Muniza AshrafApart from mobile apps, the majority of the software solutions take a mobile-first approach, simply because of the heavy usage of smartphones giving their products/services a greater reach. More so, it is the mobile apps that take precedence over all other platforms and have become daily drivers for the majority of the people who invest 90% of their time on smartphones using apps.
This excessive user-demand for a mobile app version of the majority of web apps out there has led to a spike of apps within app stores – that are now brimming with mobile applications competing to attract users.
The saturation of mobile apps, in turn, has elevated the competition within businesses to produce an app that not only stands out but continues to retain its users as well. Why? Because an average mobile app loses nearly 77% of its Daily Active Users in just three days after installation.
So it is of utmost importance that you get your app development right the first time. What makes an app successful? In order to understand this, you need to understand what makes a mobile app fail first, to avoid going that path. Now the ‘reasons’ for an app to fail are not written in stone and can be situational or circumstantial even. Nonetheless, at the root, there are certain key points that contribute to an app’s failure within the market.
1. Inadequate Target Audience Research
The fastest way for your mobile app to fail is not knowing your target audience; which includes the people you are creating this app solution for, including their demographics, pain points, solutions they are searching for, their online behaviors, interests, lifestyle and more.
This is one of the most critical parts of mobile app development as the decisions regarding app features, user-experience, design decisions, and much more depends on your target audience. They should be able to connect with your app and its features with ease.
For example, if you are developing a doctor appointment app that includes both patients and doctors as users, then you need to think in multiple ways to ensure both can find the app useful in solving their problems.
Hence, make sure you have done your target research and have a clear idea about them and their problems that your app will be solving.
2. App Fails to Solve Realistic Problems
In a digital space where there are several apps available at everyone’s disposal, there is a dire need for innovative and unique solutions instead of another watered-down version of an existing popular app.
If your idea or concept is already existing then you should be asking yourself these questions:
- How differently are we solving this problem compared to our competitors?
- Are we providing a quality experience that is different, better, and user-friendly?
- Have we done a thorough market survey and analysis to understand users’ pain points?
You need to have your marketers on board to conduct a proper analysis in order to devise an effective mobile app model.
3. Unsure About Mobile App Platform
This shouldn’t be a problem after conducting target audience research. Since you get insight into which platform is more preferred or used by your target users; Android, iOS, or both?
It would be a mistake to simply choose what you find best or cheaper in terms of mobile app development costs. As these requirements are purely dictated by the audience in question. Moreover, cross-platform mobile app development has become the norm that allows the building of one app for both platforms (Android and iOS); with Flutter VS React Native being the top technologies facilitating the development of a single app for multiple platforms.
All in all, it will be best to have a good ratio of the audience present on both the platforms.
4. Usability Issues
One of the biggest winning factors that place any app at the top of the chain is its great usability features. The easier it is to use an app, the better chances it has for being used again instead of being left to rot on the home screen of the mobile.
For example, you create an app for parents to control their minor children’s app usage but only allow them to connect with one device at a time. This defeats the purpose of controlling your children’s screen time and limits their experience within the app.
Usability: Zero – Disattisfcation: 100
Moreover, if your app doesn’t let users give their feedback or any other way to communicate, they are more likely to abandon your app. This brings us to the next point of the app’s failure.
5. Fails to Address User Feedback or Issues
Your users should feel important and valued; as they are the ones that make use of your app, they can best identify the roadblocks or improvements that your app requires. User feedback, in turn, improves user-experience from a real user’s standpoint.
If you ignore their inputs or are slow to fix their issues, your customers will eventually leave. This also correlates with customer retaining solutions.
6. Ignored App Performace Optimization
In order to keep your app’s boat afloat amongst many that are pre-existing and several others arriving every other minute on the app store; it is important that you optimize your app for maximum performance that includes:
- Faster loading of content
- Enhanced user experience
- Boost to brand image
- Faster rendering
7. Complicated for Users
An app that has the familiarity concept nailed to perfection is bound to win. In my opinion, any app or software solution that is easy to navigate and learn in the first few minutes by every kind of user is a winner.
No one has the time, patience, or attention span to sit and learn how to use a complicated app with unfamiliar icons and more. Remember, you are creating an app to beat your competition as well as provide a smooth user experience. And having an app that compliments your target audience’s intelligence is bound to succeed.
Why do you think Apple has such a diverse customer base and an extensive one at that for its iPhones? Because of its simple user-interface that made it easy to use and understand by all. This is why there has been a never-ending debate amongst Android and iPhone users on usability criteria.
8. Cluttered With Features or Lack Thereof
Strike a balance! Depending on your revenue model (Freemium, Paid, or free app), make sure you are providing enough core features for your app to be usable. Having too many features will confuse and frustrate the audience while having few of them will also make them choose better options within the market.
So, What Next?
Now that you know some of the key points that lead to a mobile app’s failure, you should be able to make better decisions. Nonetheless, starting your own mobile app with the aim to provide your business’s services to the masses whilst ensuring your app doesn’t fail is daunting. Not only it requires considerable planning, research, and testing, the services that come post-launch are also required and needed.
It is best to hire a software development company that would handle everything for you. From ideation, design, wireframing, prototyping, developing, launch, and after-services (digital exposure of your brand, traffic, conversion, and technical support). All wrapped in one!
Get Started!
So what are you waiting for? Initiate your mobile app concept with the best team of IT professionals and consultants and bring your mobile app idea to life.
admin
Add comment