Thanks to the success stories of those who developed apps and made a fortune on them, the market is cluttered with dozens of versions of every app you can imagine.
The oversaturation of the market isn’t a good thing, neither for future developers nor for the users. No matter whether you’re planning to develop an app or download the most popular options, you should seek quality.
The first rule that many learned the hard way is that rushing leads to a buggy product. Remember that an app needs a solid foundation and a plan to make it work.
We aren’t here today to lay down the entire process of successful app building. We will merely pinpoint the three most important features shared by all killers on the market.
Problem Solving
First and foremost, your app needs to have a clear purpose. It should solve an issue in the life of the users and have explicit usage.
Remember, most people don’t have the time to browse the Web to solve mundane issues. App developers have identified these problems and are providing solutions through a variety of programs.
We are aware that this explanation is vague, but think of it like this – when you look at your app, you need to have an answer to the question, ‘What does it do?’. Is it a game or streaming platform that provides entertainment, or are you developing something to help manage personal finances?
Good Examples
- Clear. The app is excellent for list-lovers, a simple list organizer used for to-do lists, rankings, and achievements. Clear is super versatile, allowing the users to solve a variety of problems in one interface.
- Shinepay. A niche app for laundry payment. Today, many people take advantage of laundromats to wash their clothes. As most of us don’t carry coins around, this app allows people to pay using an app.
- LibraryThing. This virtual bookshelf for readers allows you to browse book databases, add selected titles to your wish list or library, and customize the lists to your preferences. What is more, the app serves as a community for book-lovers.
Great User Interface
Judging a book by its cover is human nature. You can make the most of it by having your app make a great first impression. The looks and operation of your app are essential to its success. Don’t fulfill this demand, and the users will go to a rival who does.
Create an unobtrusive UI and make each element add a feature to the app. Eliminate parts that don’t flow well and negatively impact the aesthetic appeal of the program. Great apps will emphasize the need that the program fills, feature relevant content, and make navigation intuitive.
Good Examples
- Fandango – this app has a simple purpose, to connect movie-goers with needs in terms of theaters. It does so seamlessly, focusing on user experience. It eliminates the need for extra steps and makes all features one click away.
- Digit – this accounting app features a messaging interface – it lets you communicate with the platform through text messages. Furthermore, it monitors your financial activities, helping you save money. Digit is also flexible and personalizable.
- Waze. Waze helps drivers make quick decisions and shorten their trips as much as possible. It uses input from other users to generate the fastest, easiest driving route. They inserted the voice of Morgan Freeman to narrate your trip – how fun is that?
Offline Functionality
WiFi is all around, which resulted in most apps available functioning only with an Internet connection. However, by doing so, you’re alienating a large consumer base.
Of course, the issues of security and data protection arise now. You don’t want to have all sensitive data on mobile devices, but make sure that at least some features are available offline, too. Users will appreciate the convenience.
Good Examples
- Google Maps. Most users have Google Maps on their phones, but what many don’t know is that the app can guide you even offline. All you need to do is download maps for a particular region on your phone.
- Spotify. Premium Spotify users get to save their music library for offline listening, with a generous limit of up to 10,000 tracks. Keep this feature by going online once a month.
- Pocket. Pocket enables you to store articles you don’t have time to read at the moment. Moreover, you get to add a page to Pocket, and it will automatically download the latest submissions.
The Bottom Line
Nowadays, it seems that anyone can develop an app, but rare individuals do it well.
The main thing to remember is that applications are commodities. Never forget the needs of end-users when creating a plan. The features above are the tip of the iceberg, but without fulfilling them, your product has a greater chance of not being downloaded.
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Contributed content
Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.