Are you ready to learn how to make your app more user-friendly? If so, keep reading!
Think back to a time when you downloaded an app, mobile or otherwise, and felt annoyed or frustrated afterward. Odds are, it was difficult to use, clunky, and generally didn't do what you expected it to do.
You want to do everything you can to make sure your audience doesn't feel this way. Ideally, they should be able to use and navigate your application with little to no friction.
When you consider the sheer number of applications, it's not hard to see why nailing your vision and creating a memorable, positive experience should be one of your top priorities. You have to stand out above the rest and convince people that engaging with your platform is worth their time.
Today, I will show you five effective strategies you should keep in mind if you want to make your app more user-friendly. We've used the following tips for years and consistently meet customer expectations. I believe you can do the same.
Let's dive in!
Build for Your Audience
Understanding your audience -- and building your app for them -- is the first step in designing a user-friendly product. It's nearly impossible to make something meaningful for a group of people if you don't understand their goals, needs, and pain points.
For instance, if most people who use your app are ready to make a purchase, add a smooth checkout flow so they can quickly and easily buy what they need.
It's also important to make sure that you use a clean and simple design that resonates with their interests. So, your navigation bar should include the key pages of your app so visitors can quickly find what they need.
I suggest improving menu navigation and overall design by focusing on simplicity. Use plenty of blank space so the different parts of your program can breathe. Think of what you can do to reduce clicks and make life even easier for your audience, and there's a good chance they will continue using your app after their first visit.
It's also important to regularly ask users for feedback. If you want to build an app that will keep them coming back for more, you have to spend time learning everything you can about your audience so you can develop your app with them in mind.
Invest in Onboarding
Onboarding is an excellent way to make your app more user-friendly. This simply means introducing new users to your app and showing them how to get the most value for their time.
Research shows that proper onboarding can have a massive impact on engagement and conversions. Specifically, creating video content that walks users through your app has the most impact. A whopping 94% of marketers and developers who use videos in their onboarding say it improves their audience's understanding of their brand and software.
Another advantage of onboarding is you get the opportunity to learn about new visitors. You could ask them what they are interested in learning, then use that information to recommend specific products and features.
I've found onboarding to be a terrific strategy for reducing churn and helping users get more comfortable with our apps.
Let Users Choose Their Preferences
Letting users choose their preferences is a surefire way to create a well-rounded user experience. People are naturally more likely to engage with businesses that personalize content and offers around their needs. In fact, we found that 80% of shoppers prefer to interact with brands that take steps to personalize in-app experiences.
One way to do this is to create an in-app form where users can quickly select the topics and products that match what they want to see. Once you have this information, you can use it to segment them and start personalizing the way you communicate based on their preferences.
It's also important to give people choices. For example, we encourage our audience to select how they want to receive future offers, including email, push alerts, and no notifications at all.
When asked, 52% of mobile users are willing to sign up for push alerts, which just so happens to be one of the best ways to remind people to check out what's happening with your app.
By giving your users the ability to choose their preferences, you can create a more relevant and engaging app experience, which will ensure they continue engaging with your brand.
Test Your App on Different Devices
Testing your app on multiple devices and operating systems will ensure that everyone who clicks the download button has a positive experience. Consumers use tablets, smartphones, smart speakers, laptops, and desktop computers to engage with businesses, so it makes sense that your app should be available across these different platforms.
By running tests regularly, you can identify and address compatibility issues or inconsistencies that could damper a user's experience. Taking this approach ensures that people have a smooth and enjoyable time when they use your app, regardless of where and how they want to access it.
I believe all areas are worth testing, but pay extra attention to smartphones and other devices. There are 5.48 billion mobile users, and 91% of these people say they've used their phone or tablet to make a purchase. You'll also want to test button placement, touchscreen navigation, and device-specific features, like microphones.
If you're not prepared for multiple operating systems, whether it be Apple, Android, Windows, or something in between, you could find yourself missing out on valuable sales and engagement opportunities.
Offer Robust Support Options
A strong customer support team is vital for creating a memorable, user-friendly experience. People will have questions about your product or brand as a whole. If they can't quickly and easily reach someone to help, there's a good chance they will leave without taking action.
My suggestion is to include multiple ways for people to get help. We use a mix of live chat agents, chatbots, and our resource center as a way to guide users and ensure they get the most from their time with our company.
Our resource center is packed with step-by-step guides that are designed to help users with common problems. For instance, if someone wants to know how to create a campaign with our lead generation app, they can find and follow our simple tutorials.
Live support and chatbots are both excellent for helping users in real time, which can skyrocket engagement. Chatbots are ideal for common questions around pricing, features, and locating specific pages, while your live team is better suited for nuanced issues that require a bit more thinking.
We found that close to 40% of people are comfortable engaging with a chatbot if it solves their problem. In this sense, adding chatbots can provide a more user-friendly experience while giving your live team more time to help users with more complicated questions or problems.
Final Thoughts
By following the strategies I've outlined in this article, I believe you'll have a better chance of building a successful, user-friendly application. It's worth mentioning that optimizing is an ongoing process. You won't go from zero engagement to millions of downloads overnight. You must be willing to make small steps, track your progress, and do everything you can to deliver a top-notch user experience.
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