Mobile App Design UI Design Principles & Visual Hierarchy 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which principle suggests that users prefer interfaces with fewer, well-organized choices to reduce cognitive load?
- Fitts's Law
- Hick's Law (Correct answer)
- Miller's Law
- Jakob's Law
Correct answer: Hick's Law
Hick's Law states that decision time increases with the number and complexity of choices presented.
Question 2: What is the role of negative space (white space) in mobile UI design?
- It signals incomplete design
- It reduces visual clutter and improves content readability (Correct answer)
- It is used only in minimalist apps
- It increases page load time
Correct answer: It reduces visual clutter and improves content readability
Negative space separates elements, reduces clutter, and directs user focus to the most important content.
Question 3: According to Fitts's Law, which placement of a primary action button makes it easiest to tap on a phone?
- Top-left corner
- Center of the screen
- Bottom of the screen within thumb reach (Correct answer)
- Top-right corner
Correct answer: Bottom of the screen within thumb reach
Fitts's Law states that large targets close to the user's natural position are fastest to reach — the bottom thumb zone qualifies on mobile.
Question 4: What is 'affordance' in the context of mobile UI design?
- The cost to develop a feature
- A visual cue that suggests how an element should be interacted with (Correct answer)
- The accessibility score of an interface
- The number of supported devices
Correct answer: A visual cue that suggests how an element should be interacted with
Affordance refers to design properties that signal to users how an object can or should be used.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes the F-pattern reading behavior on mobile screens?
- Users read every word in a Z shape
- Users focus most attention on the top and left of content in horizontal sweeps (Correct answer)
- Users scan only images and skip text
- Users read from the bottom up
Correct answer: Users focus most attention on the top and left of content in horizontal sweeps
Eye-tracking research shows users often scan content in an F-pattern, reading across the top then scanning down the left side.
Question 6: What is 'progressive disclosure' in mobile UI design?
- Gradually revealing terms and conditions
- Showing only essential information first, with details available on demand (Correct answer)
- Disclosing data collection practices
- Progressively loading high-resolution images
Correct answer: Showing only essential information first, with details available on demand
Progressive disclosure reduces cognitive load by presenting only the most necessary information upfront and revealing complexity as needed.
Which principle suggests that users prefer interfaces with fewer, well-organized choices to reduce cognitive load?