Mobile devices have long become the primary way to access the Internet — more than 60% of global traffic comes from smartphones.

We open apps dozens of times a day: to order food, pay, chat, call a taxi, or check the news.

Users have gotten used to everything working fast, simply, and beautifully. If a screen loads slowly or a button behaves unpredictably, people close the app — they switch to a competitor with one tap.

Mobile design is no longer just "adaptation for small screens", but the main way users interact with a product.

To make this experience comfortable, it’s important to understand how the mobile environment differs from desktop: small screens, touch interactions, and users on the go.

We have gathered 5 rules that help create functional and intuitive mobile interfaces for you.

1. Mobile-first

Don’t adapt a desktop interface for phones — start by designing for mobile right away.
This helps prioritize content and keep only what’s truly important.
Fewer elements, more focus, cleaner logic — this makes the design understandable and meaningful.

2. Simplified navigation

On a small screen, every unnecessary step increases the chance of losing a user.
Menus should be short, icons recognizable, and the structure intuitive so a person can move through the product easily and without hesitation.

3. Flexible grid

Users visit from various devices — phones, tablets, and laptops. Screen sizes and orientations can vary greatly.
Good design shouldn’t break because of this — it should be responsive and adaptable. This means logical resizing, readable fonts, and elements staying in their intended places.

4. Touch-optimized design

On phones, we don’t click — we tap.
The interface must respect this: buttons should be easy to tap, elements not too close together, and the screen must react instantly.
Light vibration and smooth transitions help make interaction natural and intuitive.

5. Real-world testing

The most honest test of design is not in prototypes in Figma, but in the hands of real users.
Observe how a person holds the phone, where they tap, where they get stuck, and how they interact with the product in different environments — outside, on public transport, or in a hurry.
This is how the details that are invisible in prototypes become clear.

Good mobile design is a way of communication between a human and a product.
When the interface is predictable, clean, and responsive, the person doesn’t notice the design — they simply do what they wanted to do.
And that’s exactly what good UX looks like.