The Importance Of User Experience When Developing A New App

When developing a new mobile app for a retail brand, it's crucial to keep the user experience (UX) in mind as your number one priority. The way that users interact with your app can make or break its success, so it's important to create an intuitive and enjoyable experience for users.

This means considering factors such as ease of navigation, clear instructions, tools and features, and visually appealing design.

A great user experience can lead to increased downloads and heightened user satisfaction, higher rates of engagement, and ultimately, greater success for your app – especially if you offer in-app purchases. In this article, we’ll look at the ways in which user experience should shape the development process as you embark on your app development journey.

Unhappy Users Are More Likely To Uninstall

When users feel frustrated with an app’s performance, it can reflect negatively on the brand itself. They are more likely to uninstall the software and their negative experience may impact their likelihood of making a purchase with the brand. To avoid this, your app should provide an exemplary user experience that not only keeps users engaged but also encourages them to refer your app to others. Every user lost to poor experience could have been a potential source of revenue and customer loyalty, as well as brand advocacy.

When designing a mobile app, therefore, give careful thought about the features that are most valued by your target customers. Functionality is the principal consideration, of course. Your app must be quick to download, run effectively without overly taxing the mobile device, and be free of glitches and bugs. But beyond this, consider what features and incentives are most likely to entice your customers – are they looking for free tools, downloadable content, personalised special offers, an online shopping interface? Accurately matching your apps’ tools and features to your users’ needs is the key to cornering your market and maximising your downloads.

Time Is Precious – Make Your App Easy And Intuitive To Use

No one has time to waste figuring out how to use an app that should be instantly accessible. An app that is difficult to use or navigate can quickly become frustrating for users, leading them to abandon it in favour of something more user-friendly. All modern apps should have a flat learning curve – working straight out of the box without the user having to jump through hurdles to access its tools and features. This is why it’s important to ensure that your app is designed with ease of use and accessibility in mind. Additionally, set the benchmark as low as possible for your app’s terms of use. If you must require your users to sign up for some kind of account, make this fast and easy, and ‘one tap’ if possible, and consider extending accessibility by allowing users to access your app as a guest without having to give their details before they are ready.

A Good, High-quality App Will Help Differentiate Your Brand

A good, high quality mobile app will be a strong ambassador for your brand, easily as important as your business website. Many of your competitors will already have mobile apps, but not all of them will be good. Frustration with a company’s mobile app can translate into disengagement with the brand itself, and the converse is true with a positive app experience – a good app can encourage your customers to engage more deeply with your brand and spend more money. In addition to encouraging customer loyalty, a positive overall app experience can also help your app stand out from the competition. With so many apps available on the market and a zero tolerance attitude among consumers towards low quality mobile software, it’s essential to create an app that offers something distinct and memorable. By focusing on user experience, accessibility, and value, you can create an app that not only functions well but also looks and feels great, helping to set it apart on your users’ app store and encouraging positive five-star reviews.

Flawless Performance Is The Key To Successful App Development

Of course, no matter how great your app looks or how unique its features may be, if it doesn’t work well, or it glitches, or it causes your users’ phone to overheat, it’s unlikely to succeed. Ultimately, the difference between a low quality app and a high quality app is performance.

High quality apps load quickly, perform as they should, are easy-to-use, and are free of irritating performance flaws, crashes, slow loading times, and other technical issues. This is why it’s vital to ensure that your app is designed and built with good performance in mind – and is thoroughly tested before being released to market. Doing so will help to ensure a positive overall user experience and keep your users happy and engaged.

A Mobile App Is a Long-term Investment In Your Customers, Not A One-off Development

Lastly, it’s worth noting that creating a great app is an ongoing process. Even after your app has launched, it’s important to keep listening to user feedback and update your app regularly to ensure that it continues to meet their needs and expectations. By prioritising user experience from the outset, you’ll be well-prepared to make these ongoing improvements and create an app that your users will love.

Nothing is more frustrating to a customer than an excellent app that suddenly declines following an unsolicited ‘update’ from the vendor. To sustain performance and avoid frustration, regression testing should be performed whenever an update or new version is released, however minor, to ensure that the new features work with the user’s mobile OS, and they don’t cause older features to stop working.

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To find out more about our Mobile App UX Design services and how we can improve user experience throughout your mobile apps, please get in touch today to talk to us about your project.

Source: Canva