The cart screen has a high abandonment rate. Users land on it, see a cluttered interface, can't quickly figure out the total, accidentally remove an item—and leave. Our team, with over 10 years of experience in mobile development, has delivered 40+ projects with carts for e-commerce, reducing churn by 15–20% through thoughtful UX. Let's break down how to build a cart that doesn't lose money.
How to Reduce Abandonment Rate on the Cart Screen
Item quantity. Two patterns: stepper (minus/plus next to the item) and inline input. Stepper is better for one-handed use; input is faster for large quantities. On iOS, UIStepper from UIKit is a ready component but looks system-like. A custom stepper needs proper handling of rapid taps: throttle at 300ms, otherwise the server gets a flood of requests when the button is held. In SwiftUI, implement this via .onChange with Combine debounce; in Jetpack Compose, via debounce from coroutines.
Item deletion. Swipe left with an action button (iOS pattern, UIContextualAction) or long press with a context menu—both work. But an undo toast is essential: 'Item removed' + an 'Undo' button for 4–5 seconds. Without it, the rate of accidental deletions is critically high—on one of our projects, we reduced it from 8% to 2% after implementing undo.
Sticky 'Checkout' button—always visible at the bottom. On iOS, account for SafeArea so the button isn't covered by the home indicator. On Android, use CoordinatorLayout with pinning. The button should only be active when the cart is not empty.
Why the Order Total Structure Is Critical
The user must understand where the final number comes from within 2 seconds. According to Baymard Institute, 69% of users abandon the cart due to an unclear total cost. A typical mistake: the discount is shown as a separate line in the middle of the list, the promo code is elsewhere, shipping isn't calculated until the address is selected. Result: the user doesn't understand why the total is that amount and doesn't proceed.
Correct structure for the total block:
- Subtotal
- Discount (if any)
- Promo code field
- Shipping (with a note 'calculated next step' if unknown)
- Total—large, highlighted
In one project, we added an interactive shipping calculator: selecting an address in the cart updated the total and increased conversion by 12%. The savings from implementing such a solution can reach 30% of losses from abandonment.
Comparison of Stepper Implementation in SwiftUI and Jetpack Compose
| Parameter |
SwiftUI |
Jetpack Compose |
| Basic component |
Stepper or custom |
Row with buttons |
| Throttle |
.debounce(for: .seconds(0.3), scheduler: RunLoop.main) |
debounce(300) from coroutines |
| Long press handling |
LongPressGesture |
Modifier.pointerInput |
| Animation |
.animation(.spring()) |
animateContentSize() |
Common UX Mistakes and Solutions
| Mistake |
Solution |
Impact on Conversion |
| No feedback on deletion |
Toast with undo (4–5 sec) |
-5% churn |
| Unclear total |
Structure the total block |
+15% checkout transition |
| Empty cart with no actions |
Illustration + return button + recently viewed |
+30% returns |
| Slow loading |
Skeleton placeholders instead of spinner |
-10% bounce rate |
| Missing sticky button |
Fixed button at bottom |
+20% completions |
Empty Cart and Other States
The empty state is not just an illustration 'cart is empty'. It's an opportunity to bring the user back to the catalog. A good solution: illustration + title + 'Continue Shopping' button + 'Recently Viewed' block if history is available. According to our data, adding recently viewed items increases click-through on the empty cart by 30%.
Case Study: Cart Optimization for a Clothing Store
For a client with a high churn rate (45%), we audited and identified the main problems: no undo on deletion, an unstructured total block, and slow loading with a spinner. After implementing all the described solutions—skeleton placeholders, undo toast, structured totals, and a sticky button—churn dropped to 25% within a month. The work paid for itself in 3 months.
Why the Empty State Is a Return Point
A user with an empty cart is not yet lost. We had a case: on a startup with zero history, we set up personalized recommendations in the empty state—the conversion to adding an item grew by 25%. It's important not just to show a button, but relevant suggestions.
Loading state: skeleton placeholders for each item row. Not a general spinner for the entire screen. On iOS, use the Redacted modifier in SwiftUI; on Android, placeholder templates.
