Most app developers find that simply creating the phone app is the easy part; it’s getting it into the hands of customers that is far more tricky. The reason is that there is a world of difference between a basic app and one that really makes an impact upon the market. The operative words here are ‘user experience’. By boosting the ways in which your product can be experienced by the customer, users will spend more time on the app, recommending it to friends and making it a success. To help you think about boosting user experience and making it a more meaningful undertaking, here are 10 key ways to improve your app.
Easy Onboarding
Onboarding refers to getting people onto the app for the first time and signing them up for whatever it is that you offer. It is really crucial that the onboarding experience is a very simple one, as a shoddy experience can easily turn people off from what you want to sell them. Avoid any complex sign-up arrangements, such as via text or email, in favor of something super simple like a one-touch fingerprint ID log-in. That way users barely have to think about it when they click onto your phone app and are ready to start using it as quickly as possible. Also, avoid overloading them with too much information to begin with or complex terms and conditions agreements!
Develop Smart Push Notifications
Push notifications are one of the smartest ways to get people to continuously return to your phone app over and over again. Whether it’s the latest updates or simply a reminder message, a well-timed push notification can be a welcome gift from you to the user. This can be implemented in combination with a simple email sign-up process, meaning that you can send them regular updates about their experience. Just be sure to ask for permission first as nobody wants a push notification that they haven’t signed up for and because more people have warned against them. Additionally, make sure not to have too many push notifications as this is a sure-fire way to turn the user off and prompt them to disable notifications entirely!
Minimize Adverts
Adverts can be one of the most annoying parts of using a phone app, especially if they turn on in the middle of a process. Try and keep them to an absolute minimum or find a way to remove them entirely, as this will make the user keener to use the app on a regular basis. If you do rely on adverts as part of your business model, consider a low-cost ad-free option in order to convert users onto a paid model and have a way to get rid of the adverts on their own terms. Additionally, make sure that the adverts correspond to the spirit of your phone app as nobody wants to have adverts with absolutely no relation to what they are currently using.
Have an SEO Strategy
There is no point having an app if people don’t know how to find it. That’s why it’s really important to put your SEO strategy front and center. You can boost this by indexing your app, including deep links and providing the user with a rich content stream. If you are not quite sure how to proceed in this manner, you can always use a third party white label SEO reseller to help you achieve your aims.
Use Fun Transitions
When people move through your phone app, there are inevitably going to be loading times. Don’t give them a chance to get bored and switch off, however, by using these loading times to show off fun transitions! These can be anything from cool graphics to useful factoids that can be pertinent to what you have to offer! By implementing these types of fun transitions, you are showing that you care about the user experience in every part of the app-making process, boosting your trust rating in the process.
Consider Going Native
A native phone app refers to a software application that has been designed to work on a particular mobile device. It’s really worth doing this for people who are using either iOS and Android, as then the app can be tailored to work with the phone instead of against it. This has a huge advantage over web apps as it has been proven that people are far more responsive to using apps when they directly downloaded onto their phone as opposed to using them in their browser. That said, make sure there is a web-app option also, as some people prefer not to download apps themselves in order to minimize phone addiction.
Study Your Competitors
Only by understanding what your competitors are doing will you be able to create a phone app that will be able to stand out in the market. Study them closely, including their biggest success and failures, such as the amazing rise of TikTok, in order to copy aspects of their app that work as well as avoid those parts that users are most turned off by. This should be something that you will have thought about from the very first part of your app-making process.
Use Bright Colors
Bright and accessible colors have been proven to increase customer engagement. This is especially true in marketing as it gives them a sense of reward as they complete something on the app. That said, you do have to think about which colors are appropriate for your app in order to not create a jarring effect. For example, if it is a fun child-like game, very bright colors are sensible, but this might achieve the opposite effect for something a little more somber, such as a financial app.
Navigation is a crucial part of the user experience. If people sense that they cannot get from A to B in an orderly fashion, they will quickly be upset by the app and might even choose to leave and delete it before you really have a chance to hook them in. They should be able to navigate with absolute ease, which also means that your app should be created in such a way that users know exactly what hand gesture to use for which process at any given time!
Be Constantly Innovating
The best apps hardly resemble their original selves after years on the market. Think of the way that Instagram went from a simple photo-sharing page to a fully-fledged and complex social media tool within the space of just 10 years.
By innovating with new ideas and concepts, users will have a reason to keep on using the app over the space of months and even years. Therefore, always be on the search for new ideas and innovations, keeping users interested in what you have to offer and aware that you are on the cutting edge of design. Additionally, by installing new updates, you can simply improve any previous issues, showing that you are accountable for what users need. Make sure to couple this with regular feedback so you can see what they want and tailor your app towards their desires.