Snapchat is one of the most popular platforms and is also seen as one of the most innovative ones. It keeps introducing cool new features and has recently gone through a complete redesign- the first since its initial release in 2011.
Why are we talking about Snapchat? Well, recently the internal metrics of the application leaked and as it turns out, things aren’t that rosy after all. Most of the innovative features it releases start fading in popularity after the initial interest and the first ever redesign is actually an attempt to boost those dwindling figures.
The point being even these global brands that are arguably very addictive and have millions of loyal users aren’t immune to user disinterest. And when this happens, an app redesign remains the most potent weapon for even the finest of app development companies. That is, new features, discount coupons, ad campaigns or any of the other marketing techniques can take your app only so far, after that, it is only by reinventing your product through complete redesign that you can expect it to achieve its true potential.
Now, there can be many reasons that may prompt you to go for redesigning your app. Maybe you want a cleaner interface or are looking to offer more personalization or any other concern. But few of the below-mentioned must be seen as a warning that demands urgent action:
- Poor conversion rate
If your analytics indicate that the users are regularly visiting your application, engaging with various features and services, but the transactions aren’t coming through, it clearly indicates that there is something terribly wrong with your app’s design.
- Introducing new features
If you are going to offer some new features in your app, it isn’t enough to just squeeze them anywhere you find space, but must ensure that it finds the appropriate space o the overall interface.
- Poor reviews on user experience
This can’t get any simpler. If your users are straight-up telling you they don’t like the user experience, you must do something about it, period.
So, now that it is clear why and when to redesign your app, let’s get down to how you should you do it. While there are rules to success here, there are some tried-and-tested conventions known to deliver better results. Here are a few:
Be minimalistic
Ask any top designer and they will tell you that the secret to the success of many applications is hidden in the fact that they are brutal on clicks. No matter how complex the service is, if your users can’t avail it in less than five clicks, there is something wrong with your design.
The process of minimization should start by first curating the most commonly used services and making them most available- in around 3-4 clicks because if not all features are equally used, why should the design give them equal importance. The next step is to categorize all the remaining ones into neat categories that are self-explanatory, to prevent users from consciously searching for them.
Try 80/20 law
The attention span of users is pretty low, especially for small screen devices. It becomes a real challenge to keep them interested. The solution is to not only offer what they are looking for but also what they might be interested in. Don’t just offer service, create an experience. For this, you can use 80% of the screen space to offer your core services while the remaining 20% can be allocated to create the experience, making it fun for the users to use that 80%.
Make it productive
A user forgot the password. What do you do? Redirect them to the browser to reset it? Or can they do it in-app? If you picked the second procedure, then you are on the right track. The primary motive of the design should be to enhance the usability thus, making it more productive for the users to use it.
Closing remarks
While any app developer can create an application, app development services hold ample command over these minor considerations with the potential to lose or gain the potential prospects for any business, which comes only after years of market experience.