Do you know that in 2021, the City group lost $500 million just because of a bad User Interface(UI) design?
It all started when three employees unknowingly transferred about $900 million to one of their client’s creditors due to a poorly designed software interface. When the group sought repayment, the creditors refused to pay about $500 million. Later, when they brought the matter to the court, the judge ruled in favor of the creditors.
Therefore, a small flaw in the design of an app or software can lead to giant losses. While this loss may be manageable for a large entity like the Citi group, smaller businesses or startups may need help managing such a blunder.
Moreover, users need more patience when using a badly designed mobile application, as almost 88% of users are less likely to return to a mobile app after a bad experience.
Therefore, if your business operates a mobile app, it has to be well-optimized so it can provide a seamless user experience. But how will you do that?
In this article, you’ll find some great strategies to do that. So, let’s begin.
5 Best Strategies to Optimize Your Mobile App For Seamless User Experience
1. Focus on Simplicity
Remember that the simpler it is, the better people will find it to use. Just avoid using complex and unnecessary elements or features in the app. This allows users to easily browse through different screens and features without any stress or confusion.
When we talk about simplicity, don’t confuse it with keeping it basic. Even with minimalist design elements, your app can be packed with some great features.
Users interact with your app to accomplish a task, and they should be able to find the actionable buttons or features instantly without getting confused.
Try to maintain the information in a hierarchical form so that the internal processes and features remain in a structured and organized way.
2. Understand User Behaviour
You need to consider your app from the user’s perspective. This approach should be taken right from the beginning so that there aren’t many changes required later on.
It may sound tricky, but there are ways to do it.
Mobile apps generate crucial data related to user behavior that can be used to understand their interactions, the most used features, roadblocks, and much more.
Whenever users interact with your app, they leave behind a usage pattern. You can get those data from analytics tools and make necessary adjustments to the app. Some of the crucial data to look for are:
- Heatmaps: This shows you the areas where users tap, swipe, or scroll regularly.
- Session replays: This lets you replay a user’s entire session and see the actions performed.
- Funnel analysis: This identifies the exact part where the users leave in between the conversion process.
- Event analytics: This tracks all the user actions during the interaction.
3. Maintain consistency
Consider yourself a user of the app and think: Would you like to continue using an app that feels completely inconsistent?
No right?
It becomes difficult for users to understand the platform’s functionality and navigate smoothly.
So, maintaining consistency throughout the app by setting a particular theme or using elements that match the app’s branding makes the overall experience enjoyable. This should be maintained in the transitions, typography, icons, buttons, and overall color palette of the app.
It will help users understand the app faster and contribute to your business’s overall brand identity.
4. Performance Optimization
Users always want to get the information they need instantly on the app. If the app cannot respond quickly or crashes midway through the interaction, it causes frustration for them and that’s why they switch to another alternative.
So, the app’s performance has to be monitored regularly.
As you know, mobile devices have limited CPU, memory, and battery resources, and therefore, it’s important to manage these efficiently!
Use strategies like lazy loading, where the data or resources are reloaded only when necessary.
Also, when apps sync data, they should only update what has changed (delta sync) instead of reloading everything. This reduces waiting times and saves internet data.
Keep monitoring the server’s response times so that you can optimize the backend processes accordingly.
5. Allow Users to Customize
Nowadays, users prefer an app that matches their behavior, way of life, and perspective. So, when you allow them to customize the app’s interface according to their taste, you are giving them a sense of connection to the app.
The customization process includes switching between light and dark modes, playing with multiple themes within the app, and changing icon styles.
In short, when users have the opportunity to customize the interface through multiple options, they have a sense of ownership, which increases user engagement and satisfaction.
Summing Up!
You have reviewed some of the best ways to optimize the user experience of a mobile app. Users may find multiple alternatives to your app; the app stores are filled with many. However, your user experience will keep them hooked on your app.
Keep it simple and consistent for a better user journey. Track the app’s performance, understand user behavior, and iterate accordingly to create a unique experience.
Creating such an experience is no longer something you can do alone; it requires expertise and experience. So, to be on the safe side, it is highly recommended to partner with a company that provides mobile app design services and has experience working on similar projects before. They can provide you with the necessary resources and expertise to create the perfect app design.
So, start optimizing your app today, and don’t give users a reason to switch to your competitor.
