Month: October 2020

Development

8 Actionable UX Tips You Should Know When Developing a Mobile App

There is no denying that user experience (UX) is one reason a user is keeping your mobile app. Its usability and intuitiveness (or the lack thereof) can make people decide whether an app is worth their time or not.

Thus, it is safe to say that the more usable your mobile app is, the higher the user engagement. This could lead to enhanced user retention, and fewer uninstalls. 

That said, we will walk you through the eight actionable UX tips you should keep in mind when creating a mobile application: 

Keep the target users in mind

Who are your mobile app’s target users? The people you want to serve and most likely use your app?

If you have no idea who your end-users are, you might be setting yourself up for failure. 

At Sytian App Developer Philippines, we always tell our clients about the importance of keeping the target users in mind.

And we are not just talking about demographics here. It is also essential to understand why they would need your app.

For instance, your users would want a mobile payment app that lets them pay their bills, make bank transactions, and buy groceries. That way, they won’t be switching from one app to another. 

Knowing who your target users are and what they need are some of the most important aspects to keep in mind when developing your mobile app. 

Incorporate micro-interactions

Famous social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook have capitalized on micro-interactions. And because of their popularity, it makes sense if you follow suit. 

Make your micro-interactions as seamless as possible to enhance your mobile app’s usability. 

Doing so will generate more engagement and more interactive experience for your users. This usually involves getting notifications, sharing on social media accounts, or communicating feedback. 

Just make sure that your mobile app’s interface is optimized for smaller screens. 

Choose your colors wisely

It would be ideal to pick a color scheme that has fewer colors to decrease visual saturation. 

Pick a maximum of three colors, and make sure that it’s consistent with your app’s design.

As much as possible, try to stay away from colors that are too vibrant as it can disturb your users’ eyes, causing them to disengage. Choose warmer colors instead, and pick colors that provoke certain emotions from the users. 

Great search function

Users download your app with different goals in mind. Others may want to buy something, while some would like to know more information. 

A good app should have excellent navigation, which helps ease the user search. If they found it hard to get useful links, your users will likely leave your app and uninstall it. 

Provide users with advanced search features or an in-app search to make it fast and easy. It will boost the usability of your app, as well.

Keep it simple

You might have heard of the Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS) model. That’s because it is an integral part of UX and User Interface (UI) design, especially if you are designing an app.

After all, mobile app users prefer simplicity, ease of use, and intuitiveness. Something that can make them understand how your app words at a glance.

That said, stay away from using flashy elements when designing your mobile app. Keep it simple, instead, and optimize your images if needed.

Lessen user input

You should also stay away from asking too much information from your mobile app users.

If you require users to sign in, only ask what’s necessary, like name, email address, and mobile number. You can also opt to let users sign in via their Google or Facebook accounts. That way, they can sign in with ease.

Any unnecessary data and long forms can turn off many users, causing them to uninstall your app.

Prompt error notifications

If something goes wrong with the app, you must immediately notify your user about the error. Identify what the error is and what the user should do next. 

The last thing that you want to happen is for them to be stuck navigating your app. If they feel like they’re wasting their time, your users will likely leave and uninstall your app. 

Display valuable push notifications

Push notifications are a great way to boost your mobile’s user retention. Nonetheless, you should not send notifications to your users willy-nilly. 

For one, it is vital to let your users choose what kind of notifications he’d like to receive. And only send valuable notifications.

Using our previous example, a mobile payment app user might want to receive a notification when his bill is due.

When done right, push notifications can keep your users engaged.

When designing a mobile app, it would be best to consider your end-users and their needs. Doing so can help you create a simple and intuitive design. And this can help you boost user retention and decrease your uninstall rate.

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How Seniors Are Using Technology

According to an interesting article that broke down mobile connection metrics across the globe, there are now more cellular devices on planet Earth than people. That means, in a general sense, that people, young and old, are relying on these devices to facilitate their needs. While many mobile users fall below 50 years of age, many seniors are beginning to understand how valuable connectedness is. Located below are areas in which senior citizens can benefit from using mobile devices and apps.

Food Delivery

One of the daily tasks that become increasingly difficult for individuals as they get older is getting a meal to eat. While many of us have no issue going into a restaurant or store to purchase items, this task seems daunting for an elderly individual. Luckily for them, smart-device applications have been created to make the process of getting a meal easier for older users. 

Seniors will find their lives easier when they can open an app, place an order, and have the food delivered to their residence in a fraction of the time as the traditional method. Furthermore, on account of the current pandemic, seniors may opt for contactless delivery services to ensure their safety. Simply put, you can’t go wrong with this technology!

Tracking and Emergency Services

One of the biggest solutions for independent living that seniors can use to gain peace of mind is by using apps that can track their location in times of emergency. When asking seniors about their fears as they become older, they tend to express emotions about falling or becoming injured without anyone knowing. Their fear is real, too. Most injuries that seniors experience go unnoticed, as they’re unable to make it to a phone or computer.

The beauty of using these applications is that it allows an all-encompassing means of staying protected in the future. Should you decide to use a mobile application like this, here’s what you need to look out for:

  • Easy-to-use navigation and straightforward interface design.
  • The ability to talk to real people at a moment’s notice should something go wrong.
  • Predictive technology that allows healthcare professionals to remain alert in potentially dangerous circumstances.
  • Data points that allow caregivers to build a working history with the patient.
  • Peace of mind for both the user and the user’s family. 

