Why Your App Is Limited By Bad Design

With the Apple App Store having 2.2 million apps and the Google Play Store having 2.8 million apps, users these days have plenty to choose from, which means there are plenty to substitute your app for. First impressions matter. Your app’s user will judge whether this is an app they will use or just leave hidden on their homepage based on the UI of the app. Is it appealing to the eyes or are the words hard to read and the colors too vivid? Is everything easy to find? Are the descriptions and text you are using too complex? Here are three things that can be fixed and avoided which will strengthen your app.

Over Complicating Things

You have heard the acronym KISS applied to many things in life. If you haven’t, it stands for “keep it simple and straightforward” (though there are other variations out there). This applies here too. When designing an app you want the user to be able to flow through the app without thinking about it, otherwise they might give up and close your app. If there is jargon that does not make sense to a very large age range, then that language should be avoided. Additionally, if there are too many buttons front and center that clutter up the main pages of your app, it can easily overwhelm the user. Settings and other tabs that are not used as much should be less accessible than features that are always being used. As a general rule of thumb, anything that takes away from the main purpose of your app should be more out of sight.

Excess User Input

You want your app to be unique around each user's experience so they feel as if it is personal to them. It would be great if right off the bat the app was in dark mode because you asked the user what they prefer or you asked their birthday so there would be confetti when they opened the app on their big day. However, you do not want to bombard the user with a bunch of questions when they first open their app. They just downloaded the app, so yes, they want to use it, but they do not want an app asking a hundred questions before they have even tried it out. While this type of excessive user input seems obviously overwhelming, what about user input that has to be there, such as credit card information or date of birth? The best way to go about doing this is to give it in a bite-sized format and validate the fields as they go through. If they want to purchase something and there is this long form of information that needs to be filled out, they might get overwhelmed and exit out. Instead ask for a certain amount of information, and once that is completed then ask for more information. Furthermore, validating the fields as soon as they type something will ease the user experience. The worst is when you accidentally mess up your zip code and then have to scroll all the way to the top to fix it again. This burden can be mitigated by instant validation.

Inconsistencies

Similar to over complicating things, inconsistencies can really overwhelm the user and make them think unnecessarily. As the user moves through the app exploring the different pages, everything that can be the same from one page to another should be the same. The background, words that stay the same, and placement of tabs should not change because that can easily frustrate the user. Color changes as well should also be avoided or managed intentionally to maintain a simple design. Getting rid of the inconsistencies can do wonders for your app and just make it easier for everyone as a whole.

Takeaway

Once your app is downloaded off the app store, the next step is keeping the user engaged. Limiting bad design is one of the best and simplest ways to go about doing that. By keeping things simple, limiting user’s input requirements, and making sure your app is as consistent as possible, you can increase user engagement for the long-term. Don’t let your app be another statistic.

How Waker can Help

Waker is a top-ranked user experience design and software development agency. We specialize in creating an interface that you and your users will love. With Waker’s top team of designers and developers we can help create a design with your vision that will allow users to experience the app you want them to experience. Check out our case studies with TicketFire and SeatCycle.