Users cite bad UX as a key reason for uninstalling apps. DesignRush reached out to experts to discover the biggest app planning and design mistakes businesses make.
MIAMI - JULY 15, 2022
With 6.6 billion global smartphone users, as per Statista, businesses increasingly leverage mobile apps to connect with their audience. However, Fyresite estimates that 99.5% of apps fail. And according to MobileAppDaily, bad UX is one of the major reasons users uninstall them. There is no special formula for success, but there are specific design elements that can make or break apps.
DesignRush, a B2B marketplace connecting businesses with agencies, leveraged its 13,000-agencies-strong network for quick insights – or “QuickSights” – on the biggest app planning and design mistakes businesses make.
1) STARTING DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT PREVIOUSLY CONDUCTED CUSTOMER INTERVIEWS
In the opinion of Igor Repeta, project manager at Empat, most businesses fail to conduct customer interviews which is the key to delivering products that customers need.
“As we specialize in developing solutions for startups, the most common mistake is that clients start tech development without first conducting customer interviews,” said Repeta. ”According to a CBS Insights study, 35% of startups fail due to a lack of market need. As a result, a development company creates a mobile app that, as it turns out, the customers do not require. Early customer involvement can help deliver a successful product and reduce production costs.”
2) NOT VERIFYING THE USERS’ NEEDS
Ace Infoway COO Vipul Shah adds that enlisting a good product analyst will help collect valuable user feedback. Then, you can adjust your expectations accordingly.
“Falling in love with your idea is easier than taking a step back and verifying whether users really need what you're building,” said Shah. “I call this phenomenon 'Visionary Premises'. 25% of apps downloaded by worldwide users were only accessed once after download. Every entrepreneur believes they’re Steve Jobs. But, when starting app development, make sure to enlist a good product analyst who will run small user studies and comply with how people interact with the prototype. Listen to their feedback and adjust your expectations accordingly.”
3) DESIGNING APPS FOR A WRONG PURPOSE
According to Andrey Kozhuhov, CEO of CimpleO, some businesses invest in app building for the sake of following trends rather than solving a problem.
“Avoid designing an app without purpose and ignoring budget restrictions,” said Kozhuhov. “Apps are often designed in order to follow trends, rather than to solve a problem, a pretty usual case when the client already spent 90% of the budget on a fancy design without any functional MVP or proper CustDev. Result — fail.”
4) NOT SETTING A NAVIGATION FRAMEWORK
White Cloak Technologie CEO Donn Gamboa believes that not setting a navigation framework is a big mistake since it is the key to proceeding in the right direction.
“By far the most common mistake is not setting a navigation framework,” said Gamboa. “Many successful startups follow the lean startup methodology, where a hypothesis is being tested every iteration. In this way, we ensure that every iteration equates to validated learnings, which turn the company in the right direction.”
5) HAVING AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF UNNECESSARY APP NOTIFICATIONS
Wild Web Art CEO Serge Lavrinchuck states that an excessive amount of unnecessary app notifications can lead to more app uninstalls.
“An excessive amount of app notifications coerces customers to uninstall the app,” said Lavrinchuck. “According to Clever Tap, 12.6% of users uninstall apps due to unnecessary notifications. However, notifications play a great role in user retention, so you can take consent from users about the type of notifications they would like to receive and send them to optimize [the] user experience.”
6) ADDING IN TOO MUCH EARLY ON
As stated by Jacob Bennett, technical lead at Fortnight Studio, focusing on the core concept of the app will help businesses make informed decisions and deliver an app that users need.
“[The biggest mistake we see is] adding in too much early on,” said Bennett. “Tons of features and a fancy UI are nice to have, but when starting out it’s important to focus on the core concept of the app. Why? You can go live sooner, see what users love, stop spending time on what they don’t [like] and make informed decisions on what should come next.”
DesignRush issued the July list of the best app development companies that build apps that our users love engaging with.
1. inspeero - inspeero.com
Expertise: App Design, UX Design, Web Design and more
2. Rule27 Design - rule27design.com
Expertise: App Development, Graphic Design, Web Design and more
3. Diffco - diffco.us
Expertise: App Development, Web App Development, AI Development and more
4. Empat - empat.tech
Expertise: App Development, Web Development, QA & Testing and more
5. Techinnov - techinnov.ca
Expertise: IT Services, E-Learning Solutions, Online Training Solutions and more
6. White Cloak Technologies - whitecloak.com
Expertise: App Development, Web App Development, Backend/API Development and more
7. Terasol Technologies - terasoltechnologies.com
Expertise: App Development, Web App Development, Product Design and more
8. Seems Neat - seemsneat.com
Expertise: Software Development, App Development, Digital Transformation and more
9. Wild Web Art - wildwebart.com
Expertise: Web Development, App Development, UI/UX Design and more
10. Bytrix - bytrix.com
Expertise: App Development, Web Design, UI/UX Consulting and more
11. Tragic Media - tragic.media
Expertise: UX/UI Design, App Development, Web App Development and more
12. CodeLabs - codelabs.inc
Expertise: Software Development, App Development, Product Design and more
13. Ace Infoway - aceinfoway.com
Expertise: Product Engineering, Web App Development, App Development and more
14. CimpleO - cimpleo.com
Expertise: App Development, eCommerce Development, CMS Development and more
15. Fireart Studio - fireart.studio
Expertise: Software Development, Product Design, Branding and more
16. Fortnight Studio - fortnight.studio
Expertise: UI/UX Design, Visual Identity, Brand & Design Strategy and more
17. Corporate Fingerprint - corpfingerprint.co.za
Expertise: App Development, Web Development, eCommerce Development and more
18. WDI - wdipl.com
Expertise: App Development, Web Development, Product Consultancy and more
19. Allinclusive. - allinclusive.agency
Expertise: Web Development, eCommerce Solutions, Branding and more
20. Ragnarok - ragnaroknyc.com
Expertise: Web Design & Development, Web App Development, eCommerce Development and more
21. Brocoders - brocoders.com
Expertise: App Development, Product Development, Digital Transformation and more
22. SITE IT NOW - siteitnow.com
Expertise: Web Design, Web Development, eCommerce Solutions and more
23. Applligent Technologies - applligent.com
Expertise: App Development, Web Development, UI/UX Design and more
Brands can explore the top app development companies by location, size, average hourly rate and portfolio on DesignRush.
About DesignRush:
DesignRush.com is a B2B marketplace connecting businesses with agencies through expert reviews and agency ranking lists, awards, knowledge resources and personalized agency recommendations for vetted projects.
