User Experience in Mobile App Development

The Rising Popularity of Mobile App

Mobile app is becoming a prevalence, making it is safe to say that everyone’s mobile phone must have at least one app installed. Data from the newest studies shows that desktop browsing rate has been dropping. Meanwhile, the use of mobile app is growing. Superior in terms of accessibility and practicality, more people are now eager to download the mobile app of the business or website they frequent. Many factors can affect their willingness, such as the app size, privacy issues, social login, and push notifications, to name a few. However, on top of them all is the user experience (UX). A top-notch UX will attract people to use the app again, while mobile app with poor UX will soon see users abandoning it.

User Experience (UX) in Mobile App Design

UX design for mobile app may not be the same as that of a regular website in some aspects. One of the most clear distinction is in the screen size. Here are some practices that can be implemented to create a great mobile app experience:

1.       Simple Navigation: The biggest challenge in designing UX for mobile is the limited screen size. Unlike website that can have extensive menu bar, doing the same for mobile will use up a lot of screen space. Therefore, mobile navigation should be easy to discover and made sure that it only includes the most essential functions.

2.       Usability: In general, elements in the app should be designed so that users can reach their goal easily. A special feature of mobile device is that people often use it one handed. To improve on user experience, it is important to place main navigation buttons within the reach of the user’s thumb. Required gestures and action outcomes should also be consistent across the app.

3.       Minimal Effort: Mobile apps that are easy to use are often rated highly. It is principal for mobile app to reduce the effort needed from users. One way to do this is by providing search filters to help users quickly find what they are looking for. Another way is by personalizing the experience of each user by learning their behavior when using the app. For example, giving suggestions based on past buying pattern or pick-up point.

4.       User Interface: People typically don’t have much free time when they decide to use mobile app. Thus, minimal design with only the essential elements is recommended to deal with users’ reduced attention span. In this case, negative space is useful to improve readability and bring focus on certain contents.

Creating a good UX for mobile app should always starts with the users in mind. Consideration of the mobile-specific features is also important. The best app is one that combines both usability and simplicity.

User Experience in Mobile App Development

Mobile App Development

As discussed in the previous post, mobile app development is growing faster than ever. Businesses and enterprises, from neighborhood cafes to commercial airlines now have their own mobile app. And indeed, it creates a win-win situation for both the customers who gain easier access to various services, and the business itself as they can engage the customers directly.

However, to make the most out of mobile app development, it takes more than simply create one and put it on the apps store. Of course, there are many things to be considered. Functionality, platforms supported, and speed to name a few, but on top of them all is the User Experience (UX).

Why User Experience Is Important

The term user experience (UX) is quite self-describing, as it is really about how the users interact with certain brand or product (which in this case is the mobile app). So, a good UX is one that satisfies, or even surpasses the customers’ need. And that is exactly the first reason why UX is important. The last thing you want to happen is for customers to download your mobile app, try it, feel frustrated, and end up uninstalling it. Even if you have the coolest feature around, it is of no use if customers are frustrated while using it.

On the other hand, if your mobile app has top-notch UX, customers will be satisfied and deem the application to be useful. When it happens, people keeps coming back and engagement increased. Your brand gets a bunch of loyal customers. In addition, happy customers can also help in spreading positive word-of- mouth which increases your mobile app’s traffic.

How to Achieve Good User Experience

It literally takes a whole book to cover the elements of user experience. Don’t freak out just yet, though. In the most fundamental sense, it all starts with a good understanding of your mobile app’s target users. Conduct some research to figure out your customers’ demographic. Are you targeting youth or adults? Do they live in urban or rural area? What are their occupations? From those information, you can create some personas of your target customers. Each category may have different needs, and this process is truly essential to deliver a mobile app that can satisfy them.

Next, ensure that your mobile app has all the functionalities it needs. Not inadequate, not redundant, just right. Again, research can be useful to find which functions your customers need the most, what might be useful for them, and what may not. To establish good user experience, testing can also be done. It will help in discover how people are using the app, as well as areas to be improved.

Finally, you want your mobile app to be aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate around. People do judge a book by its cover. No matter how advanced the features you have, poor design will quickly turn customers off. Oppositely, appealing interface and app design will make customers more willing to browse around. Other factors that should be considered is the navigation of your app. Complexity causes confusion, thus it is important to keep things simple and highly comprehensible. All these aspects combined together, you are now one step closer to create a mobile app that shines.