How To Start Designing Apps Which Attract A Wider Audience
Developing a mobile app demands an eye for details. Everything matters. From the search function of your app to its loading time. Users will review your app based on its functionality, looks, UX and many other such factors which you might have overlooked by deeming them trivial. But believe us when we say this that there are no trivial steps or details when it comes to mobile app development. An idea without a good execution is worth nothing. In the end, it doesn’t matter how amazing your app was in your mind or on the white-board if it didn’t turn out that way. Chances are it will be buried deep on app stores, with barely any downloads to show. My objective here is not to scare you, don’t get me wrong. But at the same time, I think it is imperative that you understand that what mobile app developers do, isn’t all that easy. And you need to step your game up if you want to get in the market and survive.
But again, even after all the preparations in the world, there is no guarantee that your app will be a smash. That you will rule the charts and see those revenues that you always wished for. But planning does make this dream a little more plausible. So, today, we have brought you some essential tips that will help you in increasing the quality of the User Experience that your app provides. As we have said it before too, everything matters when it comes to mobile app development, and, perhaps, a seamless UX is one of the things that matters the most. The reason is that if an app is too complicated or too frustrating to use, users will get annoyed and go looking for an app with a better UX. Developing a user enticing UX is all about simplicity. Nobody wants to jump through a lot of hoops to just book a cab or order food. So your key goal while designing your UX should be simplicity. But saying "keep it simple silly" is barely enough. So let’s have a deeper look on the issue.
“It Is All About The Experience!”
Here’s the deal, how a user is interacting with your app and if the schema that you are following is the optimal one for it makes or breaks your app. The most useful of apps in the world will not last long on the map if they are tedious to use. The reason being that somebody somewhere will realize that; dude, it doesn’t need to be that difficult. And that person will go ahead and create an app with a simpler UX. And that’s it; game over for you.
So in the end, everything you do, every new feature you add, every button, every menu, it should be done after asking yourself—how this will affect my User Experience. A good way to see if something works for the UX of your app or not is putting yourself in your user’s shoes. Ask yourself if this is the easiest and most straightforward way to go about it or not. This way, you will be able to stay on the track. Getting too on-board with all the ridiculous possibilities is very easy. And while it is enthralling, turning your app into everything that it can be, you need to take a breather and see if this feature actually needs to be there or not. Don’t over beef-up your app because that will, in the end, affect its usability. But more on that later.
“What They See Is What They Buy!”
Another thing which will enhance the User Experience of your app is using more visual content than textual. The problem with apps is that they don’t really have the scope to show lengthy textual strings and still hold a user’s attention. And if you go too crazy with colors, textures and weird shapes, you just end up making the UX messy.
So what you need are clear, eye-soothing visual elements with a color scheme selected after due consideration. The colors of your app cannot be too bright and hurt users’ eyes and at the same time, they cannot be so dull that they make using your app a sullen event (no pun intended). Good visual content with a heart-warming color scheme will hook your users in firmly and prevent them from looking for other options.
“Break The Chains, But Within Constraints!”
Designing UX and UI is all about bravely charging into the unknown, it is all about experimenting and innovating. But still, you need to follow certain guidelines so that you don’t botch-up the entire UX/UI of your app, in want of originality. Use grids, and make sure there is proper spacing between various elements on a page. Furthermore, make sure that you focus on the central features of the app. While we all like the idea of a big, bulky app with countless features, you shouldn’t deviate from the main objective of the app.
“They Come In All Sizes!”
The market is overflowing with handheld devices right now. And while that might be a dream-come-true for smartphone enthusiasts, it is a total nightmare for mobile app designers and developers. The reason is that every device has a different screen dimension, and one app needs to accommodate all of them. So you need to keep in mind that they come in all sizes, and it is your duty to make sure that your app gives a flawless UX on all of them.
“You Need To Shape Up My Friend!”
One thing which will really turn your users off is the loading time of your app. As the complexity of your app increases, so does its response and loading time. And while some heavy gadgets might be able to handle that, mid-range devices are just not up to the task. So you need to make sure that your app isn’t impossibly big and doesn’t take too long to load. Because if it does, that will dramatically increase your bounce rates. So to quote my nasty gym trainer: "You need to shape up my friend!".
And Lastly
I would just say that it is okay if you are having fun with your UX/UI design. It is a veritable form of art. So I understand that you, sometimes, want to do things with your designs that you can’t explain but yet, they make perfect sense to you. And while that is completely reasonable, you need to understand that your app needs to be fun for your users to use as well. Excess of anything is dangerous. And excess fun is always bad for our health, we are constantly reminded of that. So be creative, be brave but most of all, be simple and straightforward.
