Why is it that a few mobile apps like Whatsapp, Snapchat, etc have done so extremely well while others remain unused? They did a few simple things correctly. They constantly improved their app in the right direction. Here are 3 practical ways even you can use to improve your mobile app
1. Create an addictive experience
One of the biggest problems app creators face is that people download their app and stop using it after a couple of months. The problem is that it is too inconvenient to use it. They get bored and it is not cool anymore. Why did Instagram succeed where so many other photo sharing apps failed. Instagram made it frictionless to take a pic, apply a filter & share it. The whole task became so easy that people would indulge in it all day without feeling bored.
For this, it is important to understand what the user likes to do, wants to do. Your app must enable him/her to do it in the easiest possible manner. For this the next couple of tips should help.
2. Apply A/B testing
While trying to understand user preferences, you may have a few ideas of what they like. But you may not be sure of what they like the most. A/B testing is a great way of finding it out. A/B testing allows you to try out some of your hypotheses in an easy and time-effective way without having to change your app or re-release new versions to the app store.
- You can try out different page layouts to drive engagement
- Have different variations of the same element like button color to see which one is clicked more
- and do a lot more. Your imagination is the limit
3. Analyze the right metrics
If you don’t know where you are going, chances are, you aren’t going anywhere. Just like your automobile dashboard tells you how fast you are going, if you are running low on fuel, etc you need to track your key metrics on a visual dashboard regularly. It helps you spot opportunities & dangers immediately and prompts you to take action. With so much data available, you may think that having lots of it at your disposal is a great thing. Not really. Data is only as useful as the insights it provides. The biggest mistake you can do is to collect too much data instead of analyzing the existing data for right answers. Even a little bit of data analyzed well is more useful than tons big data which don’t make any sense.
Analytics helps answer your questions and guides you to take the next steps, improve your mobile app and get more users. It helps you define metrics & measure things for your questions. To get started, here are the most important questions you must get answers to improve your mobile app :
- What is the target audience for my app
- Which group of users use my app regularly?
- How frequently do my power users use my app?
- Which features are working? Which ones aren’t?
- Who are my paying customers?
You should add more questions to this list as you grow. You must also review the existing metrics periodically to avoid complacency. Make sure the metrics you are tracking are in line with your business goals.
If you find it difficult to determine these metrics, you can reach out to external teams. There are plenty out there to help you figure out the right metrics for your app. Always ask yourself – what am I trying to make my user do with my app? Is he/she able to do it easily? This will help you improve your mobile app.
So what are you waiting for? Get cracking!
