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Predicting app trends can be tricky. You never know what is going to happen that may completely change habits, behaviors, and thinking. What is easier to understand is the baseline for what apps need to ensure that they remain relevant or useful so that people will continue to use the app. However, it is important to make sure that you work to keep your app current with trends. Users develop expectations based on their interactions with other apps, so you want to make certain that you meet those expectations. In the best case scenarios you can exceed those expectations.
This blog is more for people who are considering what they need to do to update or upgrade their apps, but the information can be applied to new apps as well. If you don’t have these features and functions, you should probably consider adding them before the year ends if you don't have time over the coming months. If you are having a new app developed, make sure that these ideas are included in the final version of the app.
There are many amazing things that can be done in apps. The problem is that users probably aren’t going to need all of the functionality that you have to offer if you go overboard.
The priority is always that the app is easy to use. If you add more features than users need or overwhelm them with things that require longer explanations, customers will likely not use the app again. You want to make it an easy end user experience to keep customers returning to your app.
There may be a bit of resistance to this, but people want to be able to leave feedback about their experience with apps. This can actually be incredibly beneficial to both you and your customers. They will have ideas about changes you can make to improve the experience, a new perspective on the look and navigation, and new ideas that could help your app be better.
Though you want to launch apps as clean as possible, nothing is perfect. Users can provide feedback about bugs or complain about certain features that aren’t working as they expected them to. Use the feedback to improve your app.
Feedback and comments need to be added within the app, not just in the store where customers download the app. This can be a little icon, similar to the chat box you see when visiting a site online.
Push notifications are essential in today's world. They can help remind clients that they have the app, let them know about upcoming sales or deals, or provide a host of other bits of information. While you do need to be careful not to spam your users, you should have that particular functionality in the app. Customers should be able to silence push notifications if they want, but if you use them correctly, a majority of your customers will likely appreciate the ideas.
People love to be able to share their online activity on social media. Whether they are buying a product or a service, being able to share images and experiences is something that customers love to do. Having the option to share what they’ve done will increase the likelihood that they will return to the app. It can also be a great marketing tool since customers will tell their networks about your business.
While many customers will likely use the default appearance, there is a large percentage of users who will enjoy making adjustments to the appearance of their apps. There are also more practical reasons to offer some customization, such as letting users increase the font size to help them better read text.
Letting customers adjust the layout of their apps will make it a more enjoyable experience for them.
Regardless of what your app has to offer, it needs to include a way for the users to pay for purchases. Even games include a payment gateway. From pro accounts that offer more services to purchases of goods and services, there are many reasons why apps need to include a payment method.
Customers often want to be able to see their payment information so that they don’t have to re-enter the data. This does require an additional layer of security on your part so that their data isn’t compromised.
This suggestion appears to be obvious, but there are numerous apps that don’t make it easy to find contact information if a user needs help. Creating a tab for this makes it easy to find a way to contact you. There are apps that include contact information in the Settings area, but this makes it seem like you are trying to hide that information. By making it easily accessible if needed, you will stand out from your competitors.
This idea isn’t for your users – it’s for you. Being able to analyze how your users interact with your app will help you improve it over time. You can’t rely on your users to always provide feedback; people are less likely to leave feedback when they are pleased with something than if they are upset. Negative feedback doesn’t mean that your users aren’t happy with their experience. Analytics will show you what people are using in the app, how long they are using the app, and how often they access it.
Analytics help you to improve your app over time. When it comes to tech, there are always improvements to be made. Having some data to help you make decisions can help you make the right decisions for your users and your business.