Mobile onboarding is the process of introducing your products or services to new clients through mobile applications. It helps your new customers understand how they can use the app to solve day-to-day needs. Virtually all best-selling smartphone apps present simplistic yet effective mobile onboarding experiences.
Do you have a new mobile application, and are wondering how to make it a bestseller? Here are 12 tips that will help you push your customer’s mobile onboarding experience to a new level.
1. Enhance the app’s purpose
Most software developers tend to pay more attention to their app’s features and menu layout. In doing so, the product may end up appealing to the developer’s tastes more than the end user, who cannot figure out what exactly the app does. When developing an app, you should visualize the end user, who desires instant solutions that are just a couple of taps away.
Consider using a couple of vibrant images that clearly explain your app’s functions. You can create a short tutorial video, which demonstrates usage of its features.
2. Use call-to-action statements sparingly
Some developers are so desperate for ratings that they fill their apps with nagging pop-ups, which put users off. It’s annoying when a user is cornered into rating an app on Play Store or iTunes before accessing its features.
If your app requires a user to sign up, place a subtle call-to-action button. Users will respond better to your request for ratings after they successfully use your application to solve their problem. Always conduct extensive research on your target market before creating an app. Analyzing your users helps you identify their needs, and develop effective solutions that lead to high ratings on popular app stores.
3. Allow users to enjoy the app first and register later
A typical smartphone user will be hesitant to create a new account in order to use a new app. End users normally feel trapped, because there are no guarantees the app will meet their expectations. Apps that demand new users sign up before accessing the features often end up being disappointing.
Your priority is gaining your target market’s trust. You can achieve this goal by developing an app that allows users to access features without signing for membership. By giving smartphone users a chance to prove your apps’ effectiveness, persuasion becomes a walk in the park.
4. Use the 30-second rule
A majority of best-selling mobile apps enable new users to achieve their objectives in approximately 30 seconds. This is because most people have a short attention span when using new apps. True Caller is popular because you can search phone numbers and obtain results instantly. Smartphone owners rate their user experiences on app stores based on how much time it takes to obtain the desired results.
It’s advisable to arrange your app’s features at the top of the page. This is the best position to capture user attention.
5. Create brief informative tutorials
New app users will pay more attention to a tutorial that precisely explains how to use available features. Remember, a new user wants instant solutions, which cannot be relayed through wordy tutorials. This impatience is the governing reason why most people don’t read electronics’ manuals.
These days, people respond better to visuals. A short video tutorial containing captivating images and brief words is an effective informative tool, since the mind tends to replay images. Consider breaking down your tutorials into various sections so users can identify specific topics without having to watch the entire video.
6. Disable irrelevant pop-up advertisements
Your main aim as a software developer is providing smartphone owners with a high-quality user experience. Unsolicited pop-up advertisements work against your goal because they constantly distract your users’ attention. Pop-up advertisements are annoying because they can cause you to press wrong buttons. They also consume plenty of background data.
There are different platforms where you can earn passive income through click-ads such as blogs. An app that’s full of pop-up advertisements appears shady, and users will be quick to uninstall it from their smartphones. Annoyed users are not a good sign for business, since they won’t mind dishing out low ratings on their respective mobile app stores.
7. Listen to users’ feedback
Apps that meet their users needs better than any other app in the same category, dominate bestselling lists without requiring a high marketing budget. No matter how flashy an app is, users will always focus on its effectiveness in solving their needs. One common reason why most apps fail to take off is that software developers assume what appeals to their personal tastes also works for everyone else in the market.
Alpha and Beta testing is the only reliable way of gathering genuine feedback from your target market. When selecting a test sample group, choose a bunch of random individuals. Strangers will give you genuine feedback as opposed to friends or family, who might withhold their genuine opinions to avoid hurting your feelings.
8. Make learning a continuous process
Using new information to enhance your app’s user experience is always a good way of attaining brand loyalty from customers. When your users think they’ve mastered your app, surprise them by releasing a new tutorial containing smart tips and tricks they can follow to acquire more benefits. Normally, the users who try out newly discovered features and receive satisfactory results have a greater emotional connection to your app.
After creating additional tutorials, provide them for free on your official website and social media pages.
9. Use layman language to translate technical terms
If you’re planning on creating a mobile app for general use, you should implement simple vocabulary that presents your content in as simplistic a manner as possible. This enables users to spend a little time understanding your tutorials, which enhances overall user experience. They’ll also understand what to expect when using the features.
Conducting thorough market research helps in not only identifying your target market's technical needs, but also identifying unique traits. To ensure your app achieves significant market penetration, offer a variety of language packs.
10. Avoid tripwire marketing
Tripwire marketing is when a seller lures the customer to purchase premium services for a low price. Once the customer pays the price, he or she receives just a handful of features and ends up paying hidden costs to fully access the advertised service. This is a popular trick among mobile spy apps that enable users to remotely access call logs, text messages, and social media accounts of a cheating spouse, a suspicious employee or a family member involved in a crime.
Tripwire marketing is frowned upon since sellers who deploy this tactic intentionally use half-truths to trick customers into paying for the service. Successful software developers often use transparent sales funnels because they gain potential customers’ trust fast.
11. Avoid requesting for personal information
Most smartphone owners feel uneasy whenever an app requires access to their call logs, galleries, and social media accounts before installation. People fear that submitting their information to a relatively unknown app may make them victims of identity theft. In addition, smartphone users consider their galleries private. Most smartphone users feel invaded whenever an app wants to access all images stored in the phone’s memory.
12. Use simple icons
In an effort to create compelling graphics, some developers incorporate complex icons. This works to their disadvantage because it hampers mobile onboarding user experience. You can still captivate your audience using simple icons that your target market is familiar with.
Enhancing your app’s mobile onboarding user experience requires constant practice and learning. Novice software developers can gain plenty of information by consulting seasoned app creators, who have the valuable first-hand experience to offer.
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