What the Work Includes
- Analysis of current cart UX (heatmaps, session replays)
- Designing structure and components in Figma (Auto Layout, component variants)
- Design for all states: normal, swipe-revealed, loading, empty, error
- Specification for developers via Figma Dev Mode
- Documentation of component interactions
- Support during integration on iOS (SwiftUI/UIKit) and Android (Jetpack Compose)
Each project undergoes an internal UX review and testing on real devices. Contact us for a project evaluation—we'll find the optimal solution for your stack and timeline. Order a cart audit: we'll identify problem areas and suggest specific improvements.
Process: From Audit to Deploy
- Audit current cart (metrics, heatmaps, scenarios)
- Design new structure (Figma prototypes)
- Design each state with platform considerations
- Handoff specification via Dev Mode
- Integration and testing on real devices
Timeline and Cost
Development timeline for the cart: from 1 to 3 days depending on complexity. Cost is calculated individually after analyzing the requirements. Initial assessment is free. Get a consultation—we'll help determine the budget.
How We Do It
Figma, Auto Layout, component variants for all cell states (normal, swipe-revealed, loading). A separate component for the total block—reused on the checkout screen. Handoff to developer via Figma Dev Mode with tokens and specification. For iOS, we use SwiftUI (iOS 15+) or UIKit; for Android, Jetpack Compose. Backend integration via REST or GraphQL.
UX/UI Design for Mobile Apps: Why a Figma Layout Doesn't Guarantee a Ready Interface
A designer sends a layout—beautiful, with gradients and custom components. The developer opens it and realizes: the button is 36pt, the tap target is 20pt. On an iPhone SE, it's physically impossible to press with a thumb. The bottom sheet covers content when the keyboard appears. Navigation is built against the native iOS model. Apple will reject the app, or users will leave within a week—depending on how lucky you get with the review.
We have been designing mobile UX/UI for over 5 years and have seen hundreds of such situations. During this time, we have designed and helped launch 30+ mobile apps—from fintech products to social networks. You don't need to guess whether the design will pass App Review or Google Play—we embed platform requirements from the first screen. We'll assess your project in one day, contact us.
Mobile UX/UI is not an adaptation of web design. It is a separate discipline with specific platform constraints: safe area, touch gestures, UIViewController lifecycle, Activity state management.
Why Can't You Ignore Human Interface Guidelines and Material Design 3?
Apple HIG and Google Material Design 3 are not aesthetic recommendations. They are documented user expectations formed by years of using system applications. Expectations confirmed by user experience research on mobile platforms (User experience design).
HIG defines: minimum tap target 44×44 pt, safe area insets for notch and Dynamic Island, standard gestures (swipe back on iOS, back gesture on Android 10+). Ignoring safe area is a common mistake. safeAreaLayoutGuide in UIKit and safeAreaPadding in SwiftUI exist precisely for this. A designer who doesn't set safe area margins in Figma guarantees a bug during development.
Material Design 3 introduced Dynamic Color—the color scheme is generated from the user's wallpaper via MaterialTheme.colorScheme in Jetpack Compose. An app that ignores dynamic colors on Android 12+ looks out of place. This is not critical for niche products but is noticeable in mass-market apps.
The most painful platform guideline inconsistencies we encounter on projects:
- Custom navigation on top of system navigation. iOS users expect swipe back from any point on the left edge of the screen. A custom
NavigationController without interactive gesture breaks this. Android users expect the system back button—a custom back button in the left corner does not fully replace it.
- Modal windows instead of navigation push. Bottom sheets are appropriate for actions, not for navigating content.
- Missing haptic feedback.
UIImpactFeedbackGenerator on iOS is not decoration but part of the interface response. Buttons, swipes, and confirmation actions without tactile feedback feel broken.
Table: Comparison of iOS and Android UX/UI Requirements
| Parameter |
iOS (HIG) |
Android (Material Design 3) |
| Minimum tap target |
44×44 pt |
48×48 dp |
| Safe area |
safeAreaLayoutGuide / safeAreaPadding |
Insets in WindowInsets |
| Back gesture |
Swipe from left edge |
System back gesture (Android 10+) |
| Color scheme |
System dark/light |
Dynamic Color from wallpaper |
| Typography |
San Francisco (Dynamic Type) |
Roboto (Material Type Scale) |
| Haptic feedback |
UIImpactFeedbackGenerator |
HapticFeedbackConstants (Compose) |
How to Get the Most Out of Figma?
The Figma Variables API has changed the workflow. Design tokens—colors, typography, radii, spacing—are stored as variables and exported directly to code via figma-tokens or style-dictionary. This eliminates manual value transfer and desynchronization between design and implementation. Practice shows: Figma Variables speeds up asset handoff to development by 2–3 times compared to static frames, and using design tokens reduces code transfer errors by 60%.
