When designing apps for mobile and handheld use, there are many vital elements to consider. More than ever, people engage with the world using their mobile phones. On average, a US citizen spends more than five hours a day 5 hours per day on smartphones and other handheld devices. Therefore, user experience is vital to ensuring that the customer enjoys every minute of it. Often the difference between a good app and a poor app boils down to the User eXperience (UX) based on the aesthetics and the performance of the User Interface (UI). Today, most of the things believed to be luxuries have become the standard. Users expect reduced loading times, ease of use and engaging content.
Therefore, if you want your app to succeed, make sure UX is not limited to a minor role in your app design and instead, is an essential component of product strategy. Leave your target audience awestruck with a well-designed and structured mobile application. According to Steve Jobs, the design is not just about what the app looks like and feels like; its also about how it works in conjunction with the look and feel.
Here in this article, we discuss which is an excellent app design practice and what are the key factors that determine high user retention rates.
Good app design practices that enhance the user experience
As mentioned earlier, mobile app development begins and ends with the user. Without a good grasp of the target audience and how they behave within the app, you will not be able to build a satisfactory mobile product, let alone an exceptional one. The UX is a product of user perception and interaction with the product. Therefore, successful apps source design tactics from usage data and thereby creating practical solutions that address real user pain points.
Registration and sign-up
No matter what type of app you use, the first step you take involves registration and sign up. Good app design practice at this stage consists of cutting down any ambiguity in the process and enabling seamless entry into your app. Furthermore, make sure the “Login” and “Register” buttons or links are clearly visible and identifiable. Ideally, good app designs individually display “Login” and “Register” to avoid confusion and subsequently wasted time. However, if there is no need for registration, make sure the user understands this in the first screen.
Seamless authentication process
Authenticating or verifying passwords is an inevitable part of app registrations. However, there is no reason not to simplify the process and make it easier for the user. As a part of good app design practices, try and automate the verification process as much as possible by using SMS or call. You may also adopt fingerprint authentication to avoid the tedious boxes.
Error-free functionality
In most cases, developers tend to ignore the impact of errors in how the app functions on UX. Perfection in functionality helps users complete the intended tasks smoothly. Developers should prioritize core features during the product roadmap phase of development will enable users to complete tasks more efficiently. However, remember to provide relevant ‘mobile-only’ functions and features so that users have to use the mobile app rather than the website.
Efficient onboarding
Efficiently bringing customers on-board is a skill in itself. The app must effectively show users the value they stand to gain by using this particular app rather than the competition. If the user is facing trouble using the app within the first few screens, they will likely stop using it after the first excursion. Delivering excellent onboarding experience is the foundation for attracting and retaining users.
Use techniques such as tutorials and easy to read manuals to show users how the app works. Doing so is known as progressive onboarding and best used for more complex workflows and hidden functionalities such that are uncommon. Excellent user onboarding not only lowers leaving rates but can also help boost long-term success parameters such as user retention and user lifetime value.
Usability
Usability measures the ease with which the user can interact with the app. Successful apps display all necessary information on interaction with the app as integrated within the design and other such elements. For example, differentiating between which icons and buttons should be selected, tapped, or swiped to activate. However, consistency is vital no matter what the combination of gestures used. For example, if swiping right deletes an item while swiping left archives, make sure the action-result relationship stays the same for all screens in the app. In some cases, you may consider using an automated screen change system while users fill out a form to reduce effort.
Furthermore, good app design practices also include using the correct keyboard layout depending on the situation. i.e. Qwerty input for text and the keypad for numeric input will improve efficiency. In the same way, text labels and any descriptions used within the app should reflect the comprehension level of the intended user. The designer must consider how the target audience perceives the app design.
Finger-friendly tap-targets
Not all users are the same even if they belong to the same user group (demographics and other such parameters). Therefore, one crucial element in good app design practice is to reduce the number of small and chaotic tap buttons. The buttons must have adequate space between them to allow for larger finger size and there should be a range of options for people with disabilities or handicaps. More than good practice, in many countries, this feature is part of the law.
Reduce search effort
Searching for something within an app can be one of the most tedious aspects of using an app. Especially when trying to find a particular feature or setting for which you cannot remember the name. Therefore, help users find things quickly using features such as barcode scanning and keyword-based search. Furthermore, filters are an excellent method for aiding users when they are not sure of what they need.
