Even though there are several millions of apps available on the internet, only very few of them are financially successful. In fact, the successful ones are less than 10 percent of the available android apps. It is rather unfortunate that app developers make little mistakes in android app development. These little mistakes take their toll on the success of their apps. This article focuses on android app development mistakes to avoid.
Not confirming a need gap before developing an android app
For you to develop an app, you must find a need. Apart from game apps that offer pleasure and entertainment, every other app fulfills a need. So, you need to find a need before you build an app to fulfill the need. However, people make the mistake of not confirming a need before they start developing their app.
What you think is a need might not really be a need for a lot of people. So, if you consider something as a need and you begin to build an app to meet the need, you are only building on ordinary assumption. You are actually gambling; you are doing guesswork. It is better to confirm the need by carrying out a survey to be sure that people will buy into it. Don’t make such mistake. People who develop an app without carrying out a survey have already started building on a shaky foundation.
Not carrying potential users along in the design
The fact that you like a particular design does not mean most people will like it. Also, your app will always seem very easy to understand to you. It does not mean it is easy for others to understand it too. So, you need to conduct a survey on what potential users of your app will like and what they will find easy to understand.
Offering too many functions
Some android apps offer too many functions that are not related to their purpose. You may think this will impress users but it actually does the exact opposite. It turns users off because too many functions make it difficult for users to find their way. Truly, it is very annoying when you have to try hard to find a way to navigate an app.
So, you need to keep it simple by removing all the functions that are not related to the purpose of your app. Fewer functions allow for simplicity and ease of use.
Not subjecting a new app to thorough testing before launching it
A lot of app developers are usually in a hurry to launch their android app so they don’t test the apps properly before they launch them. Users will eventually see the bugs or faults that would have been detected by testers. When users point out the bugs in your app, it is likely that they will post negative reviews on app review sites. These reviews will discourage thousands or millions of potential users.
The biggest challenge with negative reviews is that not all those who saw the review will get to know when the issues are fixed. So, not all the potential users that a negative review chased away will check back. This is why you must test every page, function, button, and link in your app before launching it.
Wrong timing of information
A lot of online stores usually try to upsell and cross-sell to customers but some of them do it at the wrong time. It is better to cross-sell and upsell after a customer has already checked out on an order. After a customer has selected all the items he needs, he clicks on the “check out” button. At that point, all he wants to see is payment related information.
Some companies actually chose this time to cross-sell. When someone clicks to check out, they first push some other products to him. This can be so annoying and it can lead to cart abandonment. Never make such mistake. You need to allow the customer to complete his checkout process before drawing his attention to other products.
Having too many ads and pop ups
Ads and pop ups can take a considerable amount of screen space so they can be annoying and distracting. A lot of app users don’t like it. Although users can personally disable ads, most app users are not tech savvy enough to do that. So, ads should be disabled by default. Any user that wants it can then enable it personally.
Inadequate promotion
Do you agree that not all mobile device users are aware of even the oldest apps? So, each time you promote, market, or publicize your android app, some people get to see it for the first time. That being said, why would anyone now stop promoting an android app that is still trending? Once you stop advertising your app, it will begin to slide into obscurity.
You must continue to promote your android app until you finally decide to retire it. Do you know that Facebook team still keeps promoting the social media despite its popularity? This underscores the importance of continuous promotion.
Not seeking feedback
Even if your app is the bomb, there is always room for improvement. However, some app developers forget about an app because it is up and running. When you just leave your app without seeking feedback from its users, you make it easy for another player to come up within your niche, ask for feedback on improvement ideas and build his app as an improvement on yours. Before you know it, you will begin to lose users to his app.
But when you keep seeking feedback and working on it, you will leave no chance for any up-comer to drive you out of business. There is no improvement idea that he will get that you have not already worked on.
Wrong management of negative review
Nobody likes negative reviews but it is part of business. Some app developers don’t scout for negative reviews of their app on the internet, some see it and ignore it, and some respond to it by insulting the poster. All these are bad ways to manage negative reviews and will discourage customers about your brand.
It is your duty to continuously scout for negative reviews about your app so that you can quickly respond to it. This is because your silence will be taken for guilt or negligence. Always remember that thousands of people will see the review and they will also see your response. Instead, you can address the review and use it as an opportunity to promote your app.
