Why you need to redesign your app to increase its profitability
When people launch an app, they expect to get some profit from it. And usually, they do. However, it all changes after a while because of thousands of competitors who appear every day. The app becomes old-fashioned and loses its attractiveness. Day by day its conversion decreases and a product owner loses money. That is why all POs should stop considering launching as a finish line. It’s just a beginning and today we want to discuss the next vital step — an app redesign, which will make an app work for you all the time.
Redesign your app and increase the conversion
The most important thing is that redesign really works. Some app become extra popular not because they have extraordinary functionality (in some cases it’s really basic) but due to their design. A fresh look changes everything. And leads to a conversion rate improvement. Here is how:
It looks better. Some loyal customers can stay with an old app even if the design looks out-of-date, nevertheless, all the new users would choose a new app, with a more appealing design. It concerns not only the general appearance but the ease of use. For instance, the modern UI trends dictate us that we should use some familiar elements in our apps, like icons and action buttons. Users like them because they understand their meanings and know how to use them. These details form such a concept as “intuitive design”. And all users like apps which they can start using straight away, without reading long manuals.
Improved UX. The UX depends on UI. All the elements should perform a specific task to make the use of an app easier and more pleasant. For instance, modern apps use the built-in utilities to make the data input process automatic (use a fingerprint instead of a password entering). So, it is very important to keep up with the latest UX trends to use them while redesigning.
Personal approach. Users prefer apps where they can adjust everything according to their needs. If they have an opportunity to change the theme, fonts and size of text they usually stay loyal. An ability to make an app a little bit more personal always attract users.
Action buttons. During a redesign, you can add so-called call-to-action elements which encourage users to do what we (app owners) want. For instance, such buttons as share in Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and so on allows customers to share your content with some friends and family members and advertises your app for free at the same time.
More social features. Five years ago, we could barely find an app with social registration. Now, if in an app there isn’t such a feature but creators ask you to enter a password, login, e-mail and all your credentials manually, you would probably uninstall the app within a minute. Today, we can not only registrate but share an app content with friends, invite them to the app and much more. All this social functionality gives customers a chance to share their emotions with close people, one of the greatest inventions in the world.
Real-life example — Instagram
The Instagram app has released a lot of updates since its first appearance. The creators understand how important it is to move with the times. This is one of the key to success in the modern society. If you compare the first version of the app and the current one, you’ll find lots of differences which made the project much better. Let’s consider in detail which changes they’ve made to make Instagram even better than it was.
Familiar icons. Instagram has added the icons which we can find in different apps. It made an app even more intuitive, so the new customers already know how to use it and what each element means even when they open it for the first time.
Obvious actions. Now, when you open Instagram, you know what elements are clickable and which aren’t. One of the most important things here is that the elements you’ve just interacted with react. The easiest example is a heart you touch to indicate that you liked a photo which becomes red. Such a reaction shows that you did everything correctly.
Motion. More and more apps get advantage from the animation. Instagram, for instance, made it possible to view a photo or video without entering a person’s account, when you push on an image and hold it, the window becomes bigger and you can see the photo in a larger scale. It’s only one of many examples that teach us to pay attention to these tricks.
Content organization. If you remember the old version of the app allowed us to publish one photo at a time. Now you can publish a few photos and even a video in one post. Moreover, we see more pictures on a screen than before.
When you need to redesign
If your app isn’t new but it brings appropriate conversion, the issue of a redesign isn’t vital. However, there is a list of cases when a UI redesign is a must. Let’s take a look at it:
1. There are such queries in an app store. There are lots of conscious users and a lot of them leaves their comments and feedback in an app store. If customers ask for a redesign — it’s time to do it.
2. An owner doesn’t like it either. If a product owner is a sensible man or woman, he or she can estimate an app on their own. Besides these people’s duty is to track competitors’ apps. So, in a case a PO sees that his or her app looks worse than the new, modern ones, they should redesign their product immediately.
3. Little profitability. All POs have a business plan and expect to get a specific sum. If the conversion rate has fallen down or it’s less than expected — it’s time to change UI design.
4. App has changed. We mean that its idea has changed, for instance, initially, it was a news app where all the news about show business stars appeared every day. After a while, the news about politics and other things were added. But the UI hasn’t been changed. In such a case, new users who expect to see the news only about show business stars would be disappointed.
If any of these instances concerns you and your own application, then you should continue reading, because next, we’ll give you some useful tips how to perform a redesign successfully.
Tips for redesign
If you follow our simple tips, you can reduce the time of an app redesign and save your nerves. Here are the three main rules to follow when you are redesigning your mobile application:
80/20 rule. When there are too many elements on a screen it irritates a user and looks awful. When there a very few elements, an app seems useless. So where is the middle ground? It’s 80 to 20 rule. 80% of a screen should contain the elements and 20% should be empty.
Minimalism. Remember the structure. All the elements should be in their categories. Users should find everything intuitively. At the same time, it’s better to hide all the secondary elements on the other screens or in various menus.
Effectiveness. Think about the newest apps where a user has to type a password create a login and so on. There are none. Manual input automatically makes an app look like a relic. Use modern technologies, like camera, fingerprint, social integration, GPS mode and all others. Thus, you’ll get the same functionality (or even better) but a user has to do fewer actions.
I hope all our tips persuaded you that a mobile app redesign as is important as a website redesign. Of course, it costs money and time, still, if you don’t water a plant it dies sooner or later. An app support and updates should be your priority if you really want to make money with it.
