How to create a mobile app that offers users value

There is an app for everything these days. You have a mobile app for waking you up in the morning to one that lets you play music from your favorite play store, read the news and watch the latest TV serials.

But what is it that makes an app truly great and keep users from removing it from their devices later on?

The competition for developers who create these apps is pretty fierce. Studies show that an application that doesn’t keep users interested in uninstalled within the first three days. Viral apps keep users hooked. And the developers and designers who create them know that if they fail, it's a long drop to the ground.

In this post, we are going to discuss what you should keep in mind to create an app that is successful.

People share things that evoke emotion, make them feel something or provide them experiences that benefit them. A mobile app that offers value is also likely to be recommended by a friend or acquaintance more.  Useful instructional videos get lots of shares on social media channels for example.

If you want your app to be shared a lot after launch, ask yourself some questions like:

• Does your app offer something your target audience will value?  Keep in mind, every app caters to a specific market. A ride hailing app targets users who need an easy way to commute like employees, for instance. These targeted individuals are also likely to share your app

• Does it have anything worth sharing? The best apps get more shares because they offer something that is worth it. Consider the Candy Crush mobile app which allows players to share their progress on social media. 

Unnecessary features that have no bearing on user experience annoy users. Its why mobile applications that keep bombarding users with advertisements during use are uninstalled faster. To ensure the success of your own product, avoid adding anything that might cause them to abandon your app, avoid these common mistakes:

• Avoid sending untimely push notifications: Timely notifications are good. You will probably appreciate a when an appointment scheduling app on your phone reminds you of your commitments of the day an hour before. Untimely notifications, like one that makes your phone beep when you are fast asleep in the middle of the night, are plain annoying. To avoid this scenario, be mindful of when you send push notifications to your users.

• Ignoring one hand use: During mobile app development, a rule of thumb is to account for one handed use. Yet, so many apps fail to abide by this simple rule. To prevent annoying users, place tappable UI features on areas that your users can easily reach with their thumbs.

There are around 1.5 million apps on the App Store, so the theory that “if you build it, they will come” probably won’t apply to your product. As a developer you might be well aware of the intricacies of their apps but might also be unable to perceive it as objectively as users do. So, just because you made a product with which users can order pizza, doesn’t mean that they will find it as useful.

Testing your app on real users can help you pinpoint these annoyances and use them as a basis to improve your product. App developers usually beta test their products before a final launch during each phase of the development cycle.

Everything from connectivity to navigation has a bearing on your app’s user experience. And anything that makes this experience inconvenient in any way is a red flag for users. Testing your product on real users can help you identify these problems and fix them later. For example, if users say that the app is too difficult to navigate, you can simplify or reduce the navigational elements. 

At the end of the day, how successful your product is depends on your users. To create a successful app, look out for anything that might prompt users to abandon or uninstall it. To keep things safe, test the app on real users.