Also known as a mobile experience, user experience refers to how users feel about a product or service. There are many facets of user experience, none of which can stand on their own. The basic aspects of positive user experience include designs that are user-driven, usability evaluations, and rapid prototyping. On the other side, there are many reasons why an app can fail. Here are 5 reasons for frustrating user experiences with mobile apps that can lead to abandonment.
Awkward interfaces can be both overpowering and repulsive to users. What with all the huge images and texts that keep users from reading and scrolling. That’s in addition to auto-play video and flash features that influence user experience negatively. If it’s not the extremely bright colours that hurt the eye, it’s the tiny elements and images that it difficult to understand what to do next.
Users who access apps expect to understand why it is unique and helpful immediately. There is a small window of time to do this. Sadly, the onboarding experience of some apps is slow to load and fails to provide natural next steps. Non-intuitive tap targets make it difficult for users to appreciate the value that the app offers since they cannot access it properly. This creates negative impressions of the app.
One issue that most app designers have is that they confuse innovation with complications. They forget that it is much better to know which features to omit and the important ones that are essential to positive user experience. Complex gestures in the name of innovation and uniqueness only serve to make navigation difficult for the user. Simple swipes and taps will never go out of fashion because they have been proven to work on extremely popular apps in the marketplace.
One of the most frustrating experiences users have with apps is how difficult the app is to use. There are apps that require users to perform the use of two hands. Imagine how difficult that is to use the product in a mobile environment. One experience users are sure to get difficulty in using the app while on the go. This experience usually comes from apps that don’t include simple, one-handed gestures.
There are apps that feature designs that do not match the company brand. It is often jarring for users when they find themselves using a different element or service within the app. Some apps look good but are difficult to understand. Other times the pages are too many, and there are loads of unclear buttons and labels. Then there is the issue of unnecessary animations with poor font contrast that subtracts from the user experience. In all, trying to cram so much in so little space as a website creates one of the most frustrating user experiences.
A positive mobile experience is key for user retention. As seen before, 70% of people use an app only once, greatly affecting your ROI on development costs for your mobile projects. Developers may believe their UX to be perfect, but users may find otherwise. Don’t wait until your app is deployed to figure it out. Scan your app now.