Recently, at NimbleUser, we've been developing a mobile app to give association members direct access to annual conference information before, during and after the conference. When attending a conference, or convention, the last thing you want to do is drag around a giant laptop. We're giving members access to all the conference data they want in the palm of their hands. Designing a user interface for a mobile application can be a challenge. It's not a task to be taken lightly and involves a lot of planning regarding interactions, user experience and layout.

Designing mobile interfaces is also very different from designing a desktop application or even a web application. On both of those platforms, you're given a comparatively immense amount of screen real estate to work with. You can cram a lot of information into one view because you have a lot of space at your disposal. On the mobile front, you don't have such luxuries. Whether it's a smart phone or a tablet device, the space you're given to put information and controls is very minimal. In many ways, it forces you to design your information a lot more carefully and concisely to get your point across in a smaller space.

Also to be considered are graphical elements and UI patterns. When people use a mobile application, they're expecting a more carefully planned, graphical experience. They're not going to sit there reading paragraph after endless paragraph of text. They want the information quickly and efficiently. Thoughtfully located graphical cues such as large text and icons can allow users to find the information that they need in a more quick, efficient manner.

Common UI patterns should also be employed when designing a mobile application. Anyone who has used an iPhone or an iPad knows exactly what an app on the iOS platform should feel like. Your app really needs to look and feel like an app, not a website. Otherwise, users are going to be turned off by this experience since it's not what they're used to and they won't want to adapt to something completely radical. Interface guidelines for the platform of choice should be followed as closely as possible to achieve platform synergy between your app and the other apps on the users' device.

It might sound like a tough task to achieve success when designing a mobile app, but it's really not as daunting as it seems. All it takes is some careful planning and thought and you'll be on the right track to pleasing both your end users and your board of directors. Will your content be ready when the time comes to go mobile?