Making a mobile app might seem exciting to you but the true reward is relished not when your app reaches out to your target users but when its addictive charm makes it viral. Remember users will only share it with their acquaintances if they find it engaging. A non-strategically thought of mobile app never keeps users betrothed thereby raising the alarm bells for your app’s success.
Following is a list of 10 things that fail mobile apps; skip these and say yes to your app’s hit:
- Juxtaposition of Excessive Information
Time is money and long is boring. An application overloaded with information scares the user. Hectic schedule and target chasing makes a common man impatient to go through lengthy chunks of information. A smart mobile app knows how to keep its users hooked on by keeping it short, crisp and to the point. Here is the answer to ‘how’:
Focus on single or double functions at the max keeping in mind the screen size restrictions.
Say no to unessential features.
Divide the functions into absolutely necessary numbers of multiple screens.
Include only mandatory UI elements to support a screen function.
Incorporate padding and whitespace.
- Display of Lengthy Contextual Manual
Apps embedded with prolonged contextual manuals are least likely to hold the users. And when it comes to Apple, user manuals are completely a no-no. Time sensitive surfers like promptly understandable apps. Choose one or two of these techniques:
explicable guidelines clearly indicated in the UI
effortless and attention grabbing prompt to absorb the app
exciting graphical instructions because a picture is worth a thousand words
humorous and interactive touch to catch users’ attention
- Usage of Login Screen
Mandatory registration screen and that too in the very beginning annoys the user making him or her switch to another app. Remember, your app is too new for the users to devote precious time and provide all the registration details without getting anything out of it. For app giants like Facebook and Skype, the situation is completely different as these have already made a dominant place in surfers’ list of mobile apps.
- Ignorance of Mental Models
Many developers do not make their mobile app realistic. Your idea may be quite innovative. But keep in mind that, your target customers must feel it user-friendly and exciting to translate it into their real experience. Mental model is to explain your idea logically to show how it works practically.
The idea of searching the details of a product through internet simply by snapping a photo of the barcode of the same is a marvelous idea, of course. But, when translated to real life situation, the RedLaser version 1 failed to work as the way bar code scanners do. Now, after a few changes of their model, all you have to do is to hold your iPhone up to the barcode and click. Who won’t opt for a barcode scanner on his or her phone?
- Violation of Conventions
Building an out-of-the-box mobile app does not necessarily mean breaking conventions. If your app Ul randomly breaks the principles, it would seem weird on the smartphones. To avoid breaking conventions, you must be acclimatized with the particular designs of conventions. Using an iPhone or iPod regularly, and more importantly, following its standards would help you to understand them naturally.
Undergoing HIG checkups are immensely helpful for your app. Also, prefer using native code to PhoneGap. The former one, though user-friendly, often fails to animate things on screen, which can easily be done with native apps.
- Indulgence in Exaggeration
Great apps are nicely crafted. They would offer you incredible user experience. But making a mobile app as a fresh designer you must know to keep a sound balance between convention and a never-before user experience as Postage, ConvertBot, and Camera+ do. Apps like MyGPA, Gas Cubby and Grades are fine examples of how simple design, masterfully executed can fetch you success.
- Adoption of Amateurish Graphic Designs
One of the biggest factors contributing to an app’s failure is the ignorance of fundamental graphic design standards. To lend your app a professional look, abide by a few rules:
There should be a recognisable contrast between your texts and the background.
Law of uniformity should rule for font size, alignment, color and spacing of the text.
Left alignment should be preferred to a centered one as the former looks professional.
- Implementation of Poor Mobile Design Principles
Many mobile app developers fail as they forget to concentrate on the context in which their app will be used. Using an app is mostly a part of multitasking. Therefore design it according to the mobile context. It is hard to notice the texts if they are small, cryptic and abundant on the mobile screen. Sticking to big, bold and clear targets is a smart idea. Also, the use of minimal design helps people to see the interface clearly.
- Non-reservation of Mock-up Sessions
The least thing you should forget is to do the usability testing; otherwise, your app, which you imagined to be great, would earn you disastrous reviews. Undergoing an inexpensive and informal test can get you immense insight about its usability.
- Lack of Perfection
When you have to rush to launch your app without getting sufficient time to make sure each and every feature has been done impeccably, you come up with semi-finished app at the apps store and eventually land up with unsatisfied users. It is better to have a feature less than an incomplete feature.
Knowing the rigorous competition at the app store; avoiding the above pitfalls will enable your app to be well equipped with the survival of the fittest strategy. Wish you all the best for a fab journey with your smartly designed mobile app!
Building mobile apps & games for various niches and platforms, we at eTraffic Applications have gained key insight on the principles of building bugs free mobile apps that fulfills objectives it is built for. Avoiding above explained things from its initial UI design and development phase can prevent disaster that may occur after its launch, if proper care isn’t taken.