If, as a professional developer and coder, you’ve not obsessed over the question of what makes an application work and what doesn’t, you haven’t entirely done your homework. According to eMarketer.com, nearly 90% of mobile internet time is spent on apps. Statista reports that around 3 billion apps are available on the Play Store (with hundreds being added daily). In such a thriving app development environment, a few key elements must be added to your overall development strategy. Let’s explore in detail some of the most important features that should be on top of your priority list.
Fast loading time
It’s no secret that the primary reason why apps, PWAs, websites or any other digital products fail to capture user’s interest and imagination owing to slow loading speeds. It’s ideal if your application loads within 3 seconds of launching or takes longer than 10 seconds to open. This should be one of the top priorities for developers as it’s crucial to design a responsive and quick app (regardless of internet speeds) to be appealing and useful for the end-users. Developers should focus on keeping only vital features, adhering to rules of minimalism so that users don’t get frustrated and drop negative reviews.
Easy user interface
If your app is cluttered, complicated and cumbersome, the users will not enjoy the overall experience, and the bounce rate would increase phenomenally. As a developer, one must deploy strategies like feedback derived from focus groups and release beta versions to limited users first. Any unnecessary, distracting or confusing navigation features can be rectified or modified to provide a smoother, engaging and immersive user experience. Developers can use elegant yet simple navigation shortcuts, voice-assisted search; gesture operated navigation, auto-fill options, and other trending UX UI elements to make sure that the user gets to their objectives quickly and leaves feeling satisfied.
Other than that, provide your app users with a nifty search bar so that they’re able to access the information they seek quickly. Although your app may have great content, service and products, it won’t be available for the users if they’re given the right interface to access it easily.
Payment gateways integration/ cloud computing
This is a must-have feature for ubiquitous access and revenue generation. These days almost all apps worth their while integrate in-app payment integration so that the user is not directed to an outside portal for purchasing products or services. For discoverability, visibility and payment integration, cloud computing in the application would increase your chances of being highly competitive in the crowded app market. It’s even more important while developing applications than websites to get more new users and keep the existing users. If you need to reach a wider market and target more users, you must integrate easy payment options that don’t require too many steps.
Since storage space is the main reason most apps get uninstalled after being downloaded, developers must consider making the app as compact as possible.
Social media plugin/ user feedback
Connect your app with popular social media and networking platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and Twitter to gain wider traction and more downloads. Your app should be able to withstand competition from other Play Store and iOS apps. Since almost all of the civilised world is on some of the other social networking platforms, it makes complete sense to integrate as many pertinent ones during your app development.
It’s also wise to include a user feedback option within the app so that your software development team can get valuable and actionable insights on what works for users and what doesn’t. This will help you design new and improved features in the future to make your app more viable and appealing to users across demographics, languages and cultures.
Simple and secure login/ responsive design
Registration or Login Page should be simple so that the user’s time is not wasted filling in unnecessary information. Stick to creating a user’s profile by getting basic information like name, mobile number, e-mail id, location, or any other relevant details mandatory for the app. Industry-standard encryption and privacy measures should be adhered to if you want to increase trust in your app.
The importance of responsive design cannot be undermined in app development. Users access your application or web pages on several devices, including mobile, tablets and laptops. Many promising apps that have great value often fail if they’re not designed to fit varying screen sizes, not just standard Apple and Android devices, but also for smaller and larger screen sizes (wearables and smart TV/gaming devices). Also, introduce Lite versions so that users with low data storage and low bandwidth can easily access your app.
Multiple languages
There are no geographical boundaries for the app ecosystem, which is why you should consider incorporating multilingual functionality in your app. Although it’s not necessary to include every language, based on the target audience, you can decide what language support you’d like to add. It’s ideal for supporting international languages like English, Chinese, Spanish, French, German, and a few regional languages depending on the country’s specific usage.
Offline functionality/ Enterprise Resource Planning
Developers must work around internet connectivity issues by focusing on creating stellar offline functionality support. There may be times when users may not have access to the internet but will need to use your app. Additionally, suppose you’re targeting companies and start-ups as your ideal customer base. In that case, you might want to make your app compatible with enterprise resource management and planning by creating diverse versions, cross-platform compatibility and third-party app integration.
If you plan your software development cycles with the above vital factors during the requirements analysis phase, it would guarantee a firm foundation for your application and get you started on a successful journey.