Top 5 mistakes to avoid with mobile app development

By Amy Rivers

Creating an application that stands out from a sea of these existing apps can be a daunting task. However, some apps still manage to catch the user’s attention and adhere to their preferences.

Ever wondered why some mobile applications jump the popularity scales faster than others? And why these applications become the primary engagement sources for users? Although multiple factors attribute to their success or failure, one factor that is worth mentioning is user experience. A well-crafted user experience ensures that the users are at least able to figure out the system with minimal hitches.

We look at the five most common mistakes to avoid while engineering a mobile application.

1. Does not address user requirements:

It cannot get any worse than a user discovering that the app they just downloaded not only fails to serve their purpose but is also miles away from their expectations.

If finding new users for your app was tough, trying to turn around those soured by your app can get even tougher.

Statistics suggests that 48% users discard applications due to poor design issues. There are usually certain user expectations from an application, but trying to realize every possible user expectation can be a futile effort.

2. Lack of defined navigation:

When users download an app, they need to be able to find a smooth way to navigate around the features and functions, the lack of which can be quite detrimental for the app in the long term. The app development company should ensure that they are able to present logical and connected steps to the users for accessing content.

It is never a good idea to make users search for content on an app, as they already dislike that activity.

3. Unnecessary clutter:

While it might be quite tempting to implement new and “interesting” features into an app, it does not always add to the intended purpose. The features that seem interesting during development might just clutter the app quite unnecessarily.

It is best if the app developers stick to only the core feature set. The focus needs to be on features or functionalities that will fulfill the intended purpose of the application.

4. Absence of visual cues:

Visual cues are always great ways to indicate navigation, services or actions. If the app UI fails to cash in on the existing visuals, available in the form of graphics, texts, metaphors, the users might be overwhelmed while getting around the app.

5. Absence of familiar, intuitive and interactive graphics:

Interactivity is one vital factor in determining the success of an app, to an extent. Common observations suggest that users instantly identify with visual and interactive cues to navigate through the applications.

If the developers manage to implement intuitive elements into the app, it drastically reduces the learning curve for the end user.

Irrespective of whether the app created is for the native, hybrid or mobile web environments, the points mentioned above reduce the value of the application to quite an extent. While a web application development company can address the UI design issues related to browser or hybrid implementation, an app development company can tackle the design elements for the mobile devices.