Are you searching for that extra little edge to make your app stand apart from the gaggle of other apps in the app stores? Smart thinking. It’s a competitive market, and nothing but the exceptional stands a chance of becoming too popular. Here are seven great tricks for catapulting your really good app into true greatness.
1. Reuse Your Logic Code, But Not Your UI Code
What looks like a gorgeous interface on one platform might not work on the others at all.
Reusing your logic code just makes sense. But you can’t recycle that UI code. Each platform is completely different, with different users and interface guidelines. What looks great on an Android phone probably doesn’t work on an iPhone or tablet. Design a fresh, tailored UI for every app, every time.
2. Every Development Team Needs Varied Skills Sets
Are your app developers all great programmers? Then they aren’t likely stellar designers. Conversely, if you’ve got a great design team without solid coders, you have another set of problems. All design teams need a varied set of skills, so that your app is beautiful and works like a Swiss watch.
3. Remember: Smaller Screens = Shorter Attention Spans
Design the app not just with the screen size in mind, but in keeping with the attention span that accompanies a particular screen size.
As a general rule, smartphone users have a shorter attention span than tablet users, who have shorter attention spans than your laptop and desktop users. When you’re developing an app, especially if it has video, design for the size of the device, and keep smaller device content shorter and sweeter than for larger screens. A paragraph of text is miniscule on a larger screen, but on a tiny screen it looks enormous.
4. Design for Use With or Without Headphones
Sound can make an app more engaging, but not all users will be wearing headphones. When you add sound to an app, think about who will use it, where, and how. For example, if your target audience might be in a crowded auditorium or with a sleeping baby when they use your app, no sound is probably best. If you do use audio, be sure that the app doesn’t lose its impact or luster if the user has the phone muted or isn’t wearing headphones.
5. Don’t Assume All Your Users Have 20/20 Vision
Some developers assume that the world is comprised of people with perfect vision. You can spot the work of these app developers, because the text is barely readable over the background, and is so tiny that anyone aside from a mouse with dwarfism isn’t likely to be able to read it. During the testing process, include some users with vision difficulties. Make sure they can see the text clearly over the background, and that the text and buttons are plenty large enough, both to see and to navigate by. It’s way too easy for users to get a competitor’s app than to try to squint through a poorly-designed one.
6. Design for the Future
If you see the neatest, newest cool thing, it’s already too late to get it into your next app. The app development world moves fast, and what’s late and great today is old news tomorrow. Get on top of design trends first, or come up with your own golly-gee-wow ideas. Nabbing a nifty idea from a current app would put you in the has-been’s category by the time you develop it, test it, and get it to market.
7. Be Smart About Pricing
Free apps are an excellent idea if the point of your app is to build your brand, promote your products, or sell stuff. But if your app has additional value outside your marketing efforts, consider adding a nominal fee for it. People tend to value things according to their market price. Putting a price tag on that app can signal to users that it’s worth paying for. Just be sure you price the app in a range the market will bear.
For a shockingly refreshing take on app design, visit Glance today. Well versed on all the notable platforms and experienced in the skills sets you most need to develop a popular business app, Glance is all about taking your brand to the next level.
