UX/UI, Design, Research & Creative · Specialist certification · Free

Mobile App Design Certification

Earn the credential Certified Mobile App Designer SOA-MOB. It certifies that you can design native-feeling iOS and Android apps — platform conventions, navigation and gestures, touch ergonomics and accessibility, and performance, offline and permission flows.

What is the Mobile App Design Certification?

The Mobile App Design Certification is a free, test-based credential from Science of Apps. It certifies that you can design native-feeling iOS and Android apps — platform conventions, navigation and gestures, touch ergonomics and accessibility, and performance, offline and permission flows. Pass the 20-question, 30-minute test with 75% or more to become a Certified Mobile App Designer (SOA-MOB). Every question is based on published standards and research — including Human Interface Guidelines (Apple), Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 (W3C), Material Design 3 (Google) — and each answer is explained with its source.

Built for your job title

Mobile designers, product designers and UI designers who design iPhone and Android apps and want proof they know the platforms, not just the pixels.

  • Mobile App Designer
  • Mobile UI Designer
  • iOS Designer
  • Android Designer
  • Product Designer
  • App Designer

Land the job, not just the certificate

Career guide · 8 min read

How to get a mobile app designer job in 2027: iOS and Android patterns, touch ergonomics, onboarding, permissions, offline states and app store context

How to get a mobile app designer job in 2027: iOS and Android conventions, touch targets, navigation, onboarding, permissions, offline states and pay.

Read the hiring playbook →

What the test covers

Four domains with 5 questions each, drawn from a bank of 10 per domain, so a retake brings questions you haven't seen. Every domain links to the free Laws of UX guides its questions draw on.

  1. 01

    Platform conventions

    25%
    • Apply Apple's Human Interface Guidelines and Material Design
    • Size touch targets to platform standards
    • Support Dynamic Type and system settings

    Study: Jakob's Law, Mental Model

  2. 02

    Navigation & gestures

    25%
    • Choose tab bars, navigation bars and drawers
    • Respect system back and gestures
    • Use sheets and deep links sensibly

    Study: Hick's Law, Recognition over Recall, Progressive Disclosure

  3. 03

    Touch, ergonomics & accessibility

    25%
    • Place actions in the thumb zone
    • Meet WCAG contrast and target size
    • Label controls for screen readers and respect reduced motion

    Study: Fitts's Law, Steering Law

  4. 04

    Performance, offline & permissions

    25%
    • Design loading, skeleton and offline states
    • Request permissions in context
    • Give feedback within the response-time limits

    Study: Doherty Threshold, Labor Illusion

Based on published standards

The questions are original scenarios, and each one names the public standard, official guide or research it draws on — shown under the question while you answer, and linked in your review. These are the sources behind this certification:

Try a sample question

An iPhone app shows a destructive "Delete account" button right next to "Save" in the bottom toolbar. What's the best change?

  1. Make both buttons the same colour
  2. Make the Delete button smaller
  3. Add an icon to the Save button
  4. Move Delete away from frequent actions and confirm it clearly
Show the answer

D. Move Delete away from frequent actions and confirm it clearly — Destructive actions shouldn't sit beside frequent ones where a slip of the thumb triggers them. Separate them and confirm the irreversible one. The real test has 20 questions like this.

How the test works

  1. 30 minutes, 20 scenarios

    One question per screen, with a progress bar and a countdown. Your progress is saved on this device if you need to pause.

  2. Graded on our server

    Answers reach the page only after you submit, so the certificate can only be earned by passing.

  3. Every answer explained

    Pass or not, you see every question with the right answer, why, and the source behind it. Pass mark 75%, distinction 90%.

  4. Your certificate

    Founder-signed, with a QR code and credential ID. Download PDF or PNG, add to LinkedIn, and it's emailed to you.

What you earn

Certified Mobile App Designer certificate preview: an ivory certificate with a gold medal marked SOA-MOB
LinkedIn-ready certificate

Pass, then add it to LinkedIn in one click

No typing. The Add to LinkedIn button opens your profile’s Licenses & certifications form already filled in: the certificate name, Science of Apps as the issuer, the issue date, your credential ID and a link recruiters can use to verify it.

