FIT5046 - Week 6: Mobile User Interface Design Flashcards

Question 1

What is Skeuomorphism in mobile UI design?

Accepted Answer

A design concept where digital UI elements mimic real-world physical objects using textures, drop shadows, gradients, and ornamental visuals like leather, wood, or spiral bindings.

Question 2

What was the primary usability benefit of Skeuomorphism in early mobile interfaces?

Accepted Answer

It significantly reduced the user learning curve by leveraging familiar real-world physical affordances.

Question 3

Why was Skeuomorphism eventually phased out in modern mobile interfaces?

Accepted Answer

As users became accustomed to touchscreens, skeuomorphic details created visual clutter and reduced rendering performance.

Question 4

What defines Flat Design and what led to its creation?

Accepted Answer

A minimalist 2D visual style created in opposition to skeuomorphism, dropping 3D gradients and drop shadows in favor of flat shapes, bold colors, clean typography, and tile menus.

Question 5

Which mobile operating systems were early pioneers of Flat Design?

Accepted Answer

Windows Phone 7 and Apple iOS 7.

Question 6

What are the main visual and performance advantages of Flat Design?

Accepted Answer

It increases visual simplicity, minimizes clutter, speeds up screen rendering, and adapts flexibly across different mobile display sizes.

Question 7

What is Glassmorphism (Liquid Glass) in modern mobile interfaces?

Accepted Answer

A design approach combining translucent, frosted glass interface layers with visual blur effects and fluid motion.

Question 8

How does Glassmorphism function as a distinct UI layer?

Accepted Answer

It forms a translucent frosted glass layer that visually separates navigation controls and action buttons from background content.

Question 9

What is Material Design and which company created it?

Accepted Answer

An adaptable system of design guidelines, components, and tools created by Google to support user interface design best practices.

Question 10

What are the four major evolutionary stages of Material Design?

Accepted Answer

Material Design 1 (2014), Material Design 2 (2018), Material Design 3 or Material You (2021), and Material Design 3 Expressive (2025).

Question 11

What is the primary focus of Material Design 3 Expressive?

Accepted Answer

Creating emotionally impactful, highly personal user experiences using dynamic layout adaptations and fluid motion physics.

Question 12

Why does Material Design 3 Expressive deprecate traditional Navigation Drawers on compact screens?

Accepted Answer

Navigation Drawers on compact mobile screens are replaced by Bottom Navigation Bars (3 to 5 destinations) or Modal Expanded Navigation Rails for better breakpoint adaptability.

Question 13

What are the six core style pillars of Material Design 3?

Accepted Answer

1) Colour, 2) Elevation, 3) Icons, 4) Motion, 5) Shape, and 6) Typography.

Question 14

How is Colour treated in Material Design 3?

Accepted Answer

Colour is treated as a form of data that carries meaning; designs should minimize the number of colors, define clear primary and secondary brand colors, and satisfy accessibility contrast ratios.

Question 15

What does Elevation represent in Material Design 3?

Accepted Answer

The relative distance or depth along the Z-axis between two overlapping surfaces, indicated visually through shadow casting.

Question 16

How is Motion used in Material Design 3 Expressive?

Accepted Answer

It utilizes a motion physics system in screen transitions and user interactions to make the product feel fluid, alive, and natural.

Question 17

What psychological impact do rounded container shapes have in Material Design 3?

Accepted Answer

Psychological research indicates that rounded shapes are perceived by users as welcoming, gentle, approachable, and comforting.

Question 18

How can sharp container shapes be used strategically in Material Design 3?

Accepted Answer

Sharp shapes can be used selectively to add visual tension and create more dynamic contrast against rounded containers.

Question 19

What are Design Tokens in Material Design 3?

Accepted Answer

Centralized variables that store design style values (such as specific colors or font scales) so they can be consistently reused across platforms and themes.

Question 20

What is the role of Interaction States in Material Design 3?

Accepted Answer

Visual states (such as hovered, focused, pressed, or disabled) that communicate the live operational status of an interactive component.

Question 21

Why must mobile forms be designed differently than desktop forms?

Accepted Answer

Mobile users are frequently on the move, easily distracted or interrupted, constrained by small touchscreen real estate, and need to complete tasks quickly.

Question 22

What environmental constraints specifically affect mobile form completion?

Accepted Answer

Varying outdoor lighting conditions, one-handed thumb usage, small display sizes, and unpredictable network interruptions.

Question 23

What is the single-column layout guideline for mobile forms?

Accepted Answer

Arranging form fields in a single vertical column to minimize eye-tracking jumps and prevent field labels from truncating on narrow touchscreens.

Question 24

Why are vertical forms preferred over horizontal forms on mobile displays?

Accepted Answer

Vertical alignment creates a natural top-to-bottom scanning flow that aligns with mobile scrolling and avoids awkward label-field wrapping.

Question 25

How should required versus optional fields be labeled in mobile forms?

Accepted Answer

Clearly mark mandatory inputs with asterisks (*) and explicitly label non-mandatory inputs as '(Optional)' to prevent user submission errors.

FIT5046 - Week 6: Mobile User Interface Design

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