Mobile App crashes are the reason 71% of apps get uninstalled. This stat alone tells you a lot about mobile users and their lightning-quick behavior. When you have the App Store and Google Play at your fingertips the choice to abandon an app you don't enjoy using is a given. If you tried it and didn't like using an app - we can say you had a sh*t mobile app user experience (UX).

What is Mobile App User Experience?

Mobile App User Experience involves every feature of your app that your user interacts with. Industry professionals define it in many different ways, but mainly, all facets of mobile app UX can be combined into the following components.

1. Usefulness: First things first, is your app useful? Are people using it to enhance their everyday lives?
2. Usability: How intuitive is it to use? The mobile app design needs to be easy to navigate, with features where you would expect them.
3. Desirability: How aesthetically pleasing is it? Positive emotions contribute heavily to a good mobile app UX.
4. Findability: How easily users can find what they need? The design and navigation of an app should support users’ intuition.
5. Accessibility: Is it for everyone? Inclusivity is when every user can access the app and thinks it’s made for them.
6. Credibility:  Who developed it? Having a credible mobile app design company creates an influence for users to trust and believe what you tell them.
7. Valuability: What value is it delivering? A good mobile app experience comes after a deep understanding of users, what they need, what they value, and also their limitations.

Why Is It Needed?

There are 2.8 million apps available for download on the Google Play Store and 2.2 million apps on the App store. If you think, your app idea has never been implemented by those apps, in any form, the chances are, you are wrong.

In the current age, where 57% of all digital media usage comes from mobile apps, the competitive advantage is not to have a unique idea, rather have a customer base that is satisfied with what you have built.

However, there are many factors that contribute to customer satisfaction but a good mobile app user experience mostly wins.

Highlighted below are some of the best practices to enhance your mobile app UX to win your customers by a huge margin.

Amplifying Your Mobile App User Experience

KISS it

If you don’t know this old-yet-gold phrase, it means Keep It Simple, Stupid. This formula explains the philosophy of keeping your design simple for all the users. If your app design and its features overwhelm your user, it will lead to frustration and they will most likely quit.

In good mobile app experience, the interface never has too many buttons, images, long texts and animations. Always keep in mind that mobile screen has limitations as compared to a website. What looks good on your website, is maybe ‘too much’ for your mobile app design.

Use Native Components

To make your user trust your app, use native components as much as possible. As you build your mobile app for any platform (iOS or Android), never carry over UI elements from other platforms. The icons, functional elements (input fields, checkboxes, switches) and typefaces in your app should always have a native feel.

Don’t ask too many details

Too many input fields at the registration, billing or checkout screen can put the user off and he often feels frustrated with the experience. While designing an app, always ask only the required information and use gamify techniques to keep the user hooked. Better ask yourself, do you personally like to fill a tall form? The answer is No.

Need something? Give them something

Our brain releases dopamine when we are rewarded for our actions. Thus, if you want your app users to fill in details or engage with any feature, giving them a reward is an excellent way to ask, or to respond. Some of the intangible rewards could be coins, badges, or points earned.

Use of Splash Screen

A splash screen is a screen user sees right after launching an app. It usually has a company logo or a tagline and is a very important step to get the user attention in the beginning. By using good fluid transition on this screen, it will give your app a chance to load all the features and makes it look like it’s running fast. Splash screens are 1-3 seconds long and make a great first impression to strengthen your brand identity.

Give them previews or Visual Hints

Visual hints explain to the user how to use an app or a specific feature. While swiping right or left on Tinder, a big YES/NO that appears is a perfect example of using visual hints. Previews and hints can appear in a smooth, natural way while not disturbing the user’s perception of the app flow.

If your app uses gestures to perform a certain feature or has an interface without buttons or interactive elements, hints are extremely important and make your user feels at ease.

Communicate with Colors

Needless to mention, colors play a huge role in drawing attention to a specific item or a task. To enhance your mobile app UX, use colors to announce or highlight important information, but remember, always do this sparingly.

For example, if your brand color is red, warning users about a critical problem with red color becomes less effective because it is used everywhere else in the app for non-critical situations as well.

1. Your primary color should be  the most displayed color in your app’s UI.
2. Your secondary color should be used for floating action buttons, for highlighting selected text, progress bards and for links and headlines.

Use of Dark Mode

Apple’s announcement of iOS13 gave birth to the most anticipated feature called Dark Mode and rolled it far and wide. In theory, dark mode on your app or phone is supposed to be consumed at night when the surrounding lights are switched off to reduce strain on your eyes.

However, pitch dark color in dark mode is very harsh on your eyes and can strain them faster than light-mode. To improve the user experience of the dark mode in your app, go for a darker shade of grey for the background and a lighter shade of grey for text.

Conclusion

Every year and every software update come with lots of trends and updates, but beneath all dark modes and memojis, what remains constant, is the overall experience of the user. By adopting trends and understanding user behavior, you can learn what’s working for your audience and open up new possibilities to create great user experiences for your mobile app.

Best Practices to Enhance Your Mobile App User Experience:

App crash is the reason why 71% of app uninstalls happen. This stats alone tells you a lot about mobile users and their quick and sturdy behaviour. When smartphone gave us the power to have everything on our palm, it also gave us the choice to abandon an app that doesn’t provide us with the best user experience.

The keyword in the previous line was ‘Best (Mobile App) User Experience’.