What's the ideal dosage for putting together the perfect blending of functionality and design in an app? Does functionality come first and steals design a bit of its fame or, on the contrary, it's the fine looks that catch the eye and this first good impression gets, later on, strengthened by great functionality, easiness to use and all that?
Does clean and clear, simple and elegant, refined and minimalist mean... basic?
How can you be unique in a huge mass of uniqueness and creativity bursting apps developers? What if uniqueness hinders functionality? What if functionality constraints uniqueness.
Well, these are just some of the questions you might ask yourself now, when you've got your “moment of pure genius”, you've had a greater than life idea of an app and now you face the challenge of making it steal the spotlight, of making it set itself apart from a huge crowd of great apps, all trying to woo and entice the User.
We don't have the answers to all of your questions. Still, we have 10 tips and tricks that we hope will boost light on your path (to success) and boost your confidence as an app developer:
1. Make it Unique
“Duh!”, you might say, but still, we need to stress out (over and over) the high importance of being ten times more unique than your competition.
You need to “exhale” creativity, so wrap up your app in distinctive features and appealing (nothing like your users have seen before) visuals that will help it stand out from the crowd. Pour uniqueness in all the stages of your app's development: from its name, to its graphics and to the engaging content you insert in.
You can't afford to go for “safe and easy” and “nice and cozy” when competition is as high as in apps' world!
Extract uniqueness from every feature! So what if the idea of your app has been already exploited over and over again? Think outside the box:
- drop in some good sarcastic humor it that defines you
- go for a totally new type of design
- focus on one single detail, that has been neglected by everyone else, and cast a light upon it
- put in some of you as a unique human being able to tell his/her very own unique story
and success will come, we guarantee you. Just that the road to success is paved with uniqueness, that's all!
2. Put Your Lights (Keywords) On
Put your keywords to work! They'll be the shedding light upon your app!
Still, don't rush in to pick basic info related to your company that anyone can easily find online or keywords overused by your completion already.
Stick to your uniqueness-paved road to success. Remember? Carefully choose the keywords that best speak out of your app's amazing features. Select your “own” keywords!
3. Detail It
It would be such a shame to leave out some of the awesomeness of your app, not to shed light on some of its great features now wouldn't it?
Therefore, make sure you accurately describe your app to your users! Start with a concise, yet “powerful” sentence that will present/market your app's distinctive feature (what it does that others don't, what makes it stand out, how does it... ease or brighten up your user's life)?
After he/she will have read your description, your user has to get instantly familiarized with your app's main functionality and luring features. Make sure to put in all the info that makes your app unique, to include all its beneficial features in its description and to make your text as easy to read as possible as well.
Convey the very essence (what makes it different from is previous versions an what makes it set itself apart from other similar apps), but don't spare details that could help your users get familiarized with it.
4. Think Global
Going for a cross-border distribution strategy is not an option, it's a must!
It's either a “Dare and think big!” or a “Stay connected to the globalized society!” mentality. Pick the one that suits you best and make sure you keep this in mind: create multiple versions of your app for different key markets around the world.
Adapting it to new and new environments, cultural differences.... now that's going to be a “sweet” challenge that you'll have to respond to!
5. Dazzle Them With Graphics
Again, you might think (as in the case of “uniqueness”): “Duh! Of course my app has to feature outstanding graphics!”
Well, we just wanted to double check that you're aware of how great looks sustain and enhance functionality! So, go ahead and mesmerize them with great graphics!
Let your jaw-dropping images convey the message you want convey and to stir the type of emotion you want to trigger in your users. Strategically use the colors affiliated to the mood you want to create through your app. Should your app fill up your uers with energy or rather to help them relax after a hard day at work? Make great graphics serve your goals!
6. Go For Eye-Catching Icons
“Don't judge a book by its cover!” So not true in case of great apps!
Face it: it's that tiny little icon that will determine your app's trajectory: up for fame and success or... down to “eternal” oblivion. Which one should it be?
Here are a few tips for you, for creating “attention-grabbing” icons:
- lose the words: no need to get your icon stuffed with text no one can read and which, moreover, tends to outshine the icon's awesome graphics. Don't sabotage all your work from the very beginning!
- keep it clear, simple and different: take that small window put at your disposal as a tiny canvas that you have to project your app's specificity on. Here, conceptualization is key if you really want it to make it stick it to your users' memory (you surely can think of some great brands which are easily recognizable though their so very conceptual logos, right?). Consider your icon as your app's logo in apps' world and, therefore, put a great deal of effort into its design!
- make it simple, yet not rudimentary: you don't want your icon to have an unfinished, unpolished look. So, although you have to stick to simplicity, do feel free to play with colors, highlights, reflections, shadows
7. Keep It Simple
Remember the UI trend forecasted to make waves in 2017, the one related to “extreme minimalism”, that we pointed out to you in one of our previous posts on this blog?
Well, here we are stressing out the importance of keeping your design simple and elegant once again. Keep in mind that your users will be on the road and not comfortably seated in their desk chairs at home, facing their PCS.
So, whenever you think you've put together a minimalist design for your app, ask yourself this: “Should this be the very last variant or I can still simplify it (and thus refine) it even more?”
When it comes to UI deign, a simpler interface will definitely keep your users engaged some more. So, place your bid on simplicity! Effectively use your colors and ease your user's job, making it simple for him/her to do more with less touchscreen gestures. Keep it simple and your first-time user will turn into a regular one!
8. Make It The Easiest to Use
Considering the frenetic lives we're living and the tremendously fierce competition in apps' world (with so many other apps out there “fighting” for your users' attention and loyalty), making your app easy to use shouldn't be your goal anymore. You need to make it the easiest one to use instead!
It's not an easy job for you, we're well aware of that, but if you manage to achieve his ultimate goal, if you manage to skillfully mix and match chunky font with intuitive swiping and bright colors and to come up with a super easy to use app, then expect to see it there, on apps' “walk of fame”!
9. Build Some Buzz Around It
Spread the news about your awesome app, show it off to some of you target users, in a few words: create some buzz around it. Don't rely exclusively on its official launch for releasing it into the wild!
Strategically put together the proper “launch” environment for it:
- rely on keywords-related methods (App Search Optimizatio and Search Engine Optimization are but 2 solutions you could choose from)
- design the screenshots that make the perfect curiosity-stirring teasers
10. Design It For Them, Your Target Audience
That's right, no need to be a daydreamer and think that EVERYONE, regardless of age, profession, sex, level of education, location etc. will love your app!
Instead, make sure to dazzle and make a difference in your own' segment of the whole audience targeted by the apps' ecosystem. Once you've defined your target audience's portrait, keep it in your head throughout the entire app development process!
These are our 10 tips for you, aimed at helping you make your next app stand out from the crowd! How does your own “toolbox” look like? What other trends, surveys and advice from those who've already “made it big” in apps' world do you rely on in your work as a remarkable apps developer?
