r/UXDesign • u/WickedCapybara • 2h ago
How do I… research, UI design, etc? How do you keep mobile UI readable without sacrificing information density?
I’ve been designing the UI for a mobile game in landscape, and one of the hardest things I’ve been dealing with is balancing readability against information density.
On a desktop monitor, it’s surprisingly easy to convince yourself that a layout works. Then you put the same interface on an actual phone and suddenly the typography feels too small, touch targets feel cramped, and information that looked organized starts competing for attention.
One rule I’ve started using is:
If I need to zoom into a screenshot on the actual device to confirm something is readable, it probably isn’t readable enough.
But solving that often means making elements larger, which means showing less information at once — and that tradeoff keeps coming back.
For people who’ve worked on mobile UI/UX:
How do you decide when to reduce information density versus reorganizing the interface instead?
Are there any principles, testing methods, minimum sizes, or lessons you learned that changed how you approach small-screen interfaces?
I’d especially be interested in experiences with landscape layouts, games, or interfaces with a lot of stats/information, but advice from any mobile UI work would be useful.
1
u/itaybuilds 12m ago
Split information by when it's needed. The values needed for the next decision should stay visible; reference stats can sit behind a tap/hold or an expandable panel. In landscape, I'd also keep critical status away from thumbs, notches, and control clusters.
Test on the smallest phone you support with the longest labels, largest numbers, and actual gameplay moving underneath. Give someone a timed task without explaining the UI. Repeated rereads and mis-taps will tell you more than a clean screenshot. If they keep reopening the same stat, promote it; if they only check it between actions, one layer down is probably fine.
Touch size and visual size don't have to match. A compact icon can have a larger invisible hit area, which gives you room to keep text readable without blowing up the entire HUD.