A great design will always catch the attention of users, however, we also need to think about the type of experience we are giving them, if we want to keep them interested in a long term and get excellent reviews from our product.
According to the Nielsen Norman Group, User Experience “encompasses all aspects of the end-user’s interaction with the company, its services and its products”.
In order to provide a good User Experience (UX) you must identify the specific needs of the customers and go further, by making them feel truly satisfied in any discipline that is part of the company: marketing, customer service, engineering, design, etc.
What is a great User Experience?
We need to listen to the consumers; if we have the chance, we should talk and even collaborate with a focus group before the development process begins.
Martin Cheng, Product Manager, recommends to create a simple app for the customers, that allows them to easily understand how to complete a task.
Customers must see the value of using the app in their daily life.
And last but not least, it must provide an integration with other services like email, social media, or calendars, for instance. Give users the flexibility they need.
Focus on emotions and data
Creating an app based on users´ needs not only refers to functionality, it also refers to the emotions that apps generate through its design and usability.
Considering what users might feel and how the app helps them to improve their lives is important. For users, the first impression and reviews from other users matters a lot. Marketers recommend developers to appeal to human, not the buyer.
By getting focused on the user experience you will be more likely to reduce the abandon rates of apps. Remember that both functionality and satisfaction, are the most important reasons why users might get interested in downloading an app.
In the same sense, data allows app developers to get information about user´s behavior, which is helpful to make good decisions and get better outcomes. All this based on the interests of users, and, of course, without forgetting to keep this data safe.
How to create a good User Experience for my app?
Design helps to create a more attractive app for users and Google knows about it. Material Design is a Google’s initiative that “synthesizes classic principles of good design with the innovation and possibility of technology and science”.
Material Design is focused on 6 main aspects: Animation, Style, Layout, Components, Patterns and Usability.
Regarding this, the onboarding process refers to the moment when users provide their information to use an app, which is key to engage them.
Based on a study, Content Creator and Marketer, Elizabeth Ballou, indicates that we need to improve the User Experience in mobile apps´ onboarding process in 5 ways:
- Communicate your value proposition quickly and early.
- Reduce onboarding time to keep users engaged.
- Include fun, incentivized onboarding.
- Reward users for permission.
- Promise users their information is save.
Users consider time a valuable resource, so a fast and easy-to-navigate user interface is essential for them. The process of onboarding must be less than a minute to engage users.
Therefore, the elimination of required passwords in apps is one of the trends that are projected for 2018. Verification codes are expected to be more often used instead.
Conclusion
User Experience is about creating an app based on the interest of our end-consumers. If we want to build a successful Android app remember to keep it simple, get to know your audience, make a usability test and work on a great design!
