9 common UX follies companies should steer clear of during app development

In the present cut throat competitive mobile app market, it’s pertinent to stand apart by creating an independent brand equity via user experience (UX) design. Though many companies understand the centrality of mobile app design to long-term success, they lack awareness regarding how UX design can shape their destiny.

It is common to mistake UX with user interface (UI) design, but user experience has got a lot more to do than visuals. It is the UX aspect that determines who, what, why, and how of mobile product use. If you don't properly leverage UX in the process of mobile app development then your creation can easily fall apart. In this essay our endeavor is to intimate about the nine mistakes pertaining to UX design.

Mistake No1: Seeing it as one person's responsibility

The responsibility of UX is not limited to one department or a designer. The entire product team has a major stake in the process of mobile app design. So, it is necessary to discuss the same with everyone responsible during the stage of product definition. By unitedly taking decisions one can ensure the final product is in tune with company philosophy and principles apart from achieving specific project goals. So, UX is a collective responsibility not individual.

Mistake No2: Stressing on UX only at the start of development

UX design is a continuous process. There are the five stages of design thinking processes for great mobile experiences: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. But these stages need not follow the same sequential pattern as they can often operate in tandem. The stages of the design thinking process go a long way in ensuring quality of the product. The final objective is to come to a good understanding of the product’s utility and audience. The plans of devising a great mobile experience begins with empathy which provides clear cut answers to problems that might occur at a later stage. Then the perceived problem is discussed to gain good insights about the prototype. Creation of a prototype is a constant process where product teams regularly assess and fine tune the product concept, and go back to the start of the process to find a suitable concept. Then the testing process starts with various parameters to get the desired final output.

Mistake No 3: Not establishing connect with users

Great UX can have an everlasting memory. There are several companies that struggle in offering a meaning to products and establishing connection with the users with products. There are several products in the market that are very good looking and usable but fail on the count of meaning. You need to ask yourself the impression the product is going to make with your users. This will explain whether the users will return to your app or uninstall your app. Establishing connect and providing a meaning is an integral part of UX design.

Mistake No 4: Not Designing for the user

There is a tendency among app developers to ignore the users while designing a product. But efficient UX designers accord high priority to user preferences. It’s imperative to be aware that the product you are designing is for a specific group of users with certain requirements . So, a user-centric attitude is a must for the whole development process so that the app strikes a chord with the target audience.

Mistake No 5: Not keeping a watch on your competitors

It is true that what works for you might not work for others. This does not mean that you should totally ignore your rivals in business. You should keep an eye on them and see what they are doing. Learn from what they are doing and pick up their best product and try to create a different version in your own way rather than copying them. Inspiration is fine but there is a huge difference between getting inspired and blindly copying.

Mistake No 6: Too much content can spoil your broth

Excessive content can spell doom for a design, so you need to be sure as to how much information you require. For example, parking signs are notorious on the count of information overload. On many occasions, parking places have to show a lot of information in a small space which can become very hard to understand at a glance. Designing a mobile UX also has problems similar to a parking place as apps need to communicate a lot in restricted space as well. This particular problem can be fixed with a user-specific approach. It is imperative to have only those content that can provide some value to the users. For example, in a website to drive traffic you need content that would attract the attention of users. So, you don't have to pack in too many things. What you need is a proper content strategy. Similarly in case of app design as well you need to have a plan in place. Provide information that you feel would be relevant to users. However, do not eliminate important matters. Hence, draw up a strategy for content in UX mobile design and avoid the confusion.

Mistake No 7: Very Complex Ui Design

A complicated UI design can easily ruin the user experience with large-scale intrusions or awkward call-to-actions. Avoid components that have no value and try to incorporate elements that enhance meaning and give a sense of purpose to the app. Good design can easily avoid unnecessary intrusions like animation. This does not mean that you should eliminate animations altogether. In gaming apps they are very essential but in a general use app they should be used sparingly.

Mistake No 8: Excessive features

Don't try to pack in too many elements and features, instead go with your brand’s strengths.

So, understand what all features are required in your app. If you include every feature to impress all and sundry chances are high that you end up falling between two stools. This would irritate your target users more than impress them. This would negatively impact your brand identity as well. So, figure out the unique value proposition that will help you stay ahead in the race.

Mistake #9: Mistaking UI With UX

You cannot separate the UI from the UX and vice versa. It is not possible to work on one design concept without factoring in the other. UX design seems so simple and effortless for the users that the analysis that goes into it becomes oblivious. The basic edifice or the structure of the app is analysis. UI design is basically effective and eye-candy interfaces with which the user interacts. So, appropriate knowledge in using these design disciplines determine the efficacy of your app.

Also Read : How To Design Rock-awesome Mobile App Design

Avoid these mistakes

These aforementioned 9 mistakes can sink your project, so it is better to avoid these to enhance the impact of your app. Also, learning to bypass common UX mistakes will help shape a better app. So, free yourself from these mistakes and churn out highly functional apps.

Using Design Thinking To Solve Ux Design Mistakes

Design thinking can be used to resolve badly conceived problems by scrutinizing and factoring in multiple perspectives or solutions. The underlying philosophy behind design thinking states that a user-specific focus is a must to design approaches. This inspires innovation, which results in competitive advantage.

The design thinking framework is continuous and dynamic and involves the synergy between product teams and users to develop mobile products based on user preferences. With design thinking in place, product development teams can easily discover the main objective of a mobile app, user difficulties, and significantly, the best solution to overcome user challenges.

Design thinking has caught up in a big way in recent times, however, the meteoric rise can be linked to the upward growth of many high-flying, global enterprises. Google, Apple, Spotify, Airbnb, and Uber are some of the examples to have fully extracted the process for their betterment. If used appropriately businesses can easily become innovative in terms of thinking to establish good connections with customers via resolving their issues.