So, you’ve had some programming training and created an app. Or had somebody in your company create one. You made it available for download, but users just don’t seem to be using it very much. Perhaps they just use it one time and abandon it or uninstall it afterwards. According to a publication on MediaPost.com, more than three out of every ten apps installed “are ultimately uninstalled”.
What are you doing wrong? Why do users not seem to like your app?”
There could be a number of reasons. Here’s an overview of common reasons why people abandon apps:
They’re judging the book by the cover – Seriously, apps are essentially books that are judged by the cover. If the icon is boring, ugly, or looks like a work-in-progress, people are either going to find it repulsive or overlook it entirely. Like it or not, design is reflective of quality and credibility. Bad design gives users a reason to not spend very much time with an app(if they even download it all). The only way to overcome this problem is to work on the design. Make it pretty, yet not too flashy. Take classes at www.austincodingacademy.com if that’s what it takes to become a better app developer and designer.
Your app isn’t helpful or useful – This is perhaps the biggest reason why people uninstall an app. It must be designed in a way that allows users to find what they need in the fastest, easiest way possible. If an individual has to spend more time than necessary to find the answer or discover the benefit, he or she will not bother with it again. This problem occurs when the developers didn’t spend enough time to understand how the user will use the app.
It’s not easy to use – If it’s not intuitive or user-friendly, it’s not going to be very popular. While you want it to be unique, you don’t want it to be too dissimilar from your competitors’ apps. It should have the same functionality. It might be a good strategy for you to invest in making the current features more user-friendly than in new features. It also helps to offer a user guide or tutorial.
There’s a lengthy or bad registration experience – Nobody has the time to fill out a lengthy, complex registration form just to try an app out. Forcing users to login via social media is another problem many people have. Start giving users different options for signing up. Only ask for the most basic information, like email and name. Also, consider language, country and culture based differences; there should not be a lack of localization.
Annoying push notification strategy – While in-app messages and push notifications are important for engagement, it all needs to be done wisely. It’s VERY easy for people to get annoyed. Some of the best practices for push notifications include finding the ideal time to send them, include promotions and offers, and do segmentation intelligently. It’s also ideal to personalize the experience.
Additional Reasons Why People Uninstall Apps:
- They see no benefit of using it
- The flow/fluidity isn’t rational
- It contains too many images or poor quality images
- Users are overwhelmed by too much text
- It doesn’t run properly on their device
- The experience isn’t “humanized”; it seems like it’s made more for robots than people
268,692 million: this is the projected number of app downloads in 2017, according to statista.com. Imagine how many of these will be discarded after just one use. Yours doesn’t have to be one of those – just make the necessary improvements.