Climbing TheCharts

5 tips on using exceptional user experiences to make your next mobile

app a smashing success

David Albert, Principal at Greygood@ggoo.io @davidpaulalbert

Roughly 80% of smartphone users use less than 10 apps on a regular basis, with one third using only 3-5 apps regularly.-- Pew Research

The app stores are full of Zombies!

According to a July 2013 report from tracking service Adeven

“579,001 apps out of a total of 888,856 apps in our database are zombies.”

That’s over two-thirds of all apps tracked by the firm.

However, if you think the opportunities are long gone, consider...

91% of American adults own a cell phone, yet only

50% download apps. As smartphones become

ubiquitous, the app market is poised for continued

growth at a staggering pace

Apple has paid out more than $10 billion

(yes, with a “b”) to app developers since the launch

of the App Store--all while keeping a healthy 30%

cut of app store sales

App downloads will grow 2.6 times in the next

four years, while revenues are expected to

increase 2.9-fold

1 Pew Research, September 2013

2 Apple

3 Gartner Research, September 2013

What sets successful apps apart from

Zombies?

Provides (considerable) value to the user in the form of utility or entertainment

1

Provides an exceptional user experience that makes it easy for a user to engage with the app

2

Is marketed and promoted effectively

3

Provides an exceptional user experience that makes it easy for a user to engage with the app

2

TACTIC 1

Design your way ahead of the competition

“Design makes the difference between customer satisfaction and customer delight.”- Giles Peyton-Nicollhttp://www.giles.me/

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

Apple App Store Google Play

How do people discover apps?

SearchFriends

WebsitesIn-App

Media

63% 63%

53%61%

21%17%

15% 21%17%

9%

Source: BI INTELLIGENCEhttp://www.businessinsider.com/search-is-the-biggest-driver-of-app-discovery-2012-8

Which app would you choose?

Packaging is Everything

Packaging is Everything

Get them in the first 5 seconds...

Track your daily intake! Daily Calorie Tracker allows you to look up the food you ate, then add it to a running total of calories. Run daily, weekly or month reports to track your progress.

Get them in the first 5 seconds...

Lose weight, stay fit and have fun doing it! Daily Calorie Tracker is your health companion for recoding and monitoring your caloric intake. Download and discover why Daily Calorie Tracker is superior to all other calorie logging apps on iTunes.

TACTIC 2

Use Sign-InsWhenever Possible

More easily personalize the app

Instant sharing and status updates

Tap into a user’s social graph

Sign-Ins

TACTIC 3

Speed & Stability

Speed, attention to detail, consistency throughout the entire user experience and overall stability are crucial to an app’s success. People have little tolerance for buggy apps, and no tolerance for slow apps.

Speed & Stability

TACTIC 4

Personalization FTW!

PersonalizationPersonalization is one of the killer features that make mobile apps superior to mobile websites. Apps, by their very nature, are more personal than websites, not to mention having access to device-specific functions like geolocation, a camera, user contacts, etc., and as such lend themselves to creating highly-personalized experiences for their users.

It can be simple

Or highlytailored...GILT presents the best sales for each user based on factors like purchase history, geographic location, and browsing behavior.

The best apps use content relevancy

And don’t forget about Push!Used effectively,Notifications can behighly-personalized,relevant and makeyour app stand out.

Always give them a wayto opt-in(or out)

Take advantage of in-app messaging

Countless applications for personalization

1. Personalization for the device

2. Location-specific content or events

3. Recommendations

4. Personalized content

5. Exclusive discounts & offers

6. Loyalty points and incentive programs tracking

7. Tools for UGC

TACTIC 5

Leverage email.(Yes, I said email)

When planning your next app (or your first), consider...

Get noticed with an exceptional icon, screenshots and description

Think about how your app can leverage a sign-in method

Never release a slow or buggy app!

Personalize the experience, even if it’s minimal

Use email as your secret weapon

d@ggoo.io@davidpaulalbertgreygoo.io