The popularity of smartphones leads to the rise of several apps in the market. Now, more and more startups and entrepreneurs are trying to develop the best solution for a particular service.
But keep in mind that many factors contribute to an app’s success.
That’s why, during the development stage, the design of your app requires special attention.
Designing your app can be confusing and complicated. But when done correctly, you will be able to unlock a room full of opportunities. Otherwise, it can hurt your business.
Understanding User Experience
User experience or UX deals with a user’s emotions and experience while using your product. In this case, it is your mobile app.
UX also encompasses your app’s intuitiveness and ease of use.
But how does UX affect your mobile app? Surprisingly, UX can make or break your mobile app’s success.
Think of it this way: When you are happy with your app, you often use it. But when it is cumbersome and frustrating, what happens is that you uninstall it.
This explains why you should pay importance to UX. Otherwise, it can ruin your mobile app.
If you do not want that to happen, here are nine UX mistakes that you should avoid:
1. Too many app features
Incorporating too many elements in your app can slow it down. Thus, the components can damage your app’s overall performance.
App features take space and consume phone memory. That said, it would be best to focus on your app’s primary function early on the design and mobile application development phase.
After all, your app’s primary function is the solution that the majority of your users need the most.
2. Unnecessary login page
Don’t waste your money and time trying to build a login screen if it doesn’t serve any purpose, such as maintaining your account details.
Of course, creating a login page creates a plethora of activities and opportunities for you to connect with your audience. But more often than not, it tends to annoy users as well.
Thus, if they’re being asked with a lot of details, they would skip it.
Also, most users won’t give away their personal information without evaluating the app first.
So, it helps that you give them enough time first to figure out whether your content is useful to them or not.
3. Not paying attention to user needs
Always keep on trying until you succeed. The goal of most mobile app developers is to create an app that helps solve people’s problems.
Why do you think booking apps, mobile wallets, and car-hailing apps came to be? It’s because they are solving many people’s issues.
This also explains why you should pay attention to your user’s needs. Otherwise, you’ll never know what app to build and how you can make it better than the existing ones.
Another thing you should pay attention to is user feedback. This feedback lets you know what’s on your users’ minds. And this could give you an insight into how you can improve your app.
4. Using acronyms and jargon
Use simple words, and be direct in the way you communicate with your audience. Doing so creates clarity instead of confusion on their part.
So, as much as you can, try to make the interaction with your audience comfortable using familiar words and phrases.
Try to avoid using terms that are brand-specific, acronyms, or ambiguous terms that most people would not understand.
5. Excessive push notifications
Push notifications can be a tricky subject. Too much of it, and you could cause many users to become annoyed, causing them to leave your app.
Too little, and you also run the risk of users forgetting all about your app.
It is also not just the frequency of your notifications that is hard to figure out. Your push notification’s content also plays a significant role in whether the user wants to use or discard your app altogether.
Sending daily check-ins or letting them know if they got a new message will earn you brownie points. However, sending random updates has no bearing, and you also risk being perceived as a pisher.
Which brings us to another interesting topic ‒ updates.
While you do not have to roll out updates every week, adding a new app is one way to prove that you are listening to your users. After all, you can’t just sit there and do nothing about what they have to say about your app.
And as an app developer, it is also your job to keep it safe and secure.
6. Poor choice of typography
Although you might not exclusively think that this directly belongs to the UX/UI category, it doesn’t.
An essential aspect of your UX is typography and can directly affect the user experience of your app.
It doesn’t matter whether you have an easy-to-use app. If your typography is challenging to read, it can still leave a negative impression on the user.
7. Lack of consistency
Another common UX mistake is using different color fonts and schemes in a single style.
There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. It’s easier to get used to a single style and then know the purpose of the other remaining elements placed in different places of your app.
8. Missing search bars
Lack of content in your site is an absolute no-no. The worst thing that can happen is having too much content in your mobile app, or too many files, with no way of searching for it in the database.
Without a built-in search in your system, it is easier for users to get lost and lose their direction on your site.
Final Thoughts
Listed above are the top UX mistakes you can avoid when working on your mobile app.
Committing these mistakes can ruin all the efforts you have put into designing the perfect mobile app. On the other hand, avoiding them could mean you are open to positive changes.
Plus, it is also easier to develop a great product that is particularly useful to your target audience.
