Why your mobile apps live and die by user experience

Why mobile app UX and UI matter

For mobile apps to have a chance to become a habit and resource for users, they must consider the look, feel, navigation and functionality. An app that’s a good idea isn’t enough to retain people long-term. Mobile app development is much more than a core function — it’s an experience.

Mobile apps have become part of everyday life, from banking to entertainment to shopping. It’s a highly competitive environment, which puts more pressure on the experience. When it’s negative, people are less likely to return. Research suggests that 88% of internet users abandon a site or app after poor UX.

While UX may seem like an industry term, it’s on the minds of consumers. They actually consider it when making new purchases and rated it as the top criterion for buying decisions online, according to a consumer expectation survey.

Shopping isn’t the only type of app that can “die” by UX. Three-quarters of app users also want self-serve customer care options and mobile accessibility. With so much digital activity occurring within mobile apps, not investing in UX and UI has a cost.

The cost of bad UX and UI

Consumers have become more technically savvy and can recognise poor design. For example, 48% of people say a poorly designed website negatively affects a business’s credibility. The stat references web design in general, but the same principle applies to mobile apps, where user perception of quality is equally critical for retention and success.

The cost of poor UX and UI comes from lost opportunities. They may immediately delete the app, which negates download metrics. If they keep the app, they have little interaction, so they don’t register or abandon purchases. It also prevents you from monetising the user. Overall, UX pitfalls lead to fewer conversions.

Conversely, investing in mobile app UX and UI can yield the opposite. You’re able to retain users, increase their time on the app and potentially gain revenue from them. They may even become advocates by recommending the app to friends or leaving positive reviews.

Prioritising UX and UI is good for business and helps you design from the position of the user versus the developer. How you see the app arises from knowing everything about it. Users don’t have this perspective. They need an app that meets some needs, and your job is to make sure the technology is as friction-free as possible.

What makes mobile app UX and UI a life force vs a dead zone

So, what do mobile app users want in terms of UX and UI? It depends on the type of app and the reason for using it. However, there are themes that run across all categories.

Simple, intuitive navigation

Everyone appreciates simplicity in navigation. It's a fundamental part of UX that either welcomes or confuses new users. Navigation and usability are intertwined, but it’s also an area where developers have challenges. A UX ROI study found that when people used the navigation that most aligned with their mental model, 80% of them praised it. Alternatively, only 9% of users said the UX was successful with navigation developed based on internal thinking.

How do you get to the perfect navigation? Customer journey mapping will be essential, based on research and testing. You should also conduct continuous optimisation of navigation from user insights, surveys and tracking of their activities.

Clean, minimalist UI

When UI is overly busy, it can be confusing and frustrating. Since everything is occurring on smaller screens, white space is always a good design move. Minimalism is the goal so that users have a clear customer journey and understand how to use all the available features.

Optimising the “natural reach” areas of the app

Smaller screens mean that you have little real estate to engage users and move them through an app. The “natural reach” area is typically three-quarters of the screen and centred. The most important information should reside here.

Another consideration of an optimised screen is that mobile UX design must work for real fingers. Buttons need to be prominent, and adding colour helps, too. Apple recommends 44×44 pixels for iOS, and Google advises 48×48 pixels for Android.

Text and typeface are vital, as well. Make sure content is legible without zooming, and incorporate plenty of white space, line height and padding.

Loading time and UX

Slow loading of mobile apps can impact the experience and cause users to leave. You should test this regularly to ensure it occurs in a few seconds. If it’s not, you can improve it by optimising images, simplifying layouts and reducing redirects.

UX and personalisation

Personalisation in digital interactions has become the expected norm. You can achieve this by personalising based on where the user is, their profile information or previous activity. You can drive people back to your app to have this personalised experience with targeted push notifications.

Creating this has a substantial payoff, as 58% of smartphone users have greater favourability for brands that do these things.

Mobile app UX and UI brings life to technology

The conversation on mobile UX and UI won’t go quiet. It really is instrumental in long-term viability and success. We can be your mobile app development partner, improving and modernising your apps. Contact our experts today to learn more.