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6 Reasons Why Your Mobile App Is Failing in 2021
6 Reasons Why Your Mobile App Is Failing in 2021

6 Reasons Why Your Mobile App Is Failing in 2022

Content Menu
Introduction
1. Finding Your Target Market Is Challenging
2. True Potential Not Realized
3. No Collaboration Between App Developers & Designers
4. No Prototype Timeframe In Place
5. Short Attention Spans
6. Wrong PlatformScreen Flow
Final Thoughts

Introduction

Mobile apps have been a popular form of entertainment for over a decade now. More and more people continue to use mobile apps on their devices, but the number of downloads has declined in recent years. Have people simply lost interest in mobile apps? Not quite.

The drop in downloads is a sign of a bigger problem: mobile apps are failing.

Statistics show that 80 to 90 percent of apps in the app store are abandoned after just one use.

This goes for both the Apple App Store as well as the Google Play Store. The majority of users have around 40 apps installed on their device, but only use around 9-10 of those apps daily.

What is it exactly that makes mobile apps fail? Let’s dig a little deeper than the reasons mentioned above.


1. Finding Your Target Market Is Challenging

Mobile applications are designed with a specific user base in mind. The problem is that it’s difficult to make an app attractive to all users because of the wide variety of tastes.

The more niche your target audience, the harder it will be to find people who are interested in what you have to offer.

Solution:

There isn’t a solution to this issue. You can either find your niche and enter the market, or you can try and make an app that is appealing to everyone in hopes of gaining more exposure. Here are some steps you can apply to find your niche.


2. True Potential Not Realized

Mobile applications provide users with a lot of different features. One of the benefits is that you can get access to tons of different functionalities from just one app. Unfortunately, not all apps utilize their functionality to its full potential and users aren’t able to enjoy what they’re downloading the app for.

Solution:

This issue can be solved by either releasing updates that add features or improving the existing ones. Many companies release beta versions of new features or applications for a small group of people to try it out beforehand. This allows developers to receive feedback in terms of how the feature or app is operating and where improvements can be made if any.


3. No Collaboration Between App Developers & Designers

Design is what separates an okay mobile app from a great mobile app. An average piece of software will have the bare minimum functionality, but users prefer apps that are easy on the eyes. 

It’s frustrating for developers when they come up with an awesome idea, but it has to be scrapped because of a lack of creative input from the design team. Mobile app development should not be a one-man job.

Design is what separates an okay mobile app from a great mobile app. An average piece of software will have the bare minimum functionality, but users prefer apps that are easy on the eyes. 

It’s frustrating for developers when they come up with an awesome idea, but it has to be scrapped because of a lack of creative input from the design team. Mobile app development should not be a one-man job.

Solution:

Relationship between mobile app Developers & Designers

The design team needs to offer feedback on the app development process. If this is done early enough, both the developer and designer can make changes before it’s too late.

Additionally, developers need training in basic design principles. The more they know about design, the easier it will be for them to work with a team of designers.

Lastly, developers need to understand that design is just as important, if not more important than what they’re making. One person can’t do everything. Everyone has to put in an equal effort for things to work out.


4. No Prototype Timeframe In Place

There’s nothing more frustrating for developers than having no idea how long an application will take to finish, especially when they have other projects vying for their attention.

Not having a prototype timeframe is particularly troublesome in the early stages of development. It’s hard to know how much time will be needed for research, planning, or coding when you don’t have anything concrete to work with.

Solution:

Any developer who is serious about their work will always give an estimated timeframe for the development of a mobile application. 

Some developers may try to keep silent on how long it will take them to finish certain tasks, but they shouldn’t be working with anyone who isn’t willing to hear them out. This is part of having a healthy relationship with anyone involved in the mobile app development process.

The developer needs to communicate with everyone else who is working on the project. This way it’s easier for everyone to start on a better foot and know what they’re getting into from the very beginning.


5. Short Attention Spans

Most people will not download and use an app if it takes more than ten minutes to figure out how to do something. Users are either impatient or easily distracted, so you need to make sure that your mobile application is easy to understand.

Solution:

If the mobile application that you’re working on has a lot of different features included, then you need to make sure it’s easy for users to learn the basics. If the user interface is confusing, people will not be able to use your app properly no matter how good the rest of it is. 

Make sure that there’s a short tutorial included in the application where users can learn how to use all of the features. The more fun and easy it is for your users to interact with your app, the more likely they are going to stick around.


6. Wrong PlatformScreen Flow

Mobile application developers often need to pick their battles. They need to decide whether or not it’s worth their time and energy to create an app for all of the different mobile platforms that are available.

This is particularly true when it comes to smartphones versus tablets. Many people own smartphones, but fewer use them for anything other than making phone calls and sending text messages. Most people who own tablets typically use them for surfing the web and watching videos, so it may not be necessary to create a mobile application for such a limited audience.

Solution:

It’s up to the developer to decide on the best platform for releasing an application. They need to take into consideration their audience, how much time it will require them to develop for different platforms, and what kind of result they want.

If you already have a smartphone app running, it’s smart to keep developing on that same platform unless you notice that users are no longer using it or there’s a lot of issues that need to be fixed.

It may take time, but the developer should keep trying to get different platforms working for their mobile applications if they find themselves with more development time to spare.


Final Thoughts

No matter how much time you spend developing a mobile application, if no one uses it then there’s no point. Without users, your app is nothing more than a novelty that probably won’t generate the revenue needed to sustain itself in the long run.

All of these issues can be solved beforehand before any development starts on an idea for a mobile application. Additionally, you can read more on current challenges in mobile app development, and how to resolve them.

The most important thing is to make sure that your app solves a problem or provides something useful for people. The more you learn about the mobile space, the easier it will become for you to create an app that can compete in this ever-changing industry.


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