Auto Layout with wrap and spacing between elements allows building components that behave like flex containers. A developer opens a component and sees not a static artifact but a description of behavior at different content sizes.
Component Properties—variants, boolean toggles, instance swaps—enable building a full design system right in Figma. A button with 4 states (default, hover, pressed, disabled), 3 sizes, and 2 icon variants is one component, not 24 frames.
Figma Prototype with Variables allows creating an interactive prototype with real state: showing how the screen changes with different variable values. This is no longer just a "clickable layout" but a full UX testing tool.
How to Benefit from Prototyping and UX Testing Before Development?
The most expensive mistake in a mobile product is to develop a feature, release it, and discover that users don't understand how it works. A Figma prototype at the testing stage costs zero development hours. Redoing a finished screen costs days. Testing a prototype before development begins reduces the number of fixes by 80%.
For usability testing, we use Maze (task testing on a prototype—the user goes through a scenario, we get heatmaps and mis-click rates) or direct sessions via UserTesting. Key metrics are task completion rate and time on task, not "like/dislike."
A/B testing on mobile is harder than on web: the App Store doesn't allow UI changes without an app update. Therefore, it's important to test hypotheses on a prototype before release, not through production experiments. According to research, fixing a bug found on a prototype costs 10 times less than after production release. And average task completion time increases by 40% after proper UX optimization during prototyping.
Why Are Animations Critical for Interface Perception?
Animations in mobile apps are feedback. An element doesn't appear instantly—it transitions to the desired state over 200–350 ms. This gives the brain context to understand what happened.
- iOS:
withAnimation in SwiftUI, UIViewPropertyAnimator in UIKit for interactive animations with interruption capabilities. Spring animations with dampingRatio are the basis of most Apple system transitions.
- Android:
AnimatedVisibility, animateContentSize, Crossfade in Compose. MotionLayout for complex scenes with multiple transformations.
- Flutter:
AnimationController + Tween, Hero animations between screens, Lottie for After Effects exports. Lottie is especially effective for onboarding illustrations and empty states.
The key constraint is 16 ms per frame (60 fps) or 8 ms (120 fps on ProMotion devices). Animations must run on the GPU via CALayer/RenderThread, not on the CPU via layoutSubviews. Profiling via Core Animation instrument in Xcode is a mandatory step before releasing animated screens.
Why Is Accessibility Not an Optional Feature?
VoiceOver on iOS and TalkBack on Android are used by up to 15% of users—this statistic is confirmed by accessibility research described in Accessibility (Wikipedia). In absolute numbers for a large app, this is thousands of people. Additionally, App Store rejections due to accessibility occur, though rarely.
Minimum checklist:
- All interactive elements have
accessibilityLabel
- Text contrast ratio at least 4.5:1 (WCAG AA)
- Dynamic Type is supported—the interface doesn't break at maximum font size
- VoiceOver focus flows through the screen in a logical order
SwiftUI automatically generates an accessibility tree from component semantics. UIKit requires manual setup of accessibilityTraits, accessibilityHint, and grouping via shouldGroupAccessibilityChildren.
What Does the Work Include?
The UX/UI design deliverables include:
| Deliverable |
Description |
| User flows and wireframes |
Screen structure and user paths |
| Design system |
Design tokens, components, Style Dictionary for export |
| UI layouts (Figma) |
All screens following platform guidelines |
| Interactive prototype |
Prototype with variables and animations |
| Development specification |
Zeplin / Figma Dev Mode with dimensions, margins, states |
| Maintenance guide |
Recommendations for adding new screens and components |
What Is the Process and Timeline?
Design goes through stages: research and competitive analysis → user flows and wireframes → design system → UI layouts → prototype → testing → handoff to development.
Timeline estimates:
| Scope |
Timeline |
| Redesign of 3–5 screens |
1–2 weeks |
| MVP (10–15 screens) |
3–5 weeks |
| Full product (30+ screens) |
6–10 weeks |
The project scope and timeline are determined after analyzing your requirements—number of screens, component complexity, whether a design system is needed or we work with an existing one. Get a consultation for your project—contact us for a preliminary assessment. Order a complete mobile app design—we'll assess your project in one day and propose the optimal work scope.
