App development has become a massive market in the past decade. What once was limited to desktop machines has now moved to the internet and mobile devices.
That’s why there are more than 200 billion app downloads yearly. It makes sense that you want to get in on the action.
However, application design isn’t easy to get right, so you need every tip at your disposal to create something people want. Use the eight tips below to create an app people use daily.
1. Focus on One Problem
It’s tempting to create a giant application that tackles every problem you can think of. It makes sense when you think about it in a vacuum. After all, why would someone use a product that doesn’t offer tons of features?
The good news is that you don’t need a feature-rich application to get app users. Many people use apps to solve very specific problems. It makes more sense to perfect the one solution to that problem instead of being average at addressing other issues.
Keep your scope limited when you’re beginning the app design process. You want to start strong with your app and convince people that you offer the best solution.
2. Design for Users
You aren’t designing an app for your own enjoyment. Even if you believe something looks great and will work well, that doesn’t mean other people will agree with you.
It’s important to remember that you’re designing your app for your users. It’s those people who will use your app daily and deal with your design choices.
Keep what works best for your users in mind when coming up with a design and user interface. A poor design will cause you to lose users and eventually cause your app to fail.
3. Pick the Right Technology
Using the right technology is critical if you want to have an easier time developing your app. Take a mobile app, for instance. You can build your app using native programming languages or a cross-platform development framework.
If you plan to release on multiple platforms, a cross-platform framework will obviously save time. However, native development may offer better performance than other frameworks.
You also have to consider your ability to work on desktop machines. Do you want a separate web app, or will you use another technology to migrate your app to other devices?
4. Design for Several Screens
Even in the world of smartphones, there’s no uniform screen size. You’re dealing with small and large devices. You have a lot more to consider once you add tablets and desktop devices to the mix.
You can’t create a design that only works for specific screen sizes. Without smart logic to change the design to fix your visitors’ screens, you’ll end up with a jumbled mess that people can’t use.
You need to create responsive designs that adapt to the available display. That means adding, removing, and resizing elements based on a visitor’s screen.
5. Use Analytics
You won’t get everything about your app right the first time. You’ll learn more about what people want as they use your app and send feedback. However, you won’t always hear everything from your users.
You’ll need analytics data in this situation. You can track where people go in your app and the points they drop off.
This data will help you track down the problem areas in your app and fix them. You’ll get a better app as a result and can better serve your users.
6. Don’t Skip Testing
It’s tempting to launch immediately once you finish your app’s development. However appealing this is, try to avoid the temptation.
The chances are good that you’ll have some bugs in your program. Even experts can’t get away from introducing them. It takes time and testing to find and eliminate those bugs.
You can’t afford to have severe bugs occur right after launch. Get a group of people to test your product at this stage to track down as many large problems as possible.
7. Consider Offline Functionality
People don’t always have a reliable internet connection when on the road. This is especially true when you’re using a 4G connection. If you require a connection for your app, people can’t use it in those situations.
That’s what progressive applications are for. These apps download to the user’s device to work offline until the internet connection gets re-established. Once the internet connection recovers, all the changes made offline will update and sync with the application server.
This feature will give people who need to use your app in rural locations a lifeline to keep working.
8. Outsource When Necessary
Even if you can handle your app design yourself or have a development team, that doesn’t mean you can’t still look for help. Countless companies like Aerie Consulting can help you in your app development process.
You can use the advice from consulting companies to guide your process. They know what services will work best with your workflow and can help you set things up.
This help can free up your time to work on other tasks. As a result, you’ll complete your new project more quickly.
Use Every Tip At Your Disposal for Application Design
You can’t afford to release a subpar mobile app in a world where consumers have so many options. Unless you do the work to create an amazing application design, your app will get left behind in a crowded app store.
Make sure you take advantage of the app development tips above to create a better app. When you do, you’ll build something phone app users want and can start getting downloads when you release it.
Check out the blog to learn more tips that will help you launch a successful software product.
