback A tiny vibration makes the interaction feel intentional. 2️⃣ Don’t navigate instantly — bounce first Instant jumps feel raw. A soft bounce gives the UI a human touch. 3️⃣ Don’t let content pop in after shimmer Hard transitions break immersion. Smooth reveals make the UI feel crafted. None of these are big features. None take more than a few minutes to implement. But they change everything about how your app feels. Because premium apps aren’t just coded. They’re crafted. Which micro-interaction do YOU always notice in apps? I want to hear the ones other devs care about. #Flutter #MobileDevelopment #UXDesign #UIUX #Animations #DeveloperExperience #AppDesign #SoftwareEngineering

Most apps look fine on the surface. Clean buttons, nice colors with smooth animations. Then you use them for 30 seconds and think: "Something's off." They designed the decoration. They skipped the foundation. 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗨𝗜/𝗨𝗫 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸. And every layer depends on the one below it. 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝟭: 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 This is invisible and users never see it. But if it’s messed up nothing else matters. → Can users find what they need in 3 clicks or less? → Does the navigation make sense without instructions? → Is the most important action the most obvious one? Get this wrong, people get lost and leave. 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝟮: 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 This is how things respond. → Does the button feel like a button? → Does swiping do what users expect? → Do errors explain what went wrong, or just say "Error 404"? Skip this layer and your app looks interactive but feels broken. 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝟯: 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝘆 This is what guides the eye. → Is the headline bigger than the body text? → Does color draw attention to the right places? → Can users scan the page in 2 seconds and know what to do? Mess this up, users freeze with decision paralysis and exit. 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝟰: 𝗔𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 Now you add the beauty. The gradients, shadows and animations. But 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱. 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝟰. They make it look good first, then try to force function into it later. That's backwards. And that's why so many apps feel hollow. The best products build from the bottom up. Foundation first, function second, feel third and then finish. You can't polish your way out of bad architecture. You can't animate your way out of confusing navigation. You can't make something "pretty enough" that users will tolerate it not working. Try this: Strip away all the visual design. Remove the colors, fonts and effects. What's left, If it still makes sense, you built it right. If it falls apart, you decorated a mess. 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗨𝗜/𝗨𝗫 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸. 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀. 𝗚𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁? We don't start with what it looks like. We start with how it works. Let's build it the right way from the ground up. #UIUXDesign #ProductDesign #AppDevelopment #UserExperience #DesignStrategy #InterfaceDesign #UXArchitecture #DigitalProduct #DesignThinking #BuildRight

Ever clicked on a beautifully designed website… …only to close it in frustration? That’s not on the user. It’s on the 𝐔𝐗. 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐔𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐲𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐔𝐗 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠. After 100+ client projects, I keep seeing the same 𝟑 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 that quietly kill conversions. Let’s break them down — and fix them 👇 ❌ 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝟏: 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐂𝐓𝐀𝐬 (𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥-𝐭𝐨-𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬) “Learn More” and “Click Here” won’t cut it anymore. 🛠️ 𝐅𝐢𝐱 𝐈𝐭: Make your CTAs 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧. E.g. “𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐔𝐗 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭” → instead of → “Submit” ❌ 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝟐: 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Too many dropdowns. No clear path. Everything looks the same. 🛠️ 𝐅𝐢𝐱 𝐈𝐭: Use the “𝟑-𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞.” If users can’t reach any key page in 3 clicks, simplify. Label your CTAs clearly. Add breadcrumbs. Prioritize core journeys. ❌ 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝟑: 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐞 60–80% of traffic is mobile — but brands still design desktop-first. 🛠️ 𝐅𝐢𝐱 𝐈𝐭: Design 𝐦𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐞-𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐮𝐩𝐬. Test 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 + 𝐭𝐚𝐩 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬. Use 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐂𝐓𝐀𝐬 for longer pages. 🧠 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫: 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐔𝐗. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠. Fix these small gaps — and your 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 👇 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭. #UIUXDesign #DesignThinking #FigmaTips #UXProcess #StartupDesign #DesignLeadership #WebDesign

Most people make decisions in under 8 seconds.  And yet, they’re bombarded with endless choices every single day.  This explains why great UX/UI isn’t just about design—it’s about decision-making.  However, because of cluttered interfaces and poor navigation, many businesses unintentionally create frustration instead of engagement.  🚨 Confused users don’t convert. 🚨  If they can’t find what they need quickly, they hesitate—or worse, they leave.  So, how do you make user experiences seamless and intuitive?  🔑 Prioritize usability over aesthetics. A beautiful design means nothing if it doesn’t guide users toward action.  Here are 4 simple ways to improve UX/UI for better conversions:  - Simplify navigation: If users have to think too hard, the design is failing them.   - Make interactions effortless: Reduce the number of clicks it takes to complete an action.   - Use contrast strategically: CTAs should stand out, not blend in.   - Optimize for mobile first: If it’s frustrating on a phone, you’re losing potential customers.  Take one week to refine your UX/UI, and you’ll see the difference in engagement and conversions.  Because at the end of the day, the best design isn’t just pretty...it works.

Every pixel has a job Most apps waste theirs Fix it with smarter layouts What is a UI Layout? Defines how content, navigation, and actions are arranged Good layout → effortless actions Poor layout → friction & drop-offs 1. Homepage Layout The “entry point” of any app Sets first impressions Design tips: • Show only primary actions upfront • Keep hero space clean • Offer quick entry points (search, nav bar, CTA) 2. Checkout / Payment Layouts Critical flow that must minimize friction and build trust Design tips: • Minimize steps (only what’s necessary) • Show progress (cart → address → payment → done) • Keep payment actions clear & secure 3. Profile Layout Focus on personal data, identity, and preferences. Design tips: • Highlight most relevant info • Make “edit” actions obvious • Use hierarchy to organize content 4.  Sign-In & Sign-Out Layout The first real interaction users have with your product It must feel effortless, fast, and trustworthy Design tips: • Ask for only what’s necessary (email > full forms) • Make primary action clear (Sign In / Continue) • Keep sign-out easy to find, not hidden 5. Search & Filter Layout Helps users find what they need quickly Design tips: • Keep search bar visible & predictable • Make filters easy to apply/remove • Show instant feedback 6. Product / Detail Page Layouts Displays item info, images, pricing, and actions Design tips: • Show key info above the fold • Use visuals that support decisions • Keep secondary info collapsible Every pixel counts.  Don’t waste another one. Save this post, apply these layouts, and level up your UX today For next, Join my journey, Subash Chandra  for digital footprints with growth focused user centric digital solutions by UI and UX