Over the last few years, the app market has become increasingly competitive. As a result, app businesses are finding it difficult to survive, let alone grow.
Learning about the features that make an app successful is very important in order to compete and grow in the mobile apps industry.
If you, too, are planning to create a mobile application to execute your idea and transform it into reality, you must take some time to understand the important features that your app must have to be successful.
After analyzing dozens of successful mobile applications, I have compiled a list of 8 common features that most successful apps have.
Here, I would like to share those features with you.
#1 Problem-solving
The ability to solve a problem is perhaps the most essential ingredient of any successful mobile application.
If you look around and pay attention to any of the popular mobile applications, you will find that it will solve some problem(s) of the users.
If it’s a car hire/hailing app, it would solve users’ commuting problems.
If it’s a social app, it will solve users’ networking & connectivity problems.
Likewise, if it’s a productivity app, it will help the users to stay productive & achieve more.
Does your app development idea solve any problems for users? If not, add this important ingredient to increase your chances of success.
#2 Simplicity
Simplicity is another important feature that every successful mobile app has.
Simplicity of an app can be in two forms:
- The simplicity of features allows for a better user experience.
- The Simplicity of designs in terms of user interfaces.
The simpler, the better!
Here comes the role of your designer and mobile app developer.
Yes, your app developer can help make the designs and flow of your app simple and easy to use. As a result, you will get a high user engagement rate and a lower uninstall rate.
#3 Platform compatibility
If you look at any successful mobile app, you will notice that it is available on both major platforms (iOS and Android).
It’s important to build the app for both platforms to ensure wide coverage of the audience. Especially if you know that your target audience uses both iOS and Android devices, you can’t afford to miss any of them.
Of course, when you choose to build a native mobile app on 2 different platforms (iOS & Android), the cost of your app development may increase significantly.
However, if you don’t have enough budget or if you want to start with less investment, you can also choose a cross-platform technology such as hybrid app development.
#4 Free download
Offering free mobile apps increases the odds of users downloading your app. Everybody likes apps that are free to download.
No matter how simple your app is or which problem it resolves, unless users download it, they won’t know about its features. Isn’t that true?
Therefore, the primary objective of any app business should be to increase the number of installations. Most successful mobile apps are free to download.
Now, if you are wondering how on earth I will make money if I don’t charge the users to download my app.
Don’t worry.
There are many other ways to monetize a mobile application, such as:
- Running advertisements
- In-app selling
- Freemium model
- Subscription-based model
Recommended post: 7 Ways to monetize your mobile application
#5 High engagement rate
Enhanced user engagement is another common feature of all successful mobile apps. They are user-friendly and intuitive. The more engaging a mobile app is, the higher the number of users will be.
How can you or your app developer build an engaging mobile application?
Well, below are some of the best ways to create a user-friendly & engaging app:
- Take care of the responsiveness of your app.
- Using high-resolution images.
- Using appropriate fonts.
- Maintaining brand consistency.
- Allowing users to participate in the form of feedback, surveys, etc.
- Using appropriate call-to-action elements.
- Taking care of thumbs’ & fingers’ accessibility.
- Testing the app for crashes.
- Goal-driven design.
Recommended post: 9 Tips to create UI designs that your app developer must follow
#6 Personalization
Personalization in any mobile application involves knowing what users want and delivering content/information/options according to their preferences.
All successful mobile apps have an excellent way to personalize their users’ experience, which results in a high retention rate. In other words, users love their apps.
You can provide a personalized experience to your mobile app users in many ways. Below are some of them:
- Personalizing search results.
- Showing geo-location-based options.
- Showing interest-based options.
- Showing recent-history-based options to the users.
#7 Feedback
Allowing users to provide their feedback is another important element that every successful mobile app has.
You can also ask your app developer to create a feedback section on your application and encourage the users to provide valuable feedback.
Here are 4 major reasons why you should collect in-app feedback from your users:
- A feedback system enhances the user-engagement rate of your app.
- You get first-hand reviews about your app directly from your users.
- You make your users feel important by seeking their feedback.
- You get to know how you can improve your mobile app for better user engagement.
#8 Regular updates
Last but not least, all successful apps upgrade their previous versions and re-launch their products with new or enhanced features.
The mobile application development is not a one-time thing.
You do need to upgrade your app whenever:
- There is any new feature added to it.
- There is any bug that has been fixed
- There is a rebranding or redesigning of your app.
- There is any adjustment of your mobile strategy.
- There is an improvement in user experience.