Should we design for iOS first or Android first?

Design for the platform where most of your target users are, or where you're launching first. iOS users in the US, UK, and Australia typically represent a premium segment -- they're more likely to pay for apps and have higher average revenue. Android has a larger global market share, particularly in markets outside North America and Western Europe. For most US and UK-focused consumer apps, iOS is the right first platform. For enterprise internal tools, check what devices your company issues. For cross-platform apps built in React Native or Flutter, design for both simultaneously with a shared system and platform-specific overrides.

How do you handle the different screen sizes and notch designs across iPhone and Android models?

iOS designs are built with Safe Area insets that account for the notch, Dynamic Island, and home indicator across all current iPhone models. Android designs account for the navigation bar (gesture or button) and system status bar across a wider range of screen sizes and densities. Figma's device frames and auto-layout handle the screen size range without designing for each device individually. The development handoff specifies Safe Area handling and system UI considerations explicitly so developers implement it correctly rather than guessing.

How long does mobile app design take?

A focused mobile app design -- core user flows, onboarding, and the main screens for a single-purpose app -- typically takes 4 to 6 weeks. A more complete design covering multiple user roles, complex interactions, onboarding A/B variants, and both iOS and Android platform-specific designs typically takes 8 to 14 weeks. Timeline depends on the number of screens, interaction complexity, and whether research is in scope.

Do you design for tablet as well as phone?

Tablet design is in scope when the app has tablet-specific use cases that justify a different layout -- point-of-sale, clinical documentation, field inspection, content creation. For apps where tablet is a secondary device, a responsive layout that adapts from phone to tablet using the same basic navigation structure is usually sufficient. For iPad-first apps (iPadOS-specific features like Stage Manager, keyboard shortcuts, Apple Pencil), dedicated iPad design is in scope and factored into the engagement.

Should we design for iOS first or Android first?

Design for the platform where most of your target users are, or where you're launching first. iOS users in the US, UK, and Australia typically represent a premium segment -- they're more likely to pay for apps and have higher average revenue. Android has a larger global market share, particularly in markets outside North America and Western Europe. For most US and UK-focused consumer apps, iOS is the right first platform. For enterprise internal tools, check what devices your company issues. For cross-platform apps built in React Native or Flutter, design for both simultaneously with a shared system and platform-specific overrides.

How do you handle the different screen sizes and notch designs across iPhone and Android models?

iOS designs are built with Safe Area insets that account for the notch, Dynamic Island, and home indicator across all current iPhone models. Android designs account for the navigation bar (gesture or button) and system status bar across a wider range of screen sizes and densities. Figma's device frames and auto-layout handle the screen size range without designing for each device individually. The development handoff specifies Safe Area handling and system UI considerations explicitly so developers implement it correctly rather than guessing.

How long does mobile app design take?

A focused mobile app design -- core user flows, onboarding, and the main screens for a single-purpose app -- typically takes 4 to 6 weeks. A more complete design covering multiple user roles, complex interactions, onboarding A/B variants, and both iOS and Android platform-specific designs typically takes 8 to 14 weeks. Timeline depends on the number of screens, interaction complexity, and whether research is in scope.

Do you design for tablet as well as phone?

Tablet design is in scope when the app has tablet-specific use cases that justify a different layout -- point-of-sale, clinical documentation, field inspection, content creation. For apps where tablet is a secondary device, a responsive layout that adapts from phone to tablet using the same basic navigation structure is usually sufficient. For iPad-first apps (iPadOS-specific features like Stage Manager, keyboard shortcuts, Apple Pencil), dedicated iPad design is in scope and factored into the engagement.

Is your mobile app a web interface that was made smaller rather than a design that respects how people actually use their phones?
Are users abandoning your app at onboarding because the first-time experience doesn't follow the conventions they expect from iOS or Android?

Mobile users decide whether your app is worth their time in the first 30 seconds -- and the design quality is most of that decision.

Mobile app design is different from web design. Touch targets, gesture navigation, one-handed use, variable network conditions, device notification systems, and platform-specific interaction patterns (iOS Human Interface Guidelines, Material Design) all require decisions that don't have direct equivalents in web design. Adapting a desktop interface to mobile produces a mobile interface that users tolerate. Designing for mobile from the start produces one they prefer.

RaftLabs provides mobile app UX and UI design for iOS, Android, and cross-platform apps. Research, wireframes validated with mobile users, high-fidelity Figma designs with platform-specific interaction patterns, and handoff specifications that give iOS and Android developers what they need to build accurately.

Platform-specific design patterns for iOS (HIG) and Android (Material Design) -- not a web interface squeezed into a mobile screen
Wireframes validated with mobile users before visual design begins
High-fidelity Figma designs with mobile-specific interactions -- gestures, bottom sheets, pull-to-refresh, tab bar navigation
Handoff specifications with iOS and Android platform notes so developers build the right experience for each platform

RaftLabs provides mobile app UX and UI design for iOS, Android, and cross-platform apps -- user research, wireframes validated with mobile users, high-fidelity Figma designs with platform-specific interaction patterns, and development handoff. Most mobile design projects deliver in 4 to 10 weeks at a fixed cost.

