Today, the number of mobile users globally exceeds the number of desktop users, and apps are far more popular than websites.
With the advent of smartphones and internet, people are spending maximum time on mobile apps to explore events nearby, gather news and get everyday alerts.
Hence having a mobile app is nowadays necessary for any kind of business. There is no dearth of tools to aid in the design and development of a mobile app but there are few key steps that businesses need to keep in mind before building the first app.
Consumers have little patience for bad mobile experiences. Over 30% of downloaded apps are uninstalled within the first 2 or 3 weeks of use.
Mobile app development should be based on the idea that user experience is everything and not how many features it has. User Experience UX is particularly important in mobile applications, you have so much less screen real estate and slower connectivity, so great design and execution make incredible differences in terms of user experience.
Here are 10 tips to make your app successful:
Research your app’s idea, & audience - Start by searching the app stores, not just Apple but also Google Play, and look for competing products. Don't waste money on app development and mobile resources that will not be appreciated by users. Reach out to customers via social media and similar platforms, to truly listen to what your customers want
Focus on the user experience – unless you have laser sharp focus on user experience, providing 100+ senseless features will not make it successful.Responsive design is an efficient way to optimize user experience.
Keep it very simple for use – do you see any user manual with iPhone? Same goes here, keep your app extremely simple to use. A common mistake is thinking your app has to be packed with features and have every bell & whistle you can think of. However, the reality is half of them won’t even be used. Simplicity deliver the great user experience
Use agile for frequent releases – by collecting frequent feedback, keep your app updated with agile deployments to make users happy
Market your app - Once you have the right app, get the word out about it. Both Google & Apple stores have millions of apps today, it can be challenging to get noticed.
Test the app thoroughly before and even after release - Test, test, and test with the target users until you get it right. Once launched, continue to use analytics, customer feedback, and A/B testing to optimize and improve the application.
Have an extra ordinary customer support – after sales support is where word of mouth publicity comes in. any problems reported by users have to be handled efficiently and effectively to make them happy so they become your marketers.
Keep Innovating - No app is ever complete. Listen to your users and find out what they’re asking for. Keep a running wish list of features you can build when you have time. As they say Rome wasn't built in a day, your app won't be, either.
Build analytics – incorporate analytics which gives you detail picture of your users, their behavior, usage
Choose right business model – free, freemium, charged or pay-per-use as per your business needs
Most mobile apps fail to engage the users in this highly competitive digital age. The bottom line is have a sharp focus on the customer. Sure, technical skill matters—but you can only succeed if you use that skill to meet the customer's needs.