Developing mobile apps is more than just coding and designing. It’s also important to keep in mind that the app should be user-centered if you want to build engagement and generate a return on investment.

To help you out, we have compiled some tips on how to create user-centered mobile apps that can lead to better engagement and ROI. So let’s dive in! 🤿

Focus on User Needs and Experience 🧑‍🦯🤲

When creating mobile apps, keep the user experience in mind. Understand users’ needs and design the mobile app accordingly. There’s no point in building an app that users can’t understand or don’t find useful.

Conduct user research and testing to gather feedback and understand the problems your target users face. Use this feedback to improve the app, make it more user-friendly, and enhance the user experience.

A mobile app user interface with user-friendly features

Prioritize App Performance ⚡️🏎

App performance, such as speed and reliability, matters. Users won’t stick with an app that crashes or is slow to respond. Moreover, users’ loyalty decreases when an app takes a long time to run or wait for the process.

To ensure a high performing app, optimize it from the coding level by keeping it simple. Reduce the use of unnecessary libraries or functions and make it lightweight. Testing your app regularly is recommended to avoid app crashes and poor performance.

A screenshot of an optimized app performance report indicating speedy app loading time

Focus on the Onboarding Experience 👋🎓

Onboarding is the process of introducing the users to the app’s features and functionality. Onboarding should be kept simple, engaging, and informative as possible. An app that does not have effective onboarding for the first-time user may find it challenging to retain users.

The onboarding process should be guided by the user’s experience, such as, avoid exposing users to a lengthy tutorial but instead opt for bite-sized information or short videos. The information given should have visual aid which includes images or videos during the onboarding process.

An illustration of a mobile app users trudging across a desert, suggesting a simpler and a seamless onboarding experience to steer users along with the app's navigation.

Personalize the App Experience 💁‍♀️💁‍♂️👩‍👦

Personalization is when a set of content is tailored based on the user’s interests or needs. Personalized experiences go hand in hand with better engagement. When users see content or recommendations based on their past preferences, the app becomes useful.

Make sure to gather information about the user to provide a more personalized experience. For example, add features such as a favorite list or search history. Pushing personalized notification alerts also helps!

A screenshot of a personalized home screen for a sports app featuring recommended content and live updates tailored to the user's interests.

Implement Social Features 🤝👍

Social features are essential because they allow users to share their experiences with others, interact with friends, and feel involved. Social features also make your app more accessible and help to build a community around it.

Functions such as commenting, tagging users, or having a user profile to interact with other users make the app feel social and friendly.

A screenshot of a social feature of a mobile app where users can create a group and interact with other users based on common interests.

Final thoughts 💭💡

Building user-centered mobile apps is a crucial aspect of app development. Focusing on user needs and experience, prioritizing app performance, delivering a seamless onboarding experience, personalizing the app experience and implementing social features in the app, can lead to better engagement and ROI.

Use these tips to make your mobile app standout, grow the user base,& inspire retention. 💪🚀

An animated image depicting a rocket being launched, symbolic of the app's growth, user retention, and success upon implementing user-centered features.