The most common mistake in mobile app design is treating it as a smaller version of the web interface. Mobile users are in different contexts -- commuting, in a meeting, one hand occupied -- and their tolerance for friction is lower than desktop users who have a keyboard, a large screen, and uninterrupted attention. A 44-point touch target, a bottom-sheet pattern for secondary actions, and a tab bar for primary navigation aren't arbitrary mobile conventions; they're solutions to the physical constraints of using a phone. Ignoring them produces an interface that technically works on mobile but feels like a port rather than a product.

Platform conventions also carry user expectations. An iOS user expects a navigation stack with a back button in the top left and a swipe-right gesture to go back. An Android user expects the system back gesture to work predictably. When an app breaks those conventions, users attribute the awkwardness to the app rather than to their unfamiliarity with a custom pattern -- and they rate it accordingly. Designing to platform guidelines isn't about following rules; it's about meeting users where their muscle memory already is.

What we build

Mobile UX research

Usability testing on physical devices with representative users; task-based testing of core mobile flows; analysis of app store reviews and support tickets to identify recurring UX complaints; competitive analysis of comparable apps in your category; findings that inform design decisions before wireframes begin. Testing on physical devices matters -- behaviour on a device in hand differs meaningfully from behaviour in a browser simulator.

iOS design (HIG compliance)

Design aligned with Apple Human Interface Guidelines: navigation patterns (tab bar, navigation stack, modal sheets), system controls and gestures (swipe to go back, swipe to delete), SF Symbols integration, Dynamic Type support for accessibility, Safe Area handling for notch and Dynamic Island, and App Store screenshot specifications. HIG compliance reduces App Store review friction and meets the expectations of iOS users without requiring them to learn new patterns.

Android design (Material Design 3)

Design aligned with Material Design 3: navigation patterns (bottom bar, navigation rail), Material components (FAB, chips, cards, dialogs), adaptive layouts for different screen sizes and form factors, Google typeface integration, dynamic colour theming from wallpaper, and Google Play Store asset specifications. Material Design 3 components are production-tested across the Android device ecosystem -- designing to them reduces implementation risk on a fragmented hardware landscape.

Onboarding and first-run experience

Onboarding flow design for new users: value proposition communication, permission request timing and framing (camera, location, notifications), account creation and sign-in flow, initial setup steps, and the first-run experience that determines whether a new user completes activation or abandons; A/B test variants for critical onboarding steps. Onboarding is where the largest percentage of mobile app churn happens -- it gets the same design rigour as the core product flows.

Mobile-specific interaction patterns

Gesture-based navigation design; bottom sheet and drawer patterns for secondary content; pull-to-refresh, infinite scroll, and swipe actions for list interfaces; haptic feedback specification; loading state and skeleton screen design for slow network conditions; empty state and error state design for offline and API failure scenarios. Mobile interactions that don't account for variable connectivity produce experiences that work in the office and break in the field.

Cross-platform design consistency

Design system approach for apps targeting both iOS and Android from a shared codebase (React Native, Flutter): shared design tokens with platform-specific overrides for navigation patterns and controls; Figma library with platform variants; handoff documentation distinguishing shared from platform-specific implementation. Cross-platform doesn't mean identical -- it means consistent brand and interaction quality with the right platform conventions applied on each OS.

Have a mobile design project?

Tell us the platform, the core user flows you need to design, and whether you have existing designs that need improvement. We'll scope the engagement and give you a fixed cost.

Talk about your mobile design project

UX/UI Design Services -- full design capability overview
Product Design Services -- end-to-end product design including mobile
UX Audit -- audit of an existing mobile app before redesign
Design System Development -- design system with mobile tokens and components

Mobile App Development -- mobile development that follows this design handoff
iOS App Development -- native iOS development from the design
Android App Development -- native Android development from the design
React Native Development -- cross-platform development from a shared design

Frequently asked questions

: Design for the platform where most of your target users are, or where you're launching first. iOS users in the US, UK, and Australia typically represent a premium segment -- they're more likely to pay for apps and have higher average revenue. Android has a larger global market share, particularly in markets outside North America and Western Europe. For most US and UK-focused consumer apps, iOS is the right first platform. For enterprise internal tools, check what devices your company issues. For cross-platform apps built in React Native or Flutter, design for both simultaneously with a shared system and platform-specific overrides.
: iOS designs are built with Safe Area insets that account for the notch, Dynamic Island, and home indicator across all current iPhone models. Android designs account for the navigation bar (gesture or button) and system status bar across a wider range of screen sizes and densities. Figma's device frames and auto-layout handle the screen size range without designing for each device individually. The development handoff specifies Safe Area handling and system UI considerations explicitly so developers implement it correctly rather than guessing.
: A focused mobile app design -- core user flows, onboarding, and the main screens for a single-purpose app -- typically takes 4 to 6 weeks. A more complete design covering multiple user roles, complex interactions, onboarding A/B variants, and both iOS and Android platform-specific designs typically takes 8 to 14 weeks. Timeline depends on the number of screens, interaction complexity, and whether research is in scope.
: Tablet design is in scope when the app has tablet-specific use cases that justify a different layout -- point-of-sale, clinical documentation, field inspection, content creation. For apps where tablet is a secondary device, a responsive layout that adapts from phone to tablet using the same basic navigation structure is usually sufficient. For iPad-first apps (iPadOS-specific features like Stage Manager, keyboard shortcuts, Apple Pencil), dedicated iPad design is in scope and factored into the engagement.