Let’s start off with a fact, shall we? The human brain perceives images 60,000 times faster than text and sometimes even fixes the information as images when seeing words. Okay, great, then why don’t we just feed you some eye-candy visuals and end this article right here? Even though what we just told you is the reason some designers turn everything in user interfaces into visual graphics, there is so much more to creating a great UX design. So today, we give you a list of the most common UX design mistakes.
According to a Statista study, roughly 25% of apps are used just once. We agree, there could be many reasons for this, but we’re also pretty sure that bad UX is a possible reason for a mobile app to fail. Why? Well, achieving great mobile UX design is not an easy task, and not all apps achieve it. But having a strategy and knowing the pitfalls you need to avoid can bring you closer to success. So let’s get to it!
Not having great copy
If you think a fantastic design makes application users love your website or mobile app - think again. Don’t forget - your users don’t come for design, they come for information. All the psychology-based design hacks work only when accompanied by great copy! A solid combination of words and design is what guarantees functionality and a pleasant user experience. So, if you want to make a user journey more purposeful, pay attention to UX writing for your design.
Not leaving a good first impression
Do you know the infamous saying “First impression is the last impression”? Sure you do. When you go for an interview, an office meeting or even a date - the first impression you make is very important. The same goes for your application users - the starting few minutes are enough for them to make up their mind and either keep the application or remove it. It is an absolute must for the UX designer to make the application look attractive. They should catch the user’s attention and get them curious to check all the features on the application. So make sure the first thing your user will see is good and to the point!
Not understanding the users’ needs
This is one of the top reasons for apps to fail, according to a survey done by Business of Apps. Not knowing your users’ needs when designing UX is like shooting in the dark. You shouldn’t risk making design decisions that aren’t aligned with your audience’s needs. The best approach towards avoiding this is to do proper user research. Sit down with your team and brainstorm, group your ideas and dig deeper. Eventually, you should be able to create a “need statement”. This will tell you who your user is, what their needs are, and how to fulfil those needs. After that, you can proceed to make the right UX design decisions!
Not being compatible with other apps
Mainly, this means not overlooking some memory usage issues or possible experiences of unexpected crashes while your user has some other apps running. Your UX designer should assure the app is responsive. Your mobile application won’t be the only one to run on the device, so it is of high importance to make sure it works impeccably with the rest of the applications as well as the device itself.
Not looking out for an overloaded user interface
Simplicity is king! An interface with tons of options might confuse your users and make them ditch your app. We know you have a lot of great features to offer, and you’ve worked so hard for it, but unfortunately, it’s easy to overcomplicate things by adding too many features. And we certainly don’t want that! We’ve all experienced decision-making paralysis of some sort in a fully stacked supermarket, haven’t we? Cut down on the provided options. Always try to justify every element’s purpose on the screen, keeping a nice balance between visual and textual content. Drop anything that doesn’t seem useful. We know it’s not easy, but clutter causes confusion, so it is necessary. You can even go a step further and personalize your app so that it will only present relevant features and reduce possible choices.
Forgetting updates
This is why feedback is important. You should keep an eye out for your user’s feedback in the comment sections or anywhere else online (this will be easier if you also have a community manager). Listen to your audience and don’t forget to always improve your product - updates are undoubtedly very important. Utilize and gain all the relevant knowledge regarding what features to use, what to avoid and what needs improvement.
Bad or non existent CTA buttons
Calls to action (CTAs) is all there is, when you think about it. Every move a user makes in your app is some sort of CTA. When they confirm an action, purchase something, book an appointment, make a new account, delete a photo or a text - all of this is CTA. Designers may tend to hide some CTAs in the name of a clear, minimalistic design but that’s probably the one thing you should never hide! Place your CTA in the form of buttons instead of text, and make it contrast with any other element on the screen, because we don’t want our users to miss them.
And of course, great copy is again a must - use as few words as possible on your buttons. The fewer words you use, the faster it is for users to process (as in almost any copywriting case). For example, instead of “Complete the form” try “Sign up” or “Submit”.
Too many annoying notifications
Do you go to your phone’s settings right after you download an app to disable its notifications? Since this is obviously a rhetorical question we’ll just skip to the next one - why do you do so? Because we’re sick of annoying never-ending notifications, right?
Notice we said “annoying”? That’s exactly right, notifications can be beneficial if they manage to be relevant and valuable. Always ask permission to send notifications first! Then let your users know what kind of notifications you’ll be sending them. And lastly, let them know how it will benefit them! If you wonder how many notifications are okay to be sent, remember it is quality over frequency. Make sure what you’re saying in your notifications is valuable and we’re sure your users won’t mind them.
And our last piece of advice is not something to avoid but rather something you should always do. To achieve UX design greatness...
Make sure you always bring the most pleasant experience to your users
It’s that simple! Just kidding, of course, it’s not. It is in fact a lot of work and sometimes you might even need a little help. If that is the case, make sure you find a great tech team to start building your mobile MVP with the best UX design practices applied.
