Websites Design for Mobile Applications: Trends and Examples

Inspiration • Websites ExamplesAndrian Valeanu • December 03, 2012 • 1 Comment

Over the past few years, the market of mobile applications has grown significantly, which, in part, was contributed by the rapid development of online stores like App Store and Android Marketplace. Thanks to these stores, we have a wealth of choices on the market of mobile applications, and can continuously improve the functionality of our phones.

As the number of happy owners of new phones is steadily growing, we see dozens of new developers, bringing new ideas to the market and, as a consequence, new applications. In view of the great competition, it is more and more difficult to stand out among the total mass, so many of the applications are accompanied by sites. Practice shows that it significantly improves the efficiency of sales.

In this article, we’ll describe the most common trends in the design of websites for mobile applications. Do not take these recommendations as a basis and don’t use them unthinkingly on all sites. Sometimes, you need to add your detail, which will distinguish the application and the site from the rest, for the marketing to be successful.

Device and application screenshots

The main part of any website about a mobile application is the screenshots. Since visitors are interested in purchasing a product, it is the simplest and the most effective way to demonstrate the main features and the user interface.

Three of the most popular ways of demonstration, which you can see on almost all sites, are gallery, lens effect and signatures. With galleries, everything is clear. Screenshots, changing after a certain period of time, show how the interface will look like on the screen of your device. With a lens, you can show small parts of your application, which, for example, distinguish it from the competitors. As for the signatures, they are usually used as a supplement to the first two points. As a result, thanks to just these methods, the visitor can easily understand what the application looks like.

App Store or Google Play icon

The most effective way to tell where to find applications, is to provide users with links to them. For greater clarity, references are made in the form of buttons with icons (symbols) of stores. Often, we can see a QR code, or another “bag” to go directly to purchase or download.

Social networks

Facebook, Twitter and other social networks have already firmly established themselves in our lives. For many, they are the main sources of news, and tools for communicating with friends. So, why not take advantage of this trend to attract users? If your application has at least a small social aspect, it will be immediately shown on the site.

Colorful illustrations

To add colors to the design, illustrations, as well as non-standard fonts can be added on the web site. Their combination allows you specifying an additional tone, which is sometimes indeed necessary, and helps sell the application.

We’ll say more. The use of illustrations is related not just to sites and applications. Many resources with beautiful design use or are entirely composed of illustrations. One may debate on the effectiveness, arguing, for example, for minimalism, but the fact remains the same. The use of illustrations improves the efficiency, since, for most users, the main criterion for selecting an application is the design.

Examples of websites for applications

In conclusion, let’s get to examples, since the article would be incomplete without them. As for the examples below, along with the trends discussed in the article, we have prepared a collection of sites in which they are used with maximum efficiency. Also, you will find unusual designer additions, providing the sites with the needed detail, in the examples below.