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All users know that app design is not only an outer look of the product, its bright colors, and nice images within the interface. The first impression depends mostly on the skillful design. All the efforts directed on creating a user-friendly and convenient design will pay off, increasing the chances to spread the product successfully and reach sufficient numbers of users across the web.
So, now we see that there are several reasons to hire a UI/UX designer. We start with considering them and then continue with our ideas about the things one needs to create an app design now, in 2019. Then we’ll show some numbers to help our readers understand how much does it cost to design app.
Why do you need UI/UX designer?
If you are not sure yet or hoping to avoid it, we strictly say you at the moment that you really need to hire a specialist to do the job.
The cold fact is that in many cases, startupers experience some financial straits, so they would rather save on development segment of their project. Many think it is too overlooked, and they tend to exclude a specific UI/UX position from the project cost. But it’s a wrong idea. These entrepreneurs think that designers don’t deliver any special value, they just make several quick manipulations, and software design is done. As it seems so simple, there is no need to spend on that several thousand dollars.
Even more, these inexperienced businessmen make another wrong move trying to save money by inviting some multitasking freelancer, and making the one responsible for anything; software development, an app design and quality assurance at a reasonably low price. As it often happens, one specialist can’t perform equally brilliantly in every branch of IT. Also, auditing skills are highly required along with general critical attitude towards oneself and the project as a whole.
On the contrary, an experienced UI/UX designer can complete a single segment of the job fully, but what about the rest?
Now we are ready to make this great conclusion – it is better to address this issue in a complex way by contacting some development company. They usually provide the full range of services, having respective teams for each particular task. There are development team, design team, QA team, marketing department, etc. The total cost will be higher, but the efficiency will be higher as well. Moreover, you invest in the perspective of your project, getting sufficient engineering support for future maintenance of your project and possible piece of advice from the part of their marketing team. The more respectful the company is, the stricter their quality control procedures, because they are also highly interested in getting successful projects developed as confirmation of their reliability and relevance, which can attract some additional customers and investors. And last, but not least – if an app is done badly, it will fail, and then no one needs it… So, such a complex approach is the key to general success.
How the process of mobile app design building looks like
Mobile app design steps include the following steps: user interface design, user experience design, motion design, etc.
But this description is quite schematic, meaning that the presence of every stage is not obligatory. The steps depend on the structure of the project and its specific demands. User interface and user experience are the basis of any app design, so they are an integral part. We recommend you to get some knowledge about the main stages of the workflow as it looks like in many development companies.
#1. Research
The work starts with an analytical part considering the idea of the app, its target group, its demands, wishes, and possible issues around it. Especially important are the preferences of the users, what do people like doing with the app, and what ways of action they choose. Designers should understand what is their job about app development. Changing an app design may change the whole course of the project and address several specific issues. That is why designers should take part in this research. Any mobile app is created to fulfill some specific need of people. After completion of the research, designers, along with analysts, communicate to customers an approximate estimation of costs and price for app design. If things go the right way, then the designers can come to another step.
#2. Wireframing
This stage is making the schematic skeleton of a potential app to demonstrate the customers what would happen and how the app would look when it gets finished, Here, designers take into account preferences of the target audience and trends of market collected and analyzed at the first stage. They consider specific features of a future project like examples of navigation menu bar.
This stage helps designers in the creation of flawless user interface to attract even more users to the app. Wireframing doesn’t cost much, but this way, designers can choose the right model of UI, optimizing the schedule of the project.
If the customer is agreed, then another stage comes, when designers apply the results of wireframing.
#3. UI design
The user interface includes interactive components of the software, which allows users to get some results and feedbacks from using an app. UI/UX designers create a visible part of the app.
This is the stage when they build all these screens, pages, color schemes, forms of buttons. In other words, designers develop the outer design of an app. As we mentioned before, they follow the previously defined outlines here.
All designers aim to create helpful and convenient UI because the universal motto for all the apps is to help people.
Usually, designers start with iOs as a cross-platform. Then they start working with Android since it is more time-consuming due to a vast number of devices applying Android OS. Also, if a customer wants to create an additional version of an app for tablets or smartwatches, it will be done independently and will be estimated separately.
#4. Additional procedures
This group includes animations integration, loaders, banners, and so on. It is not a mandatory part of the whole process because not every app requires these elements.
What is the difference between iOS and Android UI design?
The difference in terms of price is not substantial, but the processes are slightly different. That is why your own research is important to understand it fully.
iOS app UI design
When creating UI design for iOs platform designers usually follow the Human Interface Guidelines by Apple. There, one can find universal standards for all apps intended for this platform. This document contains requirements for any app on this platform, thus helping developers avoiding rejection when the app is ready for publishing at the AppStore. But the main idea is providing designers with a universal standard shared for any iOS app.
Android app UI design
Google also offers its UI guidelines because the diversification of app designs has negatively influenced the perception of users. That is the reason why in 2015, the company created Material Design for all the apps based on Android platform.
The problem for designers, in this case, lies in a great variety of devices using the Android OS. It is difficult to find universal solutions for multiple devices with different technical parameters.
The cost of the Mobile app design
First. It is necessary to establish an average rate per hour as a reference point for calculations of the product design cost for 2019.
This rate per hour depends on the location of the software developers. The differences in the price for the job are shown in the map below.
We think reasonable the price as of $50 – as it is the average rate per hour in Eastern Europe.
Our estimation, therefore, looks like that:
- Wireframing stage takes from 8 to 80 hours;
- UI/UX design can take from 20 hours for an elementary app to 300 hours for a complicated product.
Now we can see that the cost of the wireframing stage for mobile app development will fluctuate from $400 to $4000.
The UI/UX design stage cost starts from $1000 and may exceed $15,000. The price depends on the product complexity.
As you may notice, precise calculations of costs are highly possible if you are aware of all the requirements and can communicate them to an analyst to get the accurate result. So, again we highly recommend you hire a reliable development company offering package service. The specialists will create a high-quality product by your ideas, wishes, and demands. Be wise and good luck!
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