Can Your Mobile App Last A Day?

Are you thinking about launching a mobile app? Already working on one? Is it in the store? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions or even if you are just curious, we have some numbers that will interest you.

Launching an app is a big achievement and a lot of hard work, even more so if it covers multiple operating systems and devices. The launch of the app and the subsequent stream of downloads is always exciting for both the owner and the developer. But what happens after the first day? Sadly, most users start uninstalling your app.

Heartbreaking, right?

Yes. By Day 7, you will, more than likely, have lost over 80% of your mobile users. Data shows that four out of five users will give up on your app within a week.

Want more numbers?

Less than 25% of users log back into an app after a day, i.e. even before you get all your analytics data, you have lost a chunk of your user base. Users have a lot of options today. Every app has a competitor already in the store or right on its heels. The competition is immense. Already thinking twice about building your mobile app? Don’t be – We want to help you plan the app with retaining users in mind.

1. Plan Your User Onboarding

Research shows that the very first interaction the users have with your app is the most critical. It’s either love at first sight or out of mind altogether. Personally, I have been in bad dates with better odds. So, how do you make the most of the very first interaction? You need to engage users and get them invested instantly. Let’s look at two different apps: One for entertainment and the other for communications at work. Let’s see how they go about their user onboarding process:

Entertainment- Bitmoji

On installation, the Bitmoji app walks the user through a tutorial on how to create their own Bitmoji. The process is fun and easy to use. In five minutes, the user is looking at his likeness embedded in various colorful and funny images. The user is now more likely to return to the app, as the onboarding process was completed in five minutes and the user knows exactly what awaits him the next time he signs in.

Workplace communication- Slack:

The Slack app does a great job of user onboarding. If you have not created a team, Slack walks you through the process effortlessly. You setup a team, your profile and invite users in a few simple steps and, before you know it, the Slackbot is talking to you.

The following tips need to be remembered for the best user onboarding experience:

1. Start with a short intro of your app
2. Show progress as they move on
3. Keep it simple, don’t push too many features at once
4. Finish onboarding before asking them to sign up
5. Offer different login options
6. Make it interactive, so the user gets familiar with the features
7. When done, prompt the user for an action

2. Design A Clutter Free UI

Your app needs to have a clutter free UI for the best user retention. The apps with the highest retention rates have the most easy-to-use UI for their users. They stay away from doing many things and focus on the most important elements needed for the app’s success. It is important to know what the user wants and provide the right information. For the best user experience for your app, you will need to start planning it even before development. Talk to your designers and developers, work on multiple wireframes and get as much feedback as possible from potential users. The importance of the User Experience cannot be overstated. Keep in mind that even though the app should have minimal design elements, it should still be intuitive for the users. As for Apple and their Apple Music app, the first version was too stripped down for users to understand what to do on the app. The current version is a great example of what to do with your UX, while the first version is a cautionary tale for us.

3. Keep Them Engaged

The next thing to do is to keep them engaged. This is easier for social media and entertainment apps, but every app needs the users to feel like the time they spend on it is valuable. This works both for user retention as well as for recommendations, as users tend to recommend good apps to their friends after their first few experiences with it. It is important to plan and install analytics for your app even before it is launched. If you could have a small beta or soft launch, you should go for it. All the forecasting and simulations cannot compare to user’s actual experiences on the app.

With tools like Appsee (www.appsee.com) and Hockeyapp (https://hockeyapp.net), you can see exactly how users are interacting with your app. The heatmaps, recordings and user demographic data will provide invaluable information on how users use your app and what problems they face on their first try. This data should then be used to make the app UI and the onboarding process work for your user. Remember, you only have a day to woo them.

4. It All Starts With A Plan

The idea for an app is just the beginning. Finding the developers to develop an app might seem as obvious next step to do. But to be successful, you need to plan your app to last beyond a day. And then beyond a week. And, onlythe most successful apps accomplish this. The Top 10 apps are able to retain more than 55% of their users long past the installation day. If you want your app to be successful, it has to retain its users for months. Since most users sign up on launch, it all starts from the very first day. So, start now. Plan your app for the very first install. Plan for love at first sight.