Similarly, good app design practices include providing sufficient room and prominent space for an expandable search bar built-in to the mobile app, thereby ensuring that the search bar is easy to find. In the end, an app must not behave like a perplexing maze. A user searching for a specific product or service must be driven straight towards that product.
Limit user input
User input refers to the data users must provide to use the app effectively. For example, if credit card information and other billing details are unnecessary, exclude them from the app. Ideally, if you use popular platforms such as the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, the platform itself handles any such billing information. To sidestep high drop off rates, try and limit the number of fields requiring user input. Integrate autocomplete, spell-check and other predictive text services for further assistance.
Assure security and reliability
Often users quickly become overwhelmed when bombarded with a long list of complicated and confusing permissions. Therefore, restrict unnecessary license requirements such as credit card information if there is no e-commerce function within the app or access to your photo gallery with no apparent need for it. The more users feel like there is an invasion of privacy, the more you risk losing them as a customer.
The correlation between the trust level and the comfort experienced by users determines overall loyalty to the app and subsequently, the developer. Clearly outline your business policies and practices with complete transparency and your users will feel more secure accepting permissions.
Integrate behavioral gestures
Instead of using buttons and links, use gestures and other more interactive techniques such as pinching, swiping, and scrolling. These actions not only are a part of good app design practices but also improve usability and therefore, UX as well. For example, swipe gestures now facilitate operations such as “share” and “delete.” Users’ behavioral data is crucial for the proper integration of gesture control in any app. In using such data, users are likely to feel more comfortable with the app.
Offer assistance
There is no such thing as limited support when it comes to good app design practices. Therefore, integrate whatever support you plan to offer your users into the application, thereby enabling quick access. Furthermore, try and provide multiple support options and assistance formats such as live support through click-to-call buttons or live chats. For example, users often search for help using the built-in toolbar, self-serve FAQs.
Personalize the UX
You can effectively improve any UX by adding more elements of personalization to an app. Doing so helps provide a more comfortable and unique experience to the user. Whenever possible, personalize the UX by using user data to create quick displays with relevant content and material. For example, you can provide users with deals from specific retailers based on location and search patterns. The more aligned with user preference, the more likely users will continue to use your app. If you take it a step further, include options for changing colors, fonts and background images. You can either provide a list of options or add support for uploading personal pictures and more.
Tactical UI design
As mentioned earlier, measuring the quality of the UI is an integral part of good app design practice. Make sure you plan for ‘glanceability’ and quick scanning as user behaviors are different for mobile and other handheld devices. Glanceability refers to how swiftly and effortlessly the visual design conveys information. Maintain visual consistency with the color palette, typography, and all other design elements. Create a seamless optical flow that will guide users from the first component of the design to other details to help them complete their goals with ease.
Seamless web-to-app transition
Good app design practices enable a smooth transition between the web, app, and back. There should be no reason for differences in design or performance. This seamless transition is especially important for banks and other financial institutions. Online banking should be comfortable to use regardless of the screen size because customers may not always have access to their preferred device when conducting transactions online. Therefore, the bank’s digital portal should look and behave the same regardless of the platform used to access it.
Multiple location options
Ideally, good app design practices stipulate that the app design should enable the user to choose between automatic and manual entry for location. You may not always want to input your current situation depending on your requirements.
Provide a comparison feature
Primarily for retailers, offering built-in comparison features is part of good app design practices. Make sure to design the app in such a way as to respond quickly to changes in the products under scrutiny. Furthermore, make the comparison table highly customizable and easy to compare i.e. descriptions for each comparison element should be structured the same way. Similarly, ensure that comparison criteria are relevant across the board and there should be no bias in weighted scoring.
Conclusion
Good app design practices ensure that the app you develop performs well. Any app built according to these guidelines satisfies both the end-user and the development company responsible for it. It is only logical that happy customers equal good revenue. An optimized mobile app UX involves all of the elements mentioned above and more that work systematically to improve UX and ensure an innovative approach.
No matter where you go in the world, mobile and other handheld devices dominate the market due to their usability and convenience. Therefore, mobile app developers must consider good app design practices to ensure peak performance at all times since design errors can easily hide in plain sight. Buggy and glitchy applications are easy to make and quicker out the door but will never generate sustainable income for the development company and therefore, are a lousy investment.
In conclusion, these fundamentals of good app design might not be the ‘protocol’ for a successful app. Still, each functions as a guideline for mobile app development companies to create apps that stimulate better user engagement and induce increased conversion.