  1. 1Take the 30-minute test
  2. 2Score 75% or more
  3. 3Click Add to LinkedIn
Free · no sign-up · also emailed to you as a PDF
How it shows on your LinkedIn profile

See every UX/UI & design certification and test → New to the laws of UX? Start with Product Design Science →

Frequently asked questions

What is the Mobile App Design Certification?

The Mobile App Design Certification is a free, test-based credential from Science of Apps. It certifies that you can design native-feeling iOS and Android apps — platform conventions, navigation and gestures, touch ergonomics and accessibility, and performance, offline and permission flows. Pass the 20-question, 30-minute test with 75% or more to become a Certified Mobile App Designer (SOA-MOB). Every question is based on published standards and research — including Human Interface Guidelines (Apple), Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 (W3C), Material Design 3 (Google) — and each answer is explained with its source.

How do I get a Mobile App Design certification for free?

Read the four skill domains on this page, study the free guides and sources linked to each, then take the 30-minute test online. There is no fee, course or sign-up. Score 75% or more and you get a Certified Mobile App Designer certificate straight away — on screen, as a PDF and by email — with a credential ID anyone can verify.

Are the Mobile App Design Certification questions based on real standards?

Yes. The questions are original scenarios written by Science of Apps, and each one is based on a public source you can read: Human Interface Guidelines (Apple); Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 (W3C); Material Design 3 (Google); Human Interface Guidelines: Typography (Apple); Predictive back gesture (Android Developers); Understanding Target Size (Minimum) (W3C WAI). The source is shown under each question and linked in the answer review. Science of Apps doesn't copy questions from other tests.

What should a mobile app designer know?

A mobile app designer should know Apple's Human Interface Guidelines and Material Design, platform navigation and gesture conventions, touch ergonomics and accessibility (target sizes, contrast, Dynamic Type, screen readers) and how to design for slow networks, offline use and permission requests. This certification tests all four areas.

Can I take the Mobile App Design Certification from any country?

Yes. The certification is online, in English and free everywhere — people take it from India, the US, the UK, Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Your certificate is dated with your own local date and can be verified from anywhere at scienceofapps.com/certification/verify/.

Will the Mobile App Design Certification help me get a job?

It helps you stand out: it shows employers, in a form they can check, that you can apply platform conventions and navigation & gestures to real product scenarios. Add it to LinkedIn and your CV, and back it with portfolio work that shows the same skills — certifications open conversations, portfolios close them.

How hard is the Mobile App Design Certification?

We rate it Intermediate: assumes hands-on experience in the role. It has 20 scenario questions — 5 from each of 4 domains — and a 30-minute limit. You need 75% (15 of 20) to pass and 90% for distinction.

How do I prepare for a Mobile App Designer job?

To get a mobile app designer job in 2027, show you design for real phones and real conditions: iOS and Android conventions, thumb-friendly touch targets, clear navigation, quick onboarding, well-timed permission requests, offline and slow-network states, notifications people want, and accessibility with large text. Most Indian web traffic is mobile. Redesign one real app flow end to end and verify your skills with a free test. Our full career guide covers the hiring process, interview loop, pay and a prep plan: scienceofapps.com/blog/mobile-app-design-career-guide/

How much do Science of Apps certifications cost?

Nothing. There is no fee to take a test, to receive the certificate, to have it emailed or to verify it, and no sign-up.

How are the tests graded?

On our server, not in your browser. The answers never reach the page until you submit, so a certificate can only be earned by passing. Each certificate gets a unique credential ID stored by Science of Apps.

What happens if I don't pass?

You see your score for each area and every question with the correct answer and why, with the published source behind it. You can retake after 30 minutes, and the retake draws questions you haven't seen yet.

Do the certificates expire?

No. Every certificate is dated, so it always shows when you passed. Retake a test any time for a newer date or a higher score.

Can I add the certificate to LinkedIn?

Yes. After you pass, Add to LinkedIn opens the Licenses & certifications form with the certificate name, Science of Apps as the issuer, the issue date, your credential ID and the verification link filled in. You can also download it as a PDF or PNG, and it's emailed to you as a PDF.

How can an employer verify my certificate?

Every certificate has a credential ID and a QR code. Scanning it, or entering the ID at scienceofapps.com/certification/verify/, shows the holder's name, the certification, the score and the issue date from our records.

Are these accredited qualifications?

No. They are Science of Apps' own assessments of applied skill. They aren't issued by a university or standards body, and they work best alongside a portfolio that shows the skills in real work.

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