If you want your app to be client oriented and even ease the lives of your customers, you should put yourself in their shoes and concentrate on removing or minimizing the things that might be irritating or confusing. It has been shown that 80% of all apps never get opened twice, and most of these forgotten apps are deleted forever. How can you avoid this pitfall?
1) Forget about pushy requests to follow your company on social media. You shouldn't make your customers follow you to 'level up' or move on with the app. If your social media accounts are worth following, then they will definitely win an audience by posting engaging content, special offers or discounts. Pushy tactics are hardly sustainable and trustworthy - don't make users hate your app!
2) Avoid intrusive advertising. This is especially relevant for full-screen and video ads with heavy graphics that drive a phone crazy. Free apps that have great potential and are very useful can spoil the impression with unresponsive ads that dominate the entire positive experience. Yes, you can use some advertising, as long as this is your monetization model, but make sure you test how it works and that it does not resemble the seventh circle of Hell.
3) Consider the viewability of your content. Imagine how uncomfortable it is to zoom in and out while you're on the go trying to grasp content that is not readable on a small screen. Your readers should require the minimum control over the reading process - the experience should be natural and comfortable without effort.
4) Facebook intrusion is not user-friendly. Always exchange something valuable for access to a user's profile because many users are aware of the extent to which a company or a developer has access to their sensitive information.
5) Push notifications should not bring more chaos to the life of a user. If the flow of messages and push notifications about what other people or the company is doing is endless, your app is very likely to be hated and deleted forever. Moreover, it is essential to group notifications if possible and provide sufficient control over their delivery. The users should be able to find these messages easily and navigate as far as they need to.
6) If you ask your users to like your app too often, logically, they are going to feel disgusted pretty soon. The requests to rate your product should be relevant and come at the right time - for example, when a user has decided to uninstall it or you recently introduced a big update.
7) If you're going to use a client's information, make sure you have asked for permission, and give your client control over your access to their information. Having no choice or visibility is pretty irritating, according to a Gartner study, so developers should guarantee that the type of access to the information and the future uses of the information are completely understandable.
8) People hate freezing apps. According to a Business Insider Study, freezing (76%), crashing (71%) and poor responsiveness (59%) are the top reasons for deleting an app (44%) or writing a bad review (96%). Heavy battery usage (55%) and too many advertisements (53%) are two other important points that definitely don't please mobile app users.
The mobile app industry is growing like mushrooms after rain, and only the best of the best will get the chance to compete for the attention of demanding customers. Developers need to watch out for these problems and monitor feedback.
What is your experience with feedback from mobile app users? Or maybe you'd like to tell us about your experience of an app as a user? Let's share our insights in the comments below.