Why User Interface of a Desktop Application Is Not Appropriate for Mobile Devices and Vice Versa?
User interface is an important part of any software product. So, user interface testing is essential during any testing process.
It is not an easy task to elaborate suitable user interface. Many applications nowadays are meant to work both on personal computers and on mobile devices. It is known that user interface of mobile software products vary from the one of desktop software products.
Of course there are special development frameworks nowadays enabling to create different components for mobile and desktop software products.
It is more than meets the eye to create appropriate mobile user interface because it has a number of distinctive features.
Reasons of Differences Between User Interface of a Mobile Application and of a Desktop Application:
1. There is less space for a software product on a phone or a tablet screen than on a computer screen. Number and position of items on a screen differ on a mobile device and on a computer due to various screen sizes.
2. Mobile applications concentrate on one window at a time while on a computer a user can work with several windows simultaneously. This distinction exists because of screen size and other characteristics of mobile devices and computers.
3. Mobile devices are of different sizes. They may be tiny, as some smartphones are, and rather big, as some tablets are. Mobile application interface and design must be suited to any of them.
4. A lot of users prefer to utilize their mobile devices both in landscape and portrait orientation. A software product must be usable in both variants. There is no such problem with desktop applications.
Because of rapid evolving of mobile devices many companies decided to create mobile versions of their applications. Some managers choose to release both mobile and desktop version of their software product at the same time. There are some challenges related to peculiarities of mobile and desktop devises.
Common Problems with Mobile and Desktop Application Versions:
1. If developers focus too much on a desktop version of the system, its items and content will be unclear, pile on and hard to use on a mobile device.
2. In case developers orient mostly on mobile version, especially on devices with small screen, on a device with big screen its items will be too large, there may be much free space, and the application will be cumbersome and inconvenient in usage.
To avoid such problems a software testing company recommends taking very seriously user interface testing of mobile and desktop software versions. User interface testing should be paid considerable attention during any mobile testing, desktop testing and web site testing.
It is not an easy task to elaborate suitable user interface. Many applications nowadays are meant to work both on personal computers and on mobile devices. It is known that user interface of mobile software products vary from the one of desktop software products.
Of course there are special development frameworks nowadays enabling to create different components for mobile and desktop software products.
It is more than meets the eye to create appropriate mobile user interface because it has a number of distinctive features.
Reasons of Differences Between User Interface of a Mobile Application and of a Desktop Application:
1. There is less space for a software product on a phone or a tablet screen than on a computer screen. Number and position of items on a screen differ on a mobile device and on a computer due to various screen sizes.
2. Mobile applications concentrate on one window at a time while on a computer a user can work with several windows simultaneously. This distinction exists because of screen size and other characteristics of mobile devices and computers.
3. Mobile devices are of different sizes. They may be tiny, as some smartphones are, and rather big, as some tablets are. Mobile application interface and design must be suited to any of them.
4. A lot of users prefer to utilize their mobile devices both in landscape and portrait orientation. A software product must be usable in both variants. There is no such problem with desktop applications.
Because of rapid evolving of mobile devices many companies decided to create mobile versions of their applications. Some managers choose to release both mobile and desktop version of their software product at the same time. There are some challenges related to peculiarities of mobile and desktop devises.
Common Problems with Mobile and Desktop Application Versions:
1. If developers focus too much on a desktop version of the system, its items and content will be unclear, pile on and hard to use on a mobile device.
2. In case developers orient mostly on mobile version, especially on devices with small screen, on a device with big screen its items will be too large, there may be much free space, and the application will be cumbersome and inconvenient in usage.
To avoid such problems a software testing company recommends taking very seriously user interface testing of mobile and desktop software versions. User interface testing should be paid considerable attention during any mobile testing, desktop testing and web site testing.
