Users nowadays have option to choose from millions of mobile apps according to their mobile operating system. Several studies suggest that a large percentage of users abandon mobile apps after one use. Likewise, users spend most of their digital media time in just five apps. Hence, enterprises have to explore ways to keep users engaged and prevent user abandonment by making their mobile apps deliver outstanding user experience. Unlike conventional mobile app design techniques, user-centric design helps enterprises to make their apps deliver outstanding user experience.
The mobile app design process focuses on the choices, preferences, needs, and requirements of the targeted users throughout the app development lifecycle. It even emphasizes on involving real users in various phases of app development to understand their requirements, tasks, and environments precisely. Many enterprises nowadays opt for user-centric design in mobile app development to launch apps that keep users engaged and generate revenue.
7 Reasons Why Enterprises Opt for User-Centric Design in Mobile App Development
1) Understand the Targeted Users
The mobile app development strategy must define the choices, preference, needs, and requirements of targeted users make it easier for developers to high quality mobile apps. User-centric design requires enterprises to think like a real user and understand his expectation. The identification of targeted users and understanding of user expectations make the mobile app design revolve around real users. While developing the mobile app, the developers focus extensively on the user needs and preferences and optimize the app design based on user behavior.
2) Focus on Real Users instead of Demographics
Conventional mobile app design techniques often identify an app’s target users based on demographics. They rely on analytics tools to gather both demographic data and trends. The user experience delivered by the demographic-based apps leads to user abandonment. But user-centered mobile app design requires enterprises to focus on real users instead of demographic data. The lack of demographic information makes the mobile app useful for a larger user base while meeting the exact user needs.
3) Enhance the Apps Usability and Utility
A large percentage of users nowadays abandon mobile apps that appear complex and complicated. They love apps that enable them to perform specific tasks without putting extra time and effort. Hence, the developers must focus on the app’s utility and usability to boost its user experience. Like conventional mobile app design techniques, user-centric mobile app design also requires developers to focus extensively on predefined business requirements. But the approach also emphasizes on getting the business requirements reviewed by real users and enhance the app’s utility throughout the development cycle. Hence, the developer can easily fix the issues or errors affecting the app’s user experience before its deployment.
4) Make the App Error Free
Many enterprises opt for user-centric mobile app development to improve their apps’ usability and user experience. But user-centric mobile app design contributes hugely towards improving the app’s quality. The mobile app development approach requires businesses to involve real users in the app development cycle. Also, app needs to tested and reviewed by real users. The user feedback helps developers to fix the flaws in the app and refine its quality. Hence, user-centric mobile app design helps enterprises to enhance user experience by launching a flawless mobile app.
5) Capture the Whole User Experience
In addition to exploring ways to improve app’s user experience, businesses also need to evaluate user experience consistently. A business can evaluate its app’s user experience in a number of ways and based on a number of parameters. But it can easily capture the whole user experience by opting for user-centric mobile app development. The user-centric mobile app design allows an enterprise to understand the targeted users and involve real users in the app development process. A business can further involve users and experts from various sectors to design a mobile app which is useful and delivers outstanding user experience.
6) Test the App Early and Frequently
Several studies suggest that an enterprise can reduce mobile app development cost significantly by introducing mobile app testing its mobile app early and frequently. User-centric mobile app development emphasizes on getting the app reviewed and tested throughout the development cycle. But it also requires enterprises to involve real users in the software testing process. The feedback and suggestions shared by testers make it easier for enterprises to generate more reliable test results and get the app evaluated from users’ perspective. An enterprise can accelerate the mobile app development and testing process by creating rough prototypes and getting the prototypes tested before the mobile app development process starts.
7) Implement App Monetization Methods
A large percentage of users prefer free apps to paid apps. Hence, an enterprise must launch both free and paid editions of the same app to accomplish more download. But the enterprise has to implement various app monetization methods seamlessly to generate revenue and make the app profitable. Unlike conventional mobile design approaches, user-centric mobile app development helps enterprises to improve their apps’ user experience and engagement. The improved user engagement makes it easier for enterprises to generate revenue by implementing effective app monetization methods like mobile apps, in-app purchases, in-app advertisement, subscription, freemium, and sponsorship.
On the whole, user-centric mobile app development enables enterprises to build mobile apps that deliver outstanding user experience. But user-centric mobile app development is completely different from conventional mobile app development approaches. While implementing user-centric mobile app development, an enterprise must focus on its key stages – analysis, design, evaluation and implementation. Also, it needs to involve real users in each stage of the app development cycle to accelerate mobile app review and refinement.