Developing a functioning and crowd-pleasing app takes a level of discipline that not everyone possesses, it goes way beyond just technical proficiency. Trial and error are pretty commonplace, especially if your not the most seasoned of app designer. There are however a couple common mistakes and obstacles that can make or break the success of your app. Luckily there are ways to avoid these common obstacles altogether. Here are 4 of the main culprits.
1. Low resolutions and bitmaps
Using low resolutions can cause major headaches in the ever-expanding screen resolution world of mobile devices. Always begin your design with high resolution, retina, pixel-dense screens; you can scale them down later if needed. Designing with vector graphics is a smart option as well. As far as Bitmaps go, many people are just not a fan, and in general they’re not exactly user friendly and they are scale challenged to begin with.
2. Make sure your wireframes and designs start with a flowmap
Having a well planned out user flow ready for your wire frames and designs will prevent some major hassles down the road. Designing/wiring screens without a practical layout can and more than likely will confuse users (or lack of users). Confusing layouts are a sure fire way to make your app less than popular.
3. Over-zealous animations
Opening an app with those cute and amusing little animations is a creative and eye-catching touch sure. The problem with them, however, is that the animation intro doesn’t begin until the entire app is fully loaded. The more the app has to load the longer it will take. App users these days have a notoriously low tolerance for wait times. If you feel that your app really needs that animated intro to set it off, just try not to go too overboard so that the load time isn’t excessive.
4. Not thoroughly testing your app before it’s launched
This common mistake by app designers drives me crazy, every app will experience bugs, it’s just a known aggravation that comes with any software program. These bugs, however, should be the app designers headache, not the users. A pop-up message that says “we are working out the bugs” is a major turn off to not only your users but potential users as well. Trust me, your disappointed users will not be shy about their dissatisfaction on the review sites and you’ll be able to see a drop in traffic through mobile analytics tools. Taking an extra couple of hours to make sure that your app is bug and error free can be the key difference between an app that is a viral sensation or a complete flop.
Finally, as much as the general goal of making an app is to generate income, it’s always best to start with or at the very least offer a free version of your app. Today people like to take their apps for a test drive before they invest any amount of money on it. You can always add in-app purchases if you want to generate income or you could sell advertising space to businesses – another popular way to bring in revenue through your app.
Most people when searching for a new app tend to scroll right past the apps that have a price attached, no one wants to risk paying for an app they may not like. Having an upgrade option on your app is a way better way to go, if your app is as appealing to your users as it is to you, people won’t mind dishing out a couple bucks to enhance their already enjoyable experience. Best of luck!
