Have you been doing everything you can to retain your users, but just can’t for some reason? The cause of your troubles is most likely that your mobile app design is a little bit off. The bad news is that this is something that needs to be fixed immediately unless you are okay with continuing to lose customers. The good news is that you are not alone in having this problem and this is something you can very easily fix.

In order to make sure that your mobile app design is top notch, we are going to walk you through a few common mistakes to avoid. Once you are able to identify where you are losing traction, you will know the areas that you need to improve and get back on the right track. Remember, the most important thing to keep in mind is the needs of the customer and focus on UX/UI design. Let’s get into it.

Bad first impression

The best apps on the marketplace are those that provide a good first impression. From the very start, before the user even downloads the app they should be impressed with what you are offering. Without a good description and targeted messaging in your placement on the app store, your users will have no reason to download your app in the first place.

Once you get over this first hurdle, the next area you should focus on to improve the mobile app design is the home screen. This is the user’s true first impression of what your app is and can do for them. Tell them what they are there to do with an obvious call-to-action. Remind them what prompted them to download your app in the first place.

Providing value

The single most important thing you can do with your app is remind users of the value you are offering. This should be apparent in almost every action they take within your app. After all, if you aren’t providing value with your app, what’s the point?

Practically speaking, this means that every time the user opens your app, they should be reminded immediately of why they downloaded the app. UX/UI design is all about doing the thinking for your customer, so keep this in mind as you work on your mobile app design.

Too much going on

The next mistake that is often made with mobile app design is cluttering the screen with too much information. Phones have progressively gotten bigger and bigger as the years have gone on, but this extra room has led to designers trying to fill the space. Don’t fall into this trap.

Instead, use design to focus the user toward the significant aspects. As a mobile app design expert, it is your job to tell the user where their eyes should land by the way you design. Like we mentioned earlier, use design to remind the users of the value you are offering. Put it right in there face so that they can’t miss it.

No actionable cues

Once your eyes have drawn them to the appropriate place, give them something to do. Too many apps have good design and zero actionable cues. What happens then is your user enjoys the way your app looks, but will have no reason to come back since they don’t know what to do next.

A good way of dealing with this is first to add an actionable cue at each step of your user’s flow through your app. If this still isn’t working, the next thing you can do is monitor how users are viewing your app and the actions they are taking. By seeing where they are going, you can figure out the proper placement of calls-to-action and actionable cues.

Over time, the flow of your users will change, so make sure you are keeping up with mobile app maintenance to ensure they will always know where to go.

Inconsistency

Users learn by performing actions again and again. The fastest way to alienate your user base is by designing without taking consistency into consideration. For example, if your colors are completely different from one page to the next with no discernable reason behind it, your users will not be able to associate certain colors with actions.

Throughout the mobile app development process and further reviews of your mobile app design, make sure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to the look and feel of the app. Usually you will have more than one developer or designer on the project, so make sure that they are on the same page.

If you can keep your layouts, colors, and actions consistent throughout your app, you will be able to train your users on how to use your app. Once they get the hang of it, leaving your app for another will be that much harder.

Poor information hierarchy

Poor information hierarchy is not only a problem in mobile app design, but the design world in general. Whether you are designing and app or a poster for an event, you need to make sure that the significant information is obvious. Whatever you design, someone will interact with it. Make sure they know what’s what.

Going back to adding value, sit down and figure out the hierarchy of your app. The value add of your app should be at the top of that list, with different ways of achieving it below. Unless you point out specifically to your users what you want them to know is important, they may not figure it out. Be clear, be obvious, and you will be helpful to your users.

Mistakes in practice

Although each of these mistakes is not the end of the world for your app and its design, put together they can be. The other thing about these mistakes is that your users might not even realize that is why they are leaving your app. If you don’t do something about it, it will be too late.

This is why mobile app maintenance and regular meetings to discuss mobile app design are so important. After reading this, get together with your development team to make sure you are making the most out of your app. If you don’t feel like you are, the time to make a change is now.

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