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Mobile app design that feels effortless.

We design iOS and Android apps around the moments people reach for their phone: quick tasks, one thumb, half their attention. Clear flows, familiar patterns and interfaces tested in your users' hands.

  • iOS and Android design
  • Flows designed for one thumb
  • Clickable prototypes on real phones
  • Ready for your developers or ours
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What's the app for?

A new app, a redesign or a first prototype. Tell us who it's for and we'll come back with how we'd design it.

What do you need?
Rough budget (optional)

Global
brand experience.

  • Louis-Dreyfus Foundation
  • Desucla
  • London Museum
  • Black Brick
  • Healthscope
  • Cupello
  • Enness Global
  • ACE Aquatec
  • JTI
  • Netacea

What is mobile app design?

Mobile app design is planning how an iOS or Android app works and looks: the user flows, screens, navigation, gestures and every state in between. It follows each platform's conventions so the app feels familiar, designs for small screens and one-handed use, and is tested as a clickable prototype on real phones before development begins.

Last reviewed 25 October 2026 by the Rubik Digital team.

  • Flows

    The steps for each task, kept short enough to finish on the move.

  • Screens

    Every view and state, designed for small screens first.

  • Patterns

    iOS and Android conventions, so the app feels familiar.

  • Prototype

    Tested on real phones before a line of code is written.

Years in business
15+
Global brands
50+
Industry sectors
13+

Why people delete apps.

How we fix it

Flows designed around the task people opened the app for, with the most common actions one or two taps away.

What we design for your app.

Scroll through what a mobile app design project covers, screen by screen.

  1. Research and strategy

    Who the app is for, what they need from it and what will make them come back.

    • User interviews
    • Competitor review
    • Feature priorities

  2. Onboarding

    A first run that shows the app's value quickly and earns permissions instead of demanding them.

    • Welcome flow
    • Sign-up and log-in
    • Permission prompts

  3. Core flows

    The tasks people open the app for, designed to be quick with one thumb.

    • Key task flows
    • Navigation
    • Gestures and feedback

  4. Interface and states

    Every screen designed, with empty, loading, offline and error states included.

    • iOS and Android layouts
    • Dark mode
    • Accessible type and contrast

  5. Prototype and testing

    A clickable prototype tested on real phones with people who match your users.

    • Figma prototype
    • Usability tests
    • Refined flows

Digital products with results.

We haven't published a mobile app case study yet, so these are digital products and platforms we've designed and built.

100+ club partnerships.

Cupello

Sports Education Technology

Cupello was built from the ground up as a digital platform for football coaches, covering product strategy, UX, design, and platform delivery.

Cupello website

125K+ clicks from Google Search.

Avventure Bellissime

Luxury Travel

A refined digital experience designed to showcase authentic Italian travel experiences and support international discovery and direct bookings.

Avventure Bellissime website

+72% organic traffic increase.

Enness Global

Financial Services

A refined digital platform and SEO strategy designed to strengthen authority, visibility, and engagement with high-net-worth audiences globally.

Enness Global website

From idea to tappable.

Four stages, each ending in something you can see, test and sign off on your own phone.

Start a project
  1. Discover

    Users, goals and must-haves.

    Interviews and a review of competitors and analytics, so the first version focuses on what matters most.

  2. Flow

    Journeys before screens.

    The key tasks mapped step by step and laid out as wireframes you can click through.

  3. Design and test

    Prototype in your hand.

    High-fidelity screens built into a prototype, tested on real phones and refined.

  4. Hand over

    Ready for development.

    Screens, components, specs and assets for iOS and Android, walked through with whoever builds it.

One design, or one for each platform?

Apps can follow each platform's conventions, share one design, or mix the two. Here's how they compare.

  • Platform-native

    What it means
    Separate iOS and Android designs following each platform's guidelines
    Best for
    Apps that must feel completely at home on each phone
    Watch out for
    Twice the design work to keep in step

  • One shared design

    What it means
    One branded design used on both platforms
    Best for
    Brand-led apps where consistency matters most
    Watch out for
    Can feel slightly foreign on one platform

  • Shared with native touches

    What it means
    A shared design system, with navigation and controls adapted per platform
    Best for
    Most business apps
    Watch out for
    Needs clear rules on what adapts and what stays fixed
  • WordPress
  • Strapi
  • Payload
  • Concrete CMS
  • Shopify
  • Laravel
  • React
  • TypeScript
  • PHP
  • HubSpot
  • Stripe
  • Google Analytics
  • Google Search Console
  • Cloudflare
  • DigitalOcean
  • Amazon Web Services
  • Figma

How much does app design cost?

It depends on how many screens and flows the app has, whether you need separate iOS and Android designs, and how much research and testing you want. A focused first version with a few core flows costs far less than a full app with accounts, payments and settings. We scope it from your goals and give you a fixed, itemised proposal.

Get a fixed proposal

What moves the price

  • Screens and flows

    Each task and screen, with all of its states.

    Effect on budget: High

  • Platforms

    One shared design, or separate iOS and Android versions.

    Effect on budget: Medium

  • Research and testing

    Interviews and usability tests on real phones.

    Effect on budget: Medium

  • Design system

    A component library for a growing app.

    Effect on budget: Medium

  • Branding

    App icon, identity and illustration, if needed.

    Effect on budget: Low

Why Rubik for app design?

Designers who work with the developers who build apps, so the design is ready for the real world.

Talk to the team

  1. Designed for thumbs.

    Every flow is tested one-handed on a real phone, not just on a big monitor.

  2. Native where it matters.

    We follow iOS and Android conventions, so the app feels familiar from the first tap.

  3. Ready to build.

    Our developers review designs as they happen, so nothing is impossible to ship.

  4. With you after launch.

    We keep designing new features as reviews and analytics show what users want next.

What our clients say

Expert guidance and flawless execution. Our go‑to agency for all things digital.”
Nic CooperStrategy Director

Mobile App Design Questions,
answered.

What people usually ask us before a project starts. If yours isn't here, ask it in the form and someone senior will reply.

Ask the team

Yes. We design for both, either as one shared design with platform-specific navigation and controls, or as separate designs that follow each platform's guidelines closely. We'll recommend the approach that suits your app and budget.

Further reading.

All insights

Related services

Start a conversation

Ready to design your app?

Tell us who it's for and what it needs to do. We'll come back with how we'd design the first version.

Tell us about your project.

A few lines is plenty — no brief required.

What are you planning?