One of the most important goals of creating a great app is to make the user experience as seamless as possible. Apps that lack in this aspect often find it hard to succeed. To avoid this, ensure that your app provides a great experience for the target users. Here are a few tips to develop an app that will win the hearts of the end user.
Make Setup Simple
Avoid turning off users with complicated signups and set up procedures when using a mobile app. Today’s mobile users are always on the go, so saving time with simple setup processes can greatly improve your app’s experience. Therefore, make sure that the installation instructions are simple and load time is fast. Reduce the login steps as much as possible and ensure that other parts of the app are easy to access from the main page.
Create an Intuitive
When creating an app, user-friendliness is always a major factor. For most people this simply means an intuitive interface. After all, an app that offers easily accessible menus along with seamless navigation can really enhance the user’s experience. But, a user-friendly design should also cater to the specific needs of your users. For instance, an experienced gamer may be looking for a blend of rich functionality and ease of use, while a businessperson might be in need of a fast and smart app. As such, it is important to consider whether the design is appropriate for the target users.
In addition, it may be a good idea to make settings customizable. This is because users normally want the freedom of choosing whether to turn on features such as sound, notifications, login protocols etc or leave them on. Providing customizable features allows users to have a personalized experience.
Test on Different Platforms
If you are designing an app for different platforms, make sure to have it tested. Android and iOS for instance have varying standards for app development. Some of these differences include:
- Varying resolutions and size
- Different UI(user interface) components
- Android tabs are located at the top of the screen while those for iOS at the bottom
Due to these differences, it is important to make sure that your app runs perfectly on each platform.
Gather Feedback before the Official Launch
Many people get too excited at launching an app after finally completing the development stage. But, an app is not perfect until it has been tested on users. A pilot study with volunteer users will help you know what could have been done better.
Nowadays, there are user-testing services that app developers can use. Some good examples include UserTesting.com, uTest, and Verify. You can also use multiple ways to gather feedback such as emails, surveys or invite beta users on your website.
When gathering feedback for an app, keep in mind that it is not just about what users don’t’ like. Develop a comprehensive survey to find out what functions users would want. Get to know what they think about the user interface, improvements that could be made, and why certain processes (if any) are too complicated. In addition, collect feedback from users on different platforms so that you can know about crashing problems or program bugs. The most successful apps never skip the testing stage and often retest each new update before launch.
With those few tips, it is possible to create an app that offers a great user experience. Keep in mind that the steps explained above are important stages of app development.
About the Author
Scott Wallace is a business development consultant and freelance writer based in Edinburgh. Scott loves to share useful information related to app development. He is also a contributing writer for xdesign.com.
Photo credit: Titanas
