The Features of an App That Keep Users Coming Back

During the process of app development, it can feel easy to overcomplicate what exactly it is that people are looking for, what exactly it is that makes a good app. While it can be difficult to put into words, your own experience using apps can make the answer incredibly clear. 

There is a difference, though, between what makes a good app and what makes an app that sees a lot of returning users again and again and again. An app with a strong sense of purpose is one that might never be deleted.

Fast Loading

The first thing that might turn someone away from an app could be if they spend too long waiting for it to load. If it’s just the one loading screen that opens up your entire app, that might be worth waiting a short time for, but if there are regular long loading screens, users are going to quickly realize that they’re spending most of their time waiting. 

Much of the time, in app development, this might be a problem with optimization, or even due to poor web hosting. However, if you do feel as though you’re struggling to change your circumstances, it might be wise to research ways of making these load times feel shorter by integrating them more closely into the user experience.

A Purpose Achieved Successfully

Many businesses might realize that having a dedicated app is good for business and rush to get one out the door, but not every brand actually needs one. If your app is able to enhance and complement the customer experience, it might add a whole dimension that makes it actively worth using. To that end, you might look to design it with that same focus in mind. While that might mean looking to cut away the distractions in terms of what users spend their time doing on the app, it’s important to distinguish between what’s relevant and what isn’t. For example, an app with poor security isn’t going to be able to achieve its goal, and proper application security can allow your customers to continue perceiving your brand as working in their best interests.

Intuitive UI

The way that something feels to use, be it a game or a physical, ergonomic device, or an app, isn’t always easy to put into words. If a game is fun, for example, can you always describe exactly why you enjoy playing it? Sometimes it’s simply intuitive, which is a great and desirable result for a product, but far from helpful or actionable advice when you’re trying to design something with these features.

The user interface (UI) is a good place to start with this. You can break this down into how it looks – whether it’s aesthetically pleasing and how well visuals in the foreground work against the backgrounds – as well as how it feels, such as if a button responds to being pressed. It can feel like a mountain of smaller considerations that come together to form the backbone of the entire user experience.