How apps innovated design.
- Molly O'Brien
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read

The first sign of web design came around in 1991. These pages tended to be very simplistic, with a white background and the information and links to other parts of the website. Compared to today's websites, it was straightforward; however, it lacked visual appeal and identity. Cut to the rise of MySpace in 2004, which allowed the general public to create their page and profile in a way that made it unique to the person. Compared to 1991, a lot more pages have popped up over time, making it important to make your page visually appealing to draw people in, which not only shows your personality but your brand as well.
Before apps, there were websites, and even then, people had done this by going to locations physically. When it came to communication, this was done through the art of letter writing, and when CDs and DVDs came out, people still had to go to a location to get those products from places such as Blockbuster.
If ads are going to be added, make sure the ads are kept to the side without any intrusive pop-ups. Having constant popups can annoy people and make them less likely to stay on the app. This does not mean that ads can not be added; however, make sure that it's not intrusive to your audience.
With the advent of apps and websites, this made things more convenient for people, and this meant that more people could sell their products but also have more access to products from across the world from the convenience of their home. With social media apps, people could more easily not only communicate with people locally but also globally.
If it's a game-based app, adding incentives can draw people into watching the ads, such as offering in-game currency for watching ads that can drive a rewarding type system and increased dopamine. This is a win-win because not only does it make ads less intrusive, but the players also get back an incentive.
People want to be able to find things easily within your work, and the easier it is to find information about your business, the more people are more likely to buy into your products or services. Keep it simple and to the point, both in wording and in design.
Less busy designs, for example, with bigger websites such as Amazon and Netflix, separate their topics into categories so that more people can easily access the shows they need. It's more visually appealing to people and therefore draws a wider audience to an app.
More busy-looking apps not only make it look dated but also draw people off from using whatever service you are offering. “When a webpage feels cluttered or overwhelmed with elements, users are 95% less likely to convert — and 84.6% of designers agree that overcrowded design is the most common mistake. That overwhelming first impression signals something’s off, driving 88% of visitors away after a bad experience.”
Having a simple design does not mean that it rips the personality away from an app. When I made my website, I showed my personality by using themes and colours that I feel would best represent my brand, and through what I had written on the website. There are many ways to show your flair without having to throw everything into the design.
eBay is different from Amazon, and different from Etsy. Each brand has its own style that makes an audience know it's them without having to throw too much into their design, and keeping their UI clean. Keeping that UI simple can make your brand feel more recognisable to people.
Space is not a bad thing within design and can be used in the right way. It can give an audience breathing room to take in your content at the pace that they want to. Space can make an app feel more visually appealing, and used in the right way, can be a big benefit to the UI and branding.
Layout is important to branding. Going back to how I made my app and website, I used black and lilac colours for the branding, and I made sure that the colours are sectioned into 3 spaces, and this was used within my business cards as well, creating synergy between my marketing.
At the beginning of an art piece, there is the use of shapes to construct characters using anatomy to understand the human form and in a sense that involves an element of layout along with sectioning out backgrounds to create depth to a painting. Many famous paintings use a dynamic layout to make the art more captivating.
Having the most in early website design was considered the best, as you look at things like MySpace, there was a high level of personalisation, and people could add all sorts of things to their profile. Compared to Instagram, Facebook, etc, there is still that personalisation; however, it blends in and creates synergy within the app design.
Add a level of personalisation within your app, even if it's small, because it can make users add a personal touch to their profile, whether that be a profile photo or something like in Love and Deepspace, where players can decorate the different love interests' rooms and what their main character looks like.
In the current day, AI has been able to assist people who are new to app creation from the research process to how people construct their branding. Now, anyone is able to create innovative apps with the help of the many tools available that have been built over many years of innovation.

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$50
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