There's an app for everything. Be it traveling, ordering food, cooking, or cleaning, all the services are just a tap away.

Did you know:

As per the latest reports,

"90% of the smartphones sold today have bigger than 5-inch displays."

"49% of the users hold their phones with one hand especially when they're on the go."

Today, people put convenience above everything. Innumerable mobile applications are available in the market but only a few of them gain momentum.

Why?

A mobile app designed to make human lives simpler should be easier to use, right?

Then why only a few of them gain popularity?

Because we are habituated to using our smartphones in "distractive scenarios". And, if the app UI UX design isn't focused on users' usability patterns, they're bound to be dumped by the users. And this is where single-handed usage app shines in the market.

What are mobile apps for one-hand usage?

One-hand enabled mobile applications to shrink the active mobile app in a way that a user can easily reach and navigate everything with one hand in a hassle-free way.

Wondering, why there's a need for such a mobile app design?

Let's understand. A 3.5-inch smartphone can be easily navigated. However, people tend to buy mobile phones bigger than 5-inch screens. Secondly, the majority of the time, mobile users tend to use their phones while multi-tasking or when they're on the go. Using a large screen and navigating an app single-handed seems quite difficult and cumbersome. And that's why you need to hire professional designers to address these difficulties with an impeccable mobile app design that's user-friendly yet interactive.

How to design a mobile app for one-hand usage?

Given below are a few steps to design a mobile app for one-hand usage:

1) Conduct market research

Identify the key issues faced by the users while operating mobile devices with two hands. It will help you to resolve issues and offer users' a value that they expect while using your app. Make sure your app offers an impeccable user experience. If any complaint is raised, it should be fixed immediately so that you do not end up losing potential users.

Your app should be such that it should boost business productivity, enhance customer experience and leverage seamless and clutter-free navigation.

2) Consider phone size while designing an app

Mobile phones come in different shapes and sizes. Sizes can vary from 3.5 inches to 7 inches. The bigger the phone, the more difficult it is for a user to navigate from one hand. So while designing an app, make sure to consider the different screen sizes and user comfort to use an app on their phones. If the screen size is smaller, it is difficult to input information from one hand. Simultaneously, if the size is larger, it is difficult to tap and reach everywhere. So, keep these things in mind while creating your app user experience design to stand out amongst the crowd.

3) Design app navigation

Easy app navigation is a key to an app's success. Most users understand the app by browsing it using links while most use the search feature to navigate through the app.

Make sure your app has proper navigation flow and channels. Buttons and icons should be easily understood and accessible. It will help customers to navigate between the pages.

Users like to experiment with different menus and links provided. Ensure that your home screen is de-cluttered and make use of flyout menus, hand gestures instead of full-page menus for simple, quick, and flawless easy navigation.

4) Design one-hand gestures for various functions on the app

Based on services being offered, design one hand gesture for all key actions in your app.

For instance: In messaging apps like Messenger and WhatsApp, the send icon is highlighted and positioned in a place near to thumb which makes it easier for users to send and receive messages while using single-handedly.

This applies to all kinds of apps. Your end goal should be to make sure that key icons are highlighted and is placed where it is easily reached.

5) User input controls should be easy to use and positioned effectively

While using mobile phones with one hand, it is quite easier to reach the screen bottom rather than the top. So, anything that requires the user's input like forms or other data should be conveniently placed at the bottom. You can even leverage options like autofill, auto-dictionary to make their jobs easier.

Final thoughts:

Reachability and usability are the two major concerns that UI UX designers often overlook while designing an app. To offer single-handed usage, multiple other functions are needed to make mobile apps seamless yet intriguing. If you offer the one-handed experience to users, it will save their time, eradicate unnecessary steps and make operations faster which will keep them coming back to you often.

Not sure how to design such apps? Hire professional designers to make a successful and engaging mobile app that hit million download rates. Cheers!