You have a business, and you want to keep it successful and growing. You need your website and mobile app to perform at the highest levels to achieve that success, and it takes a great team to get there. You need to keep track of finances, marketing, and dozens of other pressing issues all at once. However, there’s one aspect of your operation that might matter most of all when it comes down to conversions…your user experience/user interface (UX/UI) that your users have with your digital presence. If you don’t pay enough attention to it, you could find yourself in a bad spot. Give it plenty of attention and investment, and your conversion rate could go through the roof. Let’s look at a few clever ways to optimize your UX/UI and why.
Table of Content
Include Essential Elements of UX/UI
- Design – All your visual components…font, images, use of color, etc.
- Information Structure – How your content is laid out and organized within the website or app
- Interface Wireframe – Predicting user movements and planning the user flow
- User Behavior – Engaging users and identifying and implementing features that users would want
There are more specific elements to examine, to be sure, but these are the basics. Make sure you have the right personnel to address these separate but crucial phases in your development process, and plan their time accordingly as you move into the development stage.
Development
Once the ideation and strategy phases have been completed, there needs to be a ton of research going on. Turn a comprehensive and critical eye towards the competition, both good and bad, and identify the various features and reasons they succeed or fail. Pay special attention to reviews, both professional and user-based. Even if the reason a user unsubscribes seems minor or petty, it’s worth noting and remembering. Any small detail can turn a potential conversion away, so examine every step carefully.
As far as active UX/UI improvements go in this stage, it all comes down to testing, plain and simple. Considering the huge percentage of users that leave or unsubscribe at the first sign of any tiny glitch or delay, every minute detail needs to be vetted and improved when possible. Developing MVP’s for every step is the best way to get an actual usable product in the hands of both experts and average users to see how they are received. The iterative testing process needs continuous input – test, feedback, solution, test again – to operate correctly, and the more incoming data, the better.
Launch
At this point, the devil’s in the details. You’re about to finally launch this product you’ve worked so hard on, and it’s easy to overlook small aspects that could sink your app once it’s live. Slow loading, unnecessary features, payment portal issues…these needs have to be closely monitored both before the launch and for the crucial period post-launch. If any sort of actual sales are occurring through your app or website, you need to verify smooth operations independently, from data input (hint: don’t ask for too much info!) to confirmation notifications.
Don’t be afraid to start collecting reviews and testimonials to aid in your marketing efforts. If there are positive responses to various aspects of your UX/UI, you should be letting the public know via social media blasts or press releases. Even comments about font or color palette should be taken seriously; many users base their first impression solely on the home page design, so it’s definitely worth the effort to make sure it’s perfect.
Retention
So, if you’ve come out ahead after the launch, things are looking good. Reviews are good, downloads are brisk, and your investors seem happy. It would be a mistake, however, to let your guard down or stop critically evaluating your app. After all, churn is an inevitable part of the app marketplace; this report claims the average lifespan of an app from download to uninstall is just over 5 days. This is a sobering statistic, but not an insurmountable one. By following the steps laid out above – i.e. constant testing and troubleshooting, review and comment monitoring, etc. – you can greatly improve your odds. Some monitoring software can identify where most users leave an app or website, which gives you great insight into where you might be running into UX/UI trouble.
That said, it’s worth noting that the same report above reports that 40% of users that have uninstalled an app end up reinstalling that same app. There are some factors, like excessive data usage, that are really out of the developer’s control. The takeaway here is that you should focus on high-level engagement for the first-time downloader, and do your best to offer promotions and news of improvements to re-engage those users later on.
New Features
Likewise, the whole subject of features is one you need to be vigilant about. Unnecessary or redundant features during the development testing phase should be eliminated after feedback. If they haven’t, it may become a problem after deployment, as extraneous features make UX/UI clunky and slow. If feedback is telling you that you need to adjust or add a particular feature, make absolutely certain your current users are well aware of the benefits of it, and how best to use it to their advantage.
If you do have to eventually update your mobile app, give your users plenty of warning. Offering some sort of incentive to take the time to update is a good move, as well…something like points, free shipping, or credit towards a future purchase is ideal. Everyone likes free stuff!
Wrapping it Up
To wrap up, just remember that your user’s satisfaction on your digital landscape is more important than almost any other part of your business. Make sure your app development partner gives the UX/UI part of your app or website the priority it needs, and ask them repeatedly how they can improve it. Constant vigilance and improvement is the way to ensure your users download and keep your app. It’s hard work, but it’s worth it.