Application design and development mistakes that should be avoided at all costs

Harsh Arora -

With the app download figure projected to grow to 258.2 billion by 2022, it is important for your business to add an app to your marketing arsenal. While the idea of getting an app for your business is exhilarating at first, the excitement quickly fades away when your app is rejected by the app store or do not meet the expectations of the users.

So, it is very important for you to plan your app well, study the risks, and complement your efforts with additional strategies before launching your business app.

Here are some common app design and application development mistakes to avoid for increasing the chances of your app’s success.

 

Not following the ‘rule of thumb’

According to some recent findings, most of the people use only their thumbs to navigate through applications. If an application needs actions that require more than the thumb, it presents an inconvenience to the users. Here’s what the developers should pay attention to:

  • The developers should pay attention to the area of the screen that can be accessed by a normal sized thumb. Thumb mapping should be done at the development stage to identify the areas that can be accessed by a single thumb.
  • The most used elements of the app in the thumb zone should be prioritized by the developers because it is impossible to accommodate everything in this area.
  • Always place the CTAs (Call to Actions) in the thumb zone. The size of the buttons should be in the range of 7 to 10 mm.

 

Developing for too many platforms

One of the biggest mistakes that developers make is developing for all the platforms at once. While it may be tempting to have your app’s presence on every platform, it is risky and expensive to build an app for all the platforms simultaneously. Here’s what you should do instead:

  • Identify the platform that appeals to you the most. Every platform, whether it is Android, iOS, or Windows has its own pros and cons. So, conduct thorough research to find out a platform that suits your application the best.
  • Before making a choice, consider these factors:
  • Your target audience
  • Timeline
  • The desired features
  • Your budget for developing and maintaining your app
  • Revenue

 

Overly Complicated application

For an application to be user-friendly; it should be made fairly simple for the users to operate. If an average user finds an app too complicated, they will likely get frustrated and look for something simpler. Most developers in order to make their applications most unique and cutting-edge, end up making their apps difficult for the users to operate. What you should do:

  • Make the app interface easy to understand and let the main features take the center stage.
  • All the features should be well defined and should not be too complicated.
  • Beta testing should be done with the common people before releasing the app to detect the possible problems the users may face when using your app.

 

App having too many features

It may be tempting to add many features to your applications, but average users take no time in uninstalling the apps having too many features which are futile.

How to make sure this doesn’t happen:

  • Identify the main features that define your app.
  • Identify another set of features that make your app unique.
  • Only keep the above two features in your app, so that it will no longer be overburdened by too many useless features.

 

Poor Loading speed

If an app fails to capture the interest of the users in the first few seconds, its fate is more or less sealed from the very outset. According to a survey by Double Click, 53% of mobile users said that they would abandon a website if the page took more than 3 seconds to load. Poor loading speed and complicated in-app navigation are the two issues that lead to people getting frustrated with a mobile application and deleting it. Tips to address this issue:

  • Gather metrics. Figure out where your app is strong and where it’s lagging behind.
  • Take proactive steps to improve your app’s loading time and accelerate your app’s performance.
  • Work on optimizing your frontend as much as possible.

 

Making false claims about the functions of the apps

When installing an app, people check out its title, and more importantly, its description in the App Store/Play Store. But some unscrupulous developers, in their overenthusiastic bid for app store optimization (ASO), make the mistake of making false claims about their apps. This approach backfires when the users find out what the app actually delivers. They don’t just uninstall the apps but also leave bad reviews in the App store/Play store, giving a bad name to the application and developers. So never make false claims about your app to prevent it from failing.

 

Not releasing updates on time

An application should be considered as a work in progress. To run an error-free application, the developers should try to release updates as early and as often as possible. Here’s what the developers should do to ensure error-free applications:

  • App’s performance should be regularly tested.
  • Users’ behavior should be tracked and customer evaluations should be utilized to determine the areas still need work.
  • After obtaining the necessary information by the above two approaches, the developers should manage to defect trends and start planning for their next release.

 

Not testing your app before releasing

In the world of technology, the competition is quite fierce. As per a report by Compuware, only 16% of users give an application a try for a second or third time. Therefore, it is very important for businesses to have and maintain an excellent quality of any kind of an application. Obviously, you can fix your problems after the release of your application but the first impression is the last impression and with the competition so fierce, you cannot afford to make your first impression a bad one. That’s why testing your app before release is very important. Here’s what you should do:

  • Start the process of mobile testing with general analysis, determining the overall quality.
  • Test repeatedly for the new changes. As the security aspects are changing day-by-day, keep a track of the latest security trends in order to protect your application.
  • Perform penetration testing and emulators to detect the vulnerabilities in your mobile application so that they can be further reduced.

 

Wrap up

Many applications that failed in the past didn’t perform well because their developers were too short-sighted to plan for contingencies. So take your time, chalk out a solid plan for your application and be prepared to hit some unexpected obstacles along your way.

About the author

Harsh Arora is a Content Consultant at Enuke Software, a pioneering Blockchain, and Mobile App Development Company and Healthcare Development Company in the USA. Harsh is passionate about the start-up ecosystem, Cryptoworld, entrepreneurship, latest tech innovations, and all that makes this digital world. When He is not writing, He loves to play basketball, cook and go on drives. Prior to this, He was working for a technology marketing company based in Norwalk as a content contributor and crypto advisor.