6 reasons for your app redesign
In this blog post, we answer the question "When is it the right time for your app redesign? We made a list of 6 reasons why you should revamp your app.
Ever-changing reality encourages us to question everything and especially the products and services we deliver. Are they up-to-date and unique? Is there anything that can be improved to add more value to people’s lives?
Many influential companies we know today, like Instagram, Facebook, Starbucks, Airbnb, Ikea, and many others, have at least once decided to reimagine their brands completely.
In 2016 along with introducing new features, Instagram has also switched from a skeuomorphic design to a flat one. This shift has shown that modern users do not need the digital world anymore so much resemble the real one.
In this article, we’ll go through 6 major reasons that indicate you need to overhaul your app:
Reason #1. Much of negative feedback or absence of it from your users
A reasonable amount of negative comments can be beneficial for your growth, as thus you see the real issues users face and know what to do next to encourage them to stay with you. Although an excessive amount of negative reviews may be the first clue for you to entirely reconsider the app or at least fix the most frequently mentioned issues.
On the contrary, much worse is either a full absence of feedback or very little of it over a long period of time. In this case, you should better take immediate action and conduct substantial research on why your app does not resonate with potential users.
The quality of the reviews you get may differ depending on the specifics of your target audience, like the age range. That’s why the feedback from a conscious adult audience you’ll analyze differently than, for instance, the feedback from kids.
Let’s have a look at the screenshot of an actual example of customer review. This is our app Caidr, a super convenient symptom checker. Each of the comments is half positive, and half constructive. It is another kind of the most valuable reviews you may get, as they indicate both positive aspects and things to refine.
Thanks to app stores, you can receive an immediate audience response. However, only with a tailor-made analysis strategy you’ll get all the benefits from your audience feedback and will be able to use it to your advantage.
Reason #2. Low rate on App Store and Google Play
Often the app rating on App Store or Google Play says it all about the product. It's just the same as with Uber drivers, people are more likely to cancel the ride with the driver who has a rating less than 4.5 and vice versa have more trust in drivers with the rating 4.5 and higher.
Still, the app rating should be examined very carefully, so that you do not jump to quick conclusions. It is just an average number of all users’ ratings, and there is no cause for concern if, for instance, your rating is 4.0 but more than 5k users have downloaded your app.
Therefore, make sure you always consider everything from a broad perspective to neither diminish nor overestimate your app performance on the market.
Reason #3. Fewer downloads than expected
If you notice that people have started to download your app much less, it may mean that either your marketing strategy is poorly configured and needs a refresh or your users have lost interest in the product.
This can be due to the causes like bug reports, complicated navigation, distracting and overloaded look-and-feel, or any other. Perceive this as a wake-up call to brace yourself, turn on your critical mindset, and admit that it is high time to change.
Reason #4. Outdated UI/UX that compounds user flow
Proper UI/UX design can attract even more users than app functionality. However, rather than blindly following trends it’s better to always keep in mind your target audience and stay on the same page with them. More minimalistic and flat design for the youth, and probably a skeuomorphic and simpler one for the older generation.
Besides, you should be a regular user of your app yourself to always be the first to spot any inconveniences in the user flow or app navigation.
Frequently, stakeholders are leaning towards the view that development is the most important part and postpone all the design work until the last minute. This approach can result in the loss of many potential users in the future, as from the very first sight it is evident whether the app design is well-thought-out or not.
Thus it’s much better to stay on the safe side and ensure building a pixel-perfect design well in advance.
Reason #5. Low conversion rate
If you have an in-app purchases (IAP) feature, a low conversion rate is one more reason to consider improving your app.
Typically, users are not used to purchasing anything within mobile applications, so you’ll have to put more effort to convince them that your offer is worth it. For that, it is crucial to know your target audience very well and give them even more than they expect.
To assess your conversion rate properly, remember that the IAP conversion rate has a lower threshold than its website counterpart. For instance, if 2% or 3% of your 100 app users subscribe to the premium account or purchase anything, then your conversion rate is fairly good. If these numbers are smaller, you should then reconsider your offer and think of whether it is actually beneficial for your audience.
Reason #6. Big gap between you and competitors
The meaning of the “big gap” in the subheading is two-fold. On the one hand, apprehension of the fact that you have a lot to improve in comparison to your competitors serves as a motivation to achieve more. On the other hand, competitors’ research also helps you to define your place and role on the international market, and with this understanding, you can adjust your goals and business strategy accordingly.
Studying other companies in your field helps you to be unique, as you learn from their experience and can avoid mistakes they make.
For instance, analyzing competitors’ customer reviews can give you an edge in enhancing your app and your perception of the users’ expectations on the market. It is especially helpful if, as it was mentioned in reason #1, your own application either has just a few reviews or none at all.
When you are aware of the ups and downs of your competitors, you gather more data for your own business analysis and you can easier and quicker determine its strong and weak points.
Conclusion with the checklist
As the desire to settle grows on you, open the checklist attached below. If you tick more than half of the listed points, do think of what possible changes you can make to your app. Yet listen to yourself, as even one point that feels prominent can be a trigger for improvement.
Mentioned in this article reasons may seem too straightforward, but at the same time, they are the most appropriate to evaluate the current state of your app accurately. Make sure you keep in mind your business goals when approaching this article and its checklist, as the significance of each point and reason is different for every individual app.
