Mobile apps are playing a vital role in our lives and making our lives so easy that we never dreamt of it even. We never thought we would carry emails in our pockets, or hold a world map in our hands, or make cashless payments in seconds; we could go on forever. As of now, more than millions of apps have been launched on different mobile app stores and not each of them is doing great. Some are basically bad, but then some, despite having good features, are unable to leave an impression on users. This could probably be happening for either of the two reasons: lack of digital marketing or lack of some of the essential elements that are overshadowing the good ones as well. In this write-up, we will talk about the characteristics of best apps that the best mobile app developers keep in mind to make their product stand out among millions of competitors.
Applications of Artificial Intelligence in User Experience
User Experience is undoubtedly the most important characteristic of a mobile app as it is in charge of sub-consciously stimulating the customer to indulge with the app. Artificial intelligence in some of the mobile apps from m-commerce, navigation, logistics etc. is already a good attempt at improving the user experience. User experience consists of many factors such as performance, smoothness of transitions, payment methods, ease of understanding and more. According to a survey, 52% users affirmed that they won’t likely engage with a company if it offered bad user experience. Another survey recorded that 73% of people make the purchase through an app if the user experience and visual communication speak for the brand.
Personalization
Most of the mobile app developers today, understand how people like to own their belongings, and in case of users, their apps. Not many apps allow you to personalize, but the ones that do are highly appreciated. The good thing about personalization options is that there are no specific types of apps to which you can apply these options. Personalization options like skin color, background color, theme etc. are especially popular among teenagers which are currently the biggest faction of mobile users.
Search, Sort, Filter
Search, sort and filter options were popularized by m-commerce mobile apps that heavily relied on these options. With the help of these tools, consumers can check out the desired range of products among million others and choose the most suitable one. The function of this feature is to help a user narrow down to see only their favorites with the help of filtering out items on the basis of parameters like price, brand, type and many more depending upon the type of product.
Apps that have lots of data is difficult to shuffle through, sort, filter and search options are a necessity. However, even among smaller apps, these options are becoming common if there is a list of items that the app offers.
Performance
Although number 3 on the list, performance is probably the most decisive characteristic feature for the fate of a mobile app. There are basically two parameters based on which performance of an app is measured: loading time and battery consumption.
According to numerous surveys, users reject apps that take more than 3 seconds to launch or make transitions to next screen. Ideally, an app should not take more than a second to load the layout and scripts, and become ready for use. Also, the amount of battery an app uses for its operations also plays a vital role in its acceptance across the masses. Especially, if an app heats up the phone, it is sure to fail.
Security
Security is important in any form of information, be it background data or data collected with users’ permissions. Especially in the case of messenger apps, end-to-end encryption is the factor that gets these apps the most number of downloads, as this type of encryption is currently the safest way to encrypt personal chats.
In other apps like personal assistants, shopping, food ordering etc., usage data is also collected from users which may or may not contain personal data. So, in case of these apps as well, security matters a lot, as it directly links to the reputation of the brand.
Feedback Mechanism
Feedback is as important as rendering the service itself. Through feedback, consumers can register their complaints, suggestions, opinion about an app and more. Also, it makes consumers more connected to the app. But then it is important to address and reply to the consumer queries, or the effect may turn out to be quite opposite of what is expected. According to American Express, 78% people didn’t make a transaction because of a poor customer service experience. On the other hand, loyal customers would make 10X more purchases compared to their first purchase on the mobile app, which was compelling enough to buy from the company.
Conclusion:
In this digital age, mobile apps have become a necessity for us to carry out routine operations. And mobile apps development companies have made these apps much more than what was once intended. Day by day, we are getting smarter apps, and hence, the requirement for the success of apps are changing, which is, in turn, changing their characteristics. So what we are trying to draw your attention to, is that evolving with the technology is the key to success for any digital product; apps included.