5 Ingredients for a Terrible App

Today, nearly half of businesses now have their own mobile app. An app can be an incredibly useful tool for your brand, but it’s easy to get it very wrong. Customer expectations are often dizzyingly high, and there’s little margin for error.

To completely mess up your app, all it takes is a few common mistakes. In this article, we’ll look at some of the ingredients that result in a terrible app that nobody wants to use, harming your reputation, losing you customers, and costing you money. We’ll also show you how to avoid those problems to develop an app that works.

Why does app quality matter?

There are several reasons why having a high-quality app for your business is so important. Here are some of the main ones:

• Everyone is using apps now. In 2020 there were 218 billion app downloads globally — a 7% increase year-on-year. For many of your potential customers, this is their preferred way of interacting with brands and services. It’s essential to give them a positive experience.
• Poor quality apps don’t get used. People are ruthless when it comes to apps — 25% of users abandon an app after just one use. If you don’t immediately wow them with a top-quality product, they will simply leave.
• It impacts your entire brand. People who have a negative experience on mobile are 62% less likely to purchase from that brand in the future. If your app is sub-par, your whole business could suffer.

So how do you ensure your app succeeds? In the rest of the article, we’ll explore some of the top ingredients for app failure.

Five ingredients for a failed app

1. You fail to prioritise UX (and test it)

User experience is critical when it comes to app success. If using your app is difficult or unpleasant for your users, they simply won’t stick around. You need to make sure it’s as easy, frictionless, and rewarding as possible for them.

The only reliable way to do this is through constant testing. User-test your app as much as possible before launch and collect data and feedback wherever you can from things like user surveys and observation. This will help you notice flaws and areas of friction so you can fix them before the app goes live.

Also, don’t forget that testing is an ongoing process. Even after your app launches, continue to monitor, test, and listen to feedback from your users so you can make continuous tweaks and improvements.

2. The app fails to focus on a few key tasks

Some apps fail because they try to do everything. This is a terrible idea — in a world with literally millions of apps, there is one specialising in just about every task you can think of.

Your app should focus on the tiny number of things you can do better than anyone else, not a wide range of things you can do to a mediocre level. Make sure your app has a clear direction and purpose from the moment you begin planning it. Have a clear vision and aim, and instil this in your team and any third parties you work with.

3. You have a poor understanding of your audience

To create an app that solves your users’ problems, delivers real value, and captures their attention, you need to understand your audience on an intimate level. The only way to get there is through extensive research. Use resources like social media, customer surveys, the knowledge of your sales teams, and more to build detailed and accurate profiles for your users.

Get to know their pain points, desires, goals, and who they are. This is the only way to create an app that actually does what they want it to and aligns with their tastes and characteristics.

4. Your app crashes too often

App crashes are a disaster. In fact, app crashes cause 71 per cent of uninstalls. If you can eliminate this issue, you’ll have a much better chance of retaining your users, boosting engagement with your product, and ultimately making more money.

To avoid crashes, make sure you invest in good developers who can create reliable and effective software. Also, make sure to test your app often and make continuous improvements. Listen to your users — make it easy for them to report a crash and take quick and effective action when this happens.

5. Your app is too slow

Speed is the ultimate dealbreaker for today’s tech users. Forty-three per cent of users are unhappy if they have to wait longer than three seconds for your app to load. Make sure your app is well developed with minimal friction and lag. If you fail to do this, you’ll be driving users away and costing your business a considerable amount of money.

In today’s world, developing and launching an effective, reliable app that solves your customer’s problems is quickly becoming a fundamental requirement. If your app is up to scratch and capable of meeting your user’s needs quickly and reliably while delivering a first-rate user experience, you’re on the way to impressive results. If not, you risk falling behind and letting customers slip through the cracks.

To find out more about how Blue Beetle can help you create an app that delights your customers and enables you to hit your business goals, get in touch.