A Complete Guide to Improve Your App Touch Targets with Xamarin.Forms

Mouse and keyboard are yesterday’s things. It is an era of touch screens where fingers and thumbs are the tools to access smart devices.

Like many of us, one thing you might have experienced using a smartphone – misclick. Almost every individual has been there when they accidentally tap a wrong button. As a result, they might have ended up landing on the wrong page or ordering an unnecessary product. It can happen for two reasons, such as:

• The distraction and clumsiness of online users
• The UI of a mobile application is not finger-friendly

Regardless of the reason, if you want to start an online business, you need to know that it is not a minor error. It can cause you to lose potential customers because of failure in providing an excellent customer experience. So, what can you do to avoid such situations? The solution is enhancing the touch targets of your app.

• What are touch targets?

Touch targets are an essential part of the screen of mobile phones. These are elements responsible for responding to user requests.

Right now, many questions might be popping up in your mind – What makes touch targets user-friendly? Which tool or technology should I resort to for the same?

Don’t worry! Our Xamarin app developers are here to guide you. Below, we have explained how to improve the touch targets of your app with Xamarin.Forms. When you hire Xamarin app development services, your professional must have the necessary experience and skillset.

• Pro tips to enhance touch targets of your app
  1. The bigger, the better

     Do you know what frustrates online users the most when using a mobile app? Well, it is continuous tapping on their mobile screens with no results. Usually, it happens when a touch target of a particular app is smaller in size. If you want your users to access anything on your app with a single tap, keep your touch targets big enough.

     As an app owner, your goal should be to ensure a hassle-free experience for your users. And it does not include fiddling with tapping buttons on your app. For example, if the button on your app is too small, you will never achieve your goals. It means your app might become one of the unsuccessful projects.

     If you want to increase the size of the touch target, add “Padding” to the button. However, it will not change the look at all.

  2. Consider factors, form, and audience

     Note:* It is best to consider the form, size, factors, and audience before developing the screen. After all, touch targets vary from one screen size to another. For example, if your app has a limited screen space, it is not ideal shrinking the same touch targets. By doing this, everything might fit the screen. But they will not be finger-friendly. Therefore, your Xamarin app development company will revise the layout of your screen to add gestures and voice control.

     Note:* It is best to consider the form, size, factors, and audience before developing the screen. After all, touch targets vary from one screen size to another. For example, if your app has a limited screen space, it is not ideal shrinking the same touch targets. By doing this, everything might fit the screen. But they will not be finger-friendly. Therefore, yourXamarin app development company will revise the layout of your screen to add gestures and voice control.

     Besides this, the audience is a reason to create touch targets with significant size. Please remember, most users find it challenging to tap smaller touch targets.

  3. Stick to the guidelines

     When it comes to the size of touch targets, both Apple and Android have specific guidelines. If you want your Xamarin app to stand out, it is crucial to keep up with the standards.

     As per the Human Interface Guidelines by Apple, it is advisable to keep a minimum tappable area to 44pt x 44pt. It will ensure all elements have enough touch targets. On the other hand, the Material Design Guidelines of Android suggest 48pt x 48pt for all controls. If you feel these sizes are inadequate, you can increase them accordingly.

  4. Ensure next level interactions

     Thanks to the advancements in technology, you can take your app interactions to another level. For this, you can use the TouchEffectNuGet package by Andrei Misiukevich. It allows you to create views without depending on TapGestureRecognizer. But how does it work?

     You can use it to change the look of any control whenever a user initiates touch on the screen. For example, you can translate, rotate, scale, and re-color elements in case of touch events.

  5. Xamarin.Community Toolkit

     Since Microsoft is replacing Xamarin.Community Toolkit with .NET MAUI Community Toolkit, stay up-to-date with changes. Xamarin.Community Toolkit ran a set of NuGet packages, which provides a handful of features. Check out what new changes come with .NET MAUI!

In closing

It is essential to design good touch targets for your Xamarin app. If you want to offer an excellent user experience, make sure all elements are well-spaced and large. With this, your users can enjoy finger-friendly taps while meeting their needs. Your potential Xamarin mobile application development provider needs to stay abreast with updates and offer a successful project.

If you are looking for a company offering cross-platform app development with Xamarin, contact SoftProdigy. We have years of experience delivering high-quality services.

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FAQs

1. What is a touch target?

   A touch target is a clickable area within your mobile app that users can tap to complete their goals.

2. What is the minimum size requirement for touch target by Apple?

   For iOS mobile apps, the touch target should be of a minimum size of 44pt x 44pt. Of course, depending on your needs, you can increase it.

3. How big should be an Android touch target?

   If you are creating Xamarin Android mobile app, your touch target must be at least 48 x 48 density pixels.

4. Which are the methods to measure touch target size?

   The best way to measure the pixel size of your interactive element is by using the Inspector feature of your browser. It helps you determine the computed value of your touch target.

5. What do you mean by a tappable area in a mobile app?

   A tappable or clickable area is referred to as links and buttons in your mobile app. Users can click these areas to access your application.

6. Why use NuGet packages?

   If you use NuGet packages in your Xamarin app, you can improve its interactions significantly. It offers a range of features that enhance your touch targets. These features are not available in Xamarin.Forms.