Wroblewski is founder of Mobile First, a former Yahoo VP, co-founder of BagCheck (which was later acquired by Twitter). He recently launched Polar, which lets users quickly set up polls to get feedback on timely issues.
We asked Wroblewski for five powerful app design tips, ranging from speed and signup processes to enforced constraints and the importance of taps.
1. Perception is not reality.
People now expect a lighting-fast user experience each time they use a mobile application. However, Wroblewski concedes the situation is actually "more dire than that, as people expect a faster experience on mobile than on the desktop, but the networks are slower." So, you're fighting performance on both sides, he says. While you can help speed things up by minimizing assets and improving response times, for example, you can only go so far. "Eventually you’ll bump into the realities of mobile networks."
Wroblewski notes techniques that improve perceived performance, giving the "sense that the app is reacting to your input, despite the fact that nothing has actually happened yet."
Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger calls this technique "performing options optimistically," meaning you can create the illusion that your action has taken effect, when in reality, it hasn't yet.
Wroblewski uses an example: When you like a photo on Instagram, the button instantly informs you that your action is complete. In reality, a network connection is in the process of telling a server what you did. "But Instagram’s user interface doesn’t wait for the server to verify this actually happened. They optimistically assume it happened," he says. "If something goes wrong later, they deal with it then rather than incurring a delay up front. Commenting works the same way."
The same principle applies to acknowledging touch gestures with subtle UI changes. Immediately when you tap or swipe, your app responds. "Techniques like this increase the perception of performance and, alongside actual performance improvements, they can go a way toward creating fast mobile experiences," says Wroblewski.
(Credit: Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)
