No matter if creating a new app or just another version, user experience (UX) is very crucial. It is also becoming more challenging to provide, mainly because of the problems related to device and OS fragmentation. By the conclusion of 2023, there are more than 34000 unique mobile devices available. As such, guaranteeing that your app functions with as many gadgets as possible becomes increasingly problematic. Even across the much smaller range of iOS devices, display issues can present themselves.
We at the TestFort company examined a few test runs on our platform. We concentrated on mobile UX issues to understand which types were triggered by device fragmentation. This is a compilation of some case problems we faced and are proud to present.
Common Issues with Mobile UX
Before we get into the subject matter, a few words about the tests. Designing for mobile means taking into account the limitations and capabilities of mobile devices, which adds a new level of complexity to traditional UX design. Designing a good mobile UX requires focusing on several things at once. Therefore, a key element of mobile UX design is usability testing. Usability testing evaluates mobile UX on a number of metrics, including relevance, functionality, ease of use, and consistency.
1. Functionality blended with visual components
During our interaction the two Samsung devices showed different forms of a similar problem – one revealed the flag for country selection but did not open, and another didn’t show any flag nor open to select a country.
2. Displays sizing issues
The items on the screen didn’t adjust in size to fit the screen. The button got bigger because of tablet sizing, but text in and around this button stayed the same size. The icon for the camera also didn’t change its scale correctly.
3. Absence of visual components
There are certain elements that appear obvious when a developer or designer looks at them visually, but not to someone testing the app who is unfamiliar with it. For example, would a tester know that the sharing icon was missing by looking through an app? The developer/designer, noticing a problem on the screen, would catch it almost instantly.
4. Correct placement issues
Sometimes, mobile apps testing allows us to see a visual element is just not in the right location. This can be very hard to spot if it only shows up on certain devices. For instance, it’s been found that the signup button isn’t perfectly centered as it should be. Surprisingly, this only happened on a device with a retina screen.
5. Сomplicated functionality
The ability to review all test step stages is very important because tests can be successfully completed even with obvious visual defects specific to a particular device. The keyboard opened and the test case executor was able to enter the necessary credentials. However, when one user tries to click the “sign up” button on the iPhone 11, he finds that it takes an inordinate amount of time. Experienced app users know to press “Go” on the iOS keyboard (or “Next” on the Android keyboard) rather than tap “Sign Up”. However, not all users may know that. In fact, it is the inexperienced users who are the most frustrated. It is important to address these user experience issues as soon as possible before the app begins to lose reputation and users.
6. Version incompatibility
The cause of the problem might not be only from device fragmentation. It could also come from OS fragmentation. For example, in the testing case, all Oreo users (Android OS 8.0) observed identical display problems – such as capital letters and buttons that are stretched to the edge of screen – along with an incomplete compatibility message.
At The End
This is just one small experiment based on a real case, which shows that the wide variety of mobile device models generally only adds complexity and error to the creation of applications for mobile devices. Adaptive techniques to stabilize the interface for mobile device mass displays often fail, turning the user experience into a non-obvious and confusing one. But there is no need to worry without reason. The solution lies in existing companies in the market to test applications for mobile devices is to take mobile development to the highest level and make applications convenient and workable on any device.