One thing that often gets overlooked when designing an app is the settings page. This article discusses how to design an effective settings page to boost the user experience. The settings page should be well organized with clear and generic categories. However, there should not be too many categories because that will make it hard for the user to find their desired setting. The categories should always be prioritized with the most important at the top (like account settings) and the least important at the bottom (like about settings). Furthermore, destructive settings like “logout” or “delete account” should be at the bottom, so it is less likely it gets accidentally clicked. In addition, the top of the page should include any action items, such as reviewing new privacy terms, subscription offers, or current deals. It is also a good idea to include a search bar at the top, so users can save time by searching for settings rather than guessing and checking all the categories.
Before reading this article, I honestly would not have put too much thought into creating a settings page for my app. I probably would have thrown something together real quick just so I could say I had a settings page, but it would not have been very user-friendly. Now, I have many tips for creating a settings page that can be easily navigated by anyone who uses my app. When I redesign The Villager, I will need to add a settings page, since it currently lacks one. I could add an account feature that allows an individual to create an account and subscribe to their favorite writers or topics. Then, in the settings app, they could allow notifications for specific postings. I would also limit the amount of categories I had in the settings page, while keeping everything easy to locate.