So, you’ve got an amazing idea for an app that you think could make it big in the Google Play Store and App store? That is certainly a great start. But, what you must keep in mind is that making an app isn’t such an easy process, and you need to develop it properly. When you think about it, there are many aspects of an app that are very important to cover. Things such as design, features, bugs, updates, and also marketing itself. So, it is crucial that you avoid the pitfall that a lot of developers seem to forget about, and it’s the fact that every step must be meticulously taken care of, or you might end up making a mistake that will drive your app to the ground.
In terms of design, here are 7 mistakes that you have to avoid at all cost, or that big idea of yours isn’t going to be worth a penny.
Overcrowding your screen
Back in the day, when phones were a lot smaller, it was a problem for designers how to put out all the necessary items on the screen. Today, we have quite large mobile devices, so the screen can take up significantly more items. You can put more effort into design, increase the size of the fonts, throw in more buttons…
Let me stop you right there. The ability to put much more on the screen tends to be a trap for designers. You need to choose carefully what is really necessary to appear and when. Think about the fact that every item needs to be processed. Your navigation has to be intuitive and you have to properly attract attention where it’s necessary. An overcrowded screen equals a messy app, which no one really wants to bother with.
Copying your competition
Sure, there are certain design trends that people tend to follow when developing their apps because they work well with users at a given time. However, you mustn’t just look at what your competition is doing and copy the idea without making sure that it suits your brand and product. Every product out there is one-of-a-kind when it comes to what kind of goals you want to achieve with it, the functionalities it has, the audience that is interested in it, and so on. Therefore, remember – if something works for someone else, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to work for you.
Inconsistent design
Your app needs to be coherent and send a unified signal to the user. There are certain expectations that users already have or build while using your app, such as when a certain button triggers a particular action. If later during their experience, a similar button does something completely different, they will be confused, and your UX will automatically be seen as inconsistent and bad.
Your layout needs that consistency too. Make patterns by using the same colors and items. That way you’ll easily lead a user through your app. Sometimes you can make an exception, such as when you make your login page, but in the end, everything needs to make a meaningful package.
Weak information hierarchy
When designing an app, one of the most important things that you need to think about is what you want it to do or show. Everything that is designed has the idea of interacting with others in a certain way. If you don’t know what your priorities are, then your information hierarchy is going to be a mess, and people won’t really be able to discern what the whole point of your app is. Determine what you want people to do with your app, both in ideal and not-so-ideal circumstances. If you are a business with an intention to create an app that will help you in some way, it would be smart to hire an app developer so that they help you get the job done properly.
Asking for personal information right away
When you visit a website and are instantly asked to give out personal information without knowing what you are really in for, chances are very high that you won’t do it. If you ask any expert, such as web design professionals from Sydney, they will tell you that the only thing that you are going to increase that way is the bounce rate.
Pretty much the same goes for apps. It should ask for certain info only when the user can actually benefit from it. You can’t just ask a user for their credit card number out of the blue. Lead them to the point when they will want to give it because they realize it is necessary.
Too many push notifications
Push notifications can be a really great way to interact with a user. But if you throw a whole bunch of them their way, in a very short amount of time, they will certainly be annoyed. So, determine when a push notification should be triggered in order to really be valuable and not overwhelming.
Underestimating how long apps need to update on phones
Every app is hosted on your user’s mobile device. This means that whenever you roll out an update, it takes some time before they can get it. Every app store does a review of the changes that you have made. Also, fixing bugs can be a hell of a process sometimes, but it would be a great idea for you to test them yourself before sending the update to the store. Try A/B testing and do it right.
App development is in no way an easy task. You need to carefully consider various factors in order to make sure that there are no mistakes that could wreck all your efforts. These 7 design-related mistakes should help you stay on the right track.
