Most of the new designers nowadays, whether they graduated from a design school or a boot camp, focus only on mobile apps when building their portfolio. We’ve repeatedly observed that the screens included in these portfolios are often devoid of similar and unimpressive designs as if they’re mirroring a template already on Behance. Of course, desktop vs mobile design remains an ongoing discussion, and mobile design will remain important and popular for many years to come. There are tons of mockup resources, UI kits, and inspiration for it that make it fun to learn and show..
However, an often-overlooked fact is that designing for desktop products or their features is still a common and critical requirement today, especially for large tech companies that want to make the user experience consistent across platforms. We are saying this based on our experience. Our team has not only worked on large projects at organizations like Amazon but also delivered designs for desktop products on a contract basis with clients like Microsoft. This experience made it clear to us that even mobile-focused companies are now emphasizing cross-platform designs. That’s why, in this blog, we’re presenting a guide on Desktop vs Mobile Design to improve their existing skills.
Thinking in One-Dimension vs Two-Dimensions
To understand uniformity, design language, and user flow in cross-platform designs, you must first understand one-dimensional and two-dimensional thinking. This principle is the basis for mastering mobile and desktop designs.
From a functional point of view, the functions of mobile and desktop products should be almost identical. That is, what you can do on a desktop, the same tasks should be possible on a mobile. Just think, if you could only shop on Amazon on a desktop and return only through the mobile app.
1st Example Using Our 1#Rule: Visual Level Layout
When we work on desktop app design or mobile design UI, the first decision is how we will keep the visual layout. The main difference is the screen size and user interaction.
In Desktop designs, your layout can display several visual elements at once, such as banners, sliders, charts, and side menus. While it’s a challenge to fit all this into a limited space in mobile UX, it’s important to prioritize all visual components.
Remember, the difference between a desktop app and a mobile app is not just about size, but also about user interaction and navigation flow. On mobile, you can only display one or two elements at once, so every visual decision matters.
So what does this mean for you?
During any project or interview, it is very important to show that you understand the importance of a two-dimensional layout. You should prove that you can create a user interface where the user can reach anywhere with just one click. If your product doesn’t have a very complex user flow, you might be taking advantage of a two-dimensional layout to display as much information as possible on a single interface.
As you can imagine, two-dimensional design requires a lot of effort to properly categorize, layer, and organize all the interface elements. If this is not done correctly, the user flow becomes confusing and broken very quickly. This is why most beginning designers avoid creating desktop products in their portfolios.
Until you fully understand the concept of one-dimensional and two-dimensional thinking, all other differences between mobile and desktop will be confusing to you.
2nd Example Using Our 1#Rule: Information Revealing
Another major difference in Desktop vs Mobile design is how the information is presented. Mobile users scroll quickly, so initial content is most important. You have to divide the content into chunks according to mobile UX patterns.
In the Desktop mobile interface, information is categorized and placed into navigation, while mobile UX uses an accordion, tabs, or swiping gestures to display information in smaller sections.
Here, the role of responsiveness for Desktop vs Mobile design is also important. Media queries and lazy loading are essential for mobile so that performance is not affected. The difference between Mobile vs desktop users is that a mobile user wants to see every information step-by-step, while a desktop user makes a quick decision.
3rd Example Using Our 1#Rule: Understand Usability
This last example not only illustrates the visual difference but also illustrates an important principle from a user experience or usability perspective: the difference between one-dimensional and two-dimensional design.
When we talk about user flow on mobile and desktop, it is often necessary to cross the interface to complete a function on mobile, while on desktop, the same task is completed on a single screen.
Let’s take the example of Gmail. If you compose a new email on the desktop, a small pop-up opens in the lower left. It’s a two-dimensional design because different information is presented layer by layer, when and where it’s needed. It is considered an effective and beautiful design.
But if the same pop-up is used on mobile? This will not work. On a small mobile screen, if only 10% of the space is in the email writing section, it will be difficult to type. So the entire interface on mobile changes, and you’re transported into a full email writing environment that represents both a design constraint and user convenience of mobile.
Thus, this principle is not limited to the external aspect of the design but affects the entire user experience.
You Mastered the Rule!
At Innova Designz, we believe that mobile UI UX and desktop UI design are not just technical skills, but a combination of art and science. Our mission is to provide you with desktop design ideas and mobile design UI that can grow your business.
Whether you need desktop app design or mobile UX design, we’re with you every step of the way. Our team has worked on hundreds of Desktop vs Mobile design projects and knows that each platform has different requirements. We provide both web design services and illustration design services so that your brand looks equally stunning on every screen. Now is the time for you to understand the difference between the world of desktop and mobile. Start your journey with Innova Designz.
