Apps need to find a balance between the needs of the user and those of the publisher. You may want to upsell your products or services, but if it gets in the way of basic actions, frustrated users may exit your app, perhaps preferring to use your competitors instead. That’s why an attractive and functional UI and streamlined UX are so important to user satisfaction and app success.
While we have long known that reducing how often a website visitor clicks to reach their destination is common sense, the same applies to touches for mobile users. Nothing should be hidden behind a menu that must be opened on every screen. However, a lack of navigation that forces users to rely on the back button too often is also frustrating. Unnecessary clicks or touches are friction here because they slow down the user. Specifically, highlight the actions your users are most likely to want on the home screen rather than a separate one and reduce the number of times users have to repeat actions such as logging in or entering information.
Consider what else someone might do while using your app and their expectations around it. Does it run passively in the background while something else has their attention or vice versa? Does it accompany a real-world and perhaps time-sensitive activity that might fluster someone if it’s not simple and speedy? Are users in a relaxed, focused state of mind amenable to more detailed information or precise input? Maybe the app replaces a different method of accomplishing something, and users have expectations about how long it should take. Let that guide your app development and design.
Be prepared to ask for feedback–and listen to it. You might think your app is intuitive and easy to use, but you’re familiar with it. Rather than imagining someone hasn’t used it, ask someone who hasn’t before the app is live and provide a way for users to give feedback once it is. Professional app developers and services can also lend their knowledge and experience if you’re outsourcing development.
Sometimes, you can skip direct feedback, too. Tracking the order in which users do certain things may reveal how you can make those processes more efficient. Similarly, any screen where a user gives up on their task and exits serves as feedback. You can go one step further and perform A/B testing, which your developers might suggest, with different options to see how users prefer your app without asking anyone to do anything differently.
Finally, frequently changing the UI isn’t advisable as it may cause confusion. This also means UX should be similar, if not identical, across devices, even when their specs and operating systems vary. In the same vein, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. People are used to apps working a certain way–a hamburger icon opens a menu, for example, and are unlikely to appreciate your creativity if you deviate too much from expectations. Differentiate yourself with graphics, branding, and customer service instead.