With an interface...

Include a "hub"

Usable navigation is critical to the success of a mobile software product. 

A hub is typically a “main menu” or other content containing selectable elements, such as a contact list for an instant messaging product, an inbox for an email product, or a row of service icons plus news and weather for a portal product, for example, from which the user dives deeper into the user interface hierarchy to perform desired tasks along a node, returning to the hub after completing those tasks. A hub provides a familiar locale from which to operate and helps establish an understanding of the product’s navigational structure which makes for more efficient usage and reduces errors.

• Design the user experience around a primary “hub”

• A hub does not need to be the first screen user’s see of the product – in the case of some connected services, this may be the authentication screen

• Ensure that the hub is visually distinct in content, structure, format, color or some combination thereof from all other nodes to increase recognizability

• Make it easy to return to the hub, preferably by providing a means to jump to the hub directly from every major node (i.e., provide a “Main Menu” or “Home” feature, menu item or selectable element)

dave@mobileixd.com

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