Medication Organizers

One of the main components of a senior’s day consists of taking medication on a schedule, thinking about their next dosage, and making sure they didn’t skip any supplements. The beauty of mobile apps is that they can act as an all-in-one assistant that keeps seniors on track for the day. Do you know an older individual that has difficulty taking their medications on time? Do they often find themselves getting off schedule, or in worst-case scenarios, completely forget to take their prescriptions for days on end? If so, it’s time to use a mobile app to alleviate their worry.

Reminders and alerts will act as a gentle reminder for the individual in question to maintain a productive schedule. When they take their medications consistently, you improve their quality of life and allow them to lead their days more freely. These mobile apps are a must-have!

Transportation

Let’s face it, getting to appointments and running errands can be a hassle, more so if you’re older. We also run into the problem that most seniors cannot safely get behind the wheel of a car to travel from point A to point B. With transportation apps available on mobile devices, seniors can rest assured that they can get where they need to be on time. Should they need to get to an appointment, run a quick errand, or meet up with a friend, these apps have their back!

As you can see, technology is not a series of devices reserved for younger generations to communicate with one another. Millions of older people living around the globe are finding new and unique ways of improving their lifestyle by implementing proprietary software. If you know a senior that could benefit from using these technologies, discuss it with them in the upcoming future. Who knows, you may improve their quality of living and allow them to live life on their terms.

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Customer Data Platforms

With increased businesses and competitors, most marketing organizations are looking for efficient ways to target customers. Customer Data Platforms (CDP) has become influential in helping marketing organizations achieve their marketing goals. They are assisting organizations to deal with several marketing channels and ways to counter competition. This article will look at what Customer Data Platforms are, their work, features, and examples.

What is Customer Data Platforms?

A Customer Data Platform empowers marketers with the client’s data and provides the full details of these customers. It brings together artificial intelligence and data science, which pulls together marketing data to create personalized experiences for clients. It helps support the company’s marketing activities based on the client’s experiences. They unify data collected from different sources to create one, full-detailed customer profile. These CDP mobile apps help marketers collect data in real-time, making them segment it and efficiently serve their clients.

How does Customer Data Platform work?

Customer Data Platforms have many capabilities and responsibilities. They are used to collect data from different sources, filter it, and restructure it in a manner suitable to fit marketing systems. The data is then used to offer personalized marketing activities to clients. CDPs come in various forms. They can also carry other functions, such as analyzing data, predictive processes, and content marketing. The main tasks of customer data platforms include the below:

  • They identify clients’ information.
  • They upload and store customer data in the systems.
  • They accept input of data from different sources and formats.
  • They compare and merge data of a client from various sources.
  • Provide the processed data to external systems, including marketing
  • It enables marketers to control and use the data in marketing activities.
  • Apply other processes that make the data usable in different fields of marketing.

How is a Customer Data Platform Important to Your Business?

There are different reasons why an organization will need a CDP mobile app in their organization. The main reason is that it benefits its marketers in their marketing functions. Its benefits are as below:

  • The CDP integrates the existing and future marketing tools of an organization. It is necessary because marketing systems come with different technologies, making them not compatible with each other in an organization.
  • It enables organizations to better understand their customer’s behavior on different channels when offering various media campaigns.
  • It provides real-time personalization of clients. CDP enables marketers to develop real-time personalized content for their customers based on personality and behavior.

Benefits of a Customer Data Platform

Below are some of the benefits of a Customer Data Platform app to businesses:

  • It provides a complete customer view: it helps companies get complete customer information, which is comprehensive and accurate, making their engagement more manageable. It maximizes efficiency by reducing redundancy and inaccuracy in the customer’s data. 
  • Leads to improved advertising: since a CDP helps to come up with customer’s data in a targeted way, it increases online advertising effectiveness. 
  • Simplifies customer data: traditionally, marketers had a challenging task of synchronizing data from different sources. CDP automates the whole process and gives marketers ready–to–use data, making them concentrate on other marketing strategies.
  • Web personalization: CDP allows companies to create personalized customer experiences directly to their websites. It’s only possible when companies get real-time information concerning website visitors.
  • Helps businesses gain insights: through data mining, companies can get more information regarding their customers.

Best CDP Software Providers

There are different CDP Software providers you can find online. Some of the best include the below:

  • Tealium: It’s the largest according to the employee count, and it’s the most recognized CDP software. It has over 1000 Pre-built integrations for business use and has a robust API toolkit.
  • Lytics: has over 50 employees and allows aggregation of data, which resolves data for individual customers. It has AI capabilities that are useful in most businesses.
  • Redpoint Global: It works with various vendors to create data solutions to clients. Founded in 2006, it has robust data segmentation and incorporates vendors for data enrichment. Gives quality data and provides data stitching services.
  • Segment: Provides strong, out of the box integrations and has over 200 SaaS vendors.
  • Treasure data: Offers CDP with over 100 connectors that help unify raw data to produce a single customer experience. 
  • Blueconic: Provides a highly scalable solution for businesses. It’s a suitable ML based product. Its software leverages several AWS services.

Customer Data Platforms are becoming popular in implementing marketing strategies. It helps companies and their marketers concentrate on other things by simplifying customer’s data, used in marketing strategies. They are must-have instruments that every company should have in its marketing toolkit.