When one knows that 90% of the time spent on a mobile is devoted to apps, you quickly understand the stakes for a company to own its own app.
Yet, the churn rate in the first month of use approaches 60%. And yes, a mobile user is unforgiving and if they are not completely satisfied with the product or its design, they uninstall it.
So if you don't want your app to be among those downloaded and just as quickly uninstalled, here are 10 tips to refine the design of your mobile app.
1. Make a good impression from the moment the app is installed
A user's first time using an app is often the most decisive moment: will the app be appreciated or uninstalled?
It is more than necessary to succeed at onboarding, and for this, your mobile app will need an intuitive design and must introduce users to the most interesting and engaging features.
To make a good impression, design your app with the understanding that future users will not know how to use it and will be unaware of the features available to them.
2. Keep the app's purpose in mind when designing it
Many apps are developed just to follow a trend rather than to solve a real problem. Your app must have a purpose and offer a unique service.
The goal you define will completely influence the development and design of your mobile app and will guide your decision-making.
If your goal is clear, users will understand the added value you provide. Otherwise, your app will be seen as useless and will therefore be uninstalled.
3. Think about navigation before design
When developing an app, be careful not to skip steps.
Designing the app is very exciting because this is when your product takes shape. But have you given enough thought to your users' navigation?
The structure of your app and the navigation flows must be carefully thought out by creating, for example, wireframes. A lack of organization and poor navigation will drive your users away.
4. Don't add too many features
Mobile app platforms already offer many resources to users, so you don't need to reproduce them. Your app shouldn't be a Swiss army knife.
Offering too many features is not a good thing because:
- You risk disorienting your user
- You will degrade the user experience
- Your application will be harder to market
It is recommended to create prototypes of your app to highlight essential features and those that seem excessive. You should also be able to explain your app quickly and concisely.
5. Consider the context in which the app will be used
Goals and design should be conceived with the context in which your app will be used in mind.
Think first about your future users. Younger people will likely find certain features intuitive, while others may find those same features hard to understand.
Then think about the situations in which your app will be used by asking yourself the following questions:
- Does it need to be accessible quickly for a very short time?
- Does it have a lot of content to encourage users to stay longer?
- How will the design reflect the context of use?
6. Keep it simple
Many try to stand out from other apps with an original design. But original doesn't mean complicated.
Even if you want to make your elements attractive, don't forget they must add value to the user experience.
Also avoid reworking the standard elements of a mobile app. Some icons are often visual landmarks and make the app intuitive.
Finally, leave white space because a cluttered interface is not very user-friendly.
7. Offer a dark mode
The official launches of Android 10 and iOS 13 highlighted “dark mode” in their respective user interfaces. Both Apple and Google have devoted resources and attention to dark mode for over a year. Mobile app designers must now adopt what has become a new standard for users.
Research shows that 87% of smartphone users use their phone each evening within an hour of going to bed, when night mode is active. In addition, users can set dark mode as their default interface style. 50% of iPhone users have already updated to iOS 13, so a growing number of users are browsing the App Store in dark mode.
How to design your application's dark mode?
There are a few elements to consider when optimizing for night mode. First, Apple's guidelines. The company indeed has specific guidelines and advice for developers who want to adapt their apps to dark mode.
Since the dark mode user interface offers a different contrast with visual elements, you should consider the following design approaches:
- Soften the color of white backgrounds to prevent them from appearing too bright and contrasting strongly with the surrounding black.
- A dark theme should not consist of white text on a black background. When you add dark mode to your application, it's safer to...use dark gray as the main color for dark-mode components, because it reduces eye strain. It is also much easier to see shadows on a gray surface than on a black surface.
- Saturated colors that look great on light surfaces can "vibrate" on a dark background, making text extremely difficult to read.
- Don't forget that the design blends into the App Store user interface
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8. Be consistent
If you do choose a redesigned look for your app, make sure to keep consistency among your different elements.
Your text should also be formatted the same way across the different “pages” of your mobile app.
9. Don't overuse notifications
The push notifications are very useful for communicating with your users. Yet many disable them because they find their sending frequency far too high.
Beyond the number of notifications sent, their quality is just as important. You should send useful notifications, such as reminders or tips.
10. Optimize your design to stand out in the app stores
It's important to know that 70% of app installs on the App Store come from searches. This means how an app appears in search results can have a significant impact on its success. How apps stand out by their design when users search is therefore crucial.
In general, app designers should follow best practices inApp Store optimizationWhen designing screenshots or icons, they should study the market and identify trends that boost conversions. There may be certain color palettes, design elements, messages, etc., that users respond well to.
Other best practices include:
- Highlight a different aspect of the app with each screenshot, starting with the essential features.
- Include a prominent call-to-action text for each image.
- Incorporate keywords first-rate items into the call-to-action text, so users can see how their searches led them to this app.
- Make sure use all ten screenshots authorized.
- Keep in mind that thethe first three screenshots are the most important for conversion from search results.
11. Don't forget your design budget
You have lots of ideas for your app, that's great. But before anything else, think about your budget.
Your developers and designers can quickly tell you if you have enough resources to build the app as you envision it. If not, you can find solutions and alternatives to fit your budget.
12. Run A/B tests
Think you're finished with your app? Don't publish it without running A/B tests.
A common mistake is testing the mobile app yourself or with your team. But it's essential to show it to fresh eyes; it won't waste your time, quite the opposite.
You'll quickly spot errors, missing elements, useless features, ones that aren't understood, etc. Ideally, test at every stage of development so you can make the necessary changes quickly.
Run A/B tests to see if conversion rates change with your design, or organize focus groups to observe how users react to your design choices.
If you plan to offer a dark mode for your mobile app, it's essential to test your designs in both light and dark modes. This may require adjusting graphic elements or colors to find the right balance, since what works well in one mode may not perform as well in the other.
Conclusion
In this article we discussed two crucial topics for successful mobile app design: on one hand the app's design itself, which can be a strong selling point if done well or a deterrent if the app proves unusable due to navigation that's too difficult or counterintuitive, for example.
Then the key issue: visibility in the app stores. If your app is successful, the design of your screenshots and how it's promoted in mobile app search engines must also be well crafted! It would be a shame to miss out on the many users searching for an app like yours to meet their needs.
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