Top 5 UX improvements you can make to your app now

Your UI/UX can make or break your software. People don’t like outdated designs, they abandon complicated, convoluted user flows, and they leave bad reviews and word of mouth when too many things go wrong within an app.

In other words, having bad UI/UX is a quick and easy way to piss off your users or customers. You’d lose sales, status, and your business might slowly crumble like a country’s corrupt government.

What does it even mean? UX stands for user experience, and in the case of software, it covers how people feel when using your app. Do they fill their goals easily, in a timely manner? Or do they struggle, require customer support, leave bad reviews or cancel their subscriptions?

Improving your UX doesn’t have to be difficult: the first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one. So if you manage to identify your UX issues successfully, you’re already halfway to having better UX.

So in this article, we’re going to highlight some common issues and give you some ideas on how to improve your UX and make your users happy.

1. Talk to users like they’re people, not robots

A common mistake in software is using cold, robotic tones in app copy. “An error occurred” or “The system had a problem completing your task” sounds like you’re looking at a robot talking to another robot.

Using passive tone and focusing on what the app, or “the system” is doing is the biggest issue here. When giving out an error message, you need to help users understand what they did wrong. And in order to do that, you need to actually address them, and to be specific.

Instead of saying “an error occurred”, “wrong input” or “invalid”, tell your users: “your email address is missing an @”, “Your password is a bit unsafe, add some numbers and symbols to improve it”, “The date you pick needs to be in the future, and not the past” and such.

This has to do with development as well, so we suggest sitting down with your devs and going through error messages in your app that might be confusing or too unspecific. Write a series of error messages that go along with common errors users make. And you can also ask your QA team to test out the new ones and ensure they made sense & sound better.

And it’s not just warnings or error messages. When it comes to any copy in your app, it’s so much better to address your users as you would any person. That means using a conversational tone within info boxes, instructions, headlines, descriptions, buttons, and really anything that involves text.

So when writing any copy for your software, write it as if you’re talking directly to someone: avoid passive tone, complex language, and use a conversational tone. To make sure you’re doing it right, read your copy out loud and pretend it’s a conversation - does it sound rigid? Then you gotta make it more conversational.

2. Add in-app personalization

Over time, your users put so much personal data into your software. Instead of just looking like you’re invading their privacy, why not leverage that data in a way that benefits them? 

In-app personalization is a great way to improve user experience. Not only are you adding useful features, but you’re also helping users save time and find what they need much faster.

So what does in-app personalization mean? With this method, you’re leveraging user data in order to create a catered experience for each user. If a user often orders from the same restaurants, you’d recommend them to do it again, as a shortcut. If they always request car rides to the same address at the same time of day, you’d give them a notification that says “book a ride home now”.

With such small things, you’re making the user experience more down to earth, friendly and helpful. Plus, you don’t have to spend extra time doing user research and focus groups, as personalization gathers and analyzes user data over time, so it does all of that for you.

Example: Spotify analyzes your listening habits and suggests playlists and albums you listen to a lot. They also pick music for you and create specific playlists.

You can use in-app personalization to:

• Give users useful shortcuts so they consider your app handy, and they’ll reach for it more often
• Give out notifications with offers the users is likely to be interested in
• Curate content the users are more likely to consume
• Give suggestions based on their app usage

In-app personalization is a great method to stay in touch with user needs in a proactive manner. And also a great way to show that you care about your users and you want to provide them with a good user experience.

However, a caveat to in-app personalization is privacy: not all users will want you to access and use their data. Make sure they’re well informed and can opt out if they wish so.

3. Wizards and steppers instead of endless forms

Taking users through a long, complex process is risky: at any point they can lose interest and decide it’s too much effort. Your instructions might be too unspecific, unclear, or missing entirely. Or you could be giving them a long form that appears endless.

The solution isn’t removing steps or fields you might truly need. The real, best solution is grouping all the fields in a better, more logical way. Instead of displaying a long form, split everything into steps and show a progress bar at the top.

Source: https://dribbble.com/shots/20832669-ProDeel-Contract-Creation-Flow

When including a stepper at the top, which clearly names each stage of the process, users can anticipate what else they need to do and how much of the form is left to fill in. They’ll be less likely to abandon the process as opposed to a long, endless form.

This is especially important for your onboarding process. Making this more of a step by step process can keep users engaged and help them set up their accounts.

A good, efficient way to approach onboardings is through wizards. Just like old time programs on your computer, wizards are a great way to help people understand how your software works and consequently set up their accounts. You can play with visuals and punchy copy to keep users engaged.

Source: https://dribbble.com/shots/25371209-asklepios-v2-AI-Health-Wellness-App-Sleep-Onboarding-UIUX

You can use wizards to turn long setup forms into quick steps. This creates the illusion that the process is actually quicker than it seems, and it can keep users around instead of them giving up midway through.

In both forms and onboarding, make sure to always include steppers at the top, which will update as they move through the process. There’s no use in splitting up a process if you don’t make it clear it’s a process and hint at how long it will take.

4. Roll out big updates gradually and mindfully

Maybe you want to add new major features, redesigns or you want to re-do entire parts of your software. When doing so, you need to keep in mind that people who use your app all the time are used to it the way it is. And not everybody likes change.

When adding new features or making major changes to your app on a random Tuesday, you’re disrupting your users’ activity and asking them to get used to those changes while they still need your app to fulfill their goals.

There are different types of big updates you might roll out through your app’s lifetime, so we’ll tackle each of them separately.

Redesigns

Redesigns are a great way to refresh your software and reach new customers that wouldn’t have used your app for purely aesthetic reasons. They’re also a good way to review your app structure and re-sort menu items in a more logical, helpful way.

That being said, redesigns can also take a toll on your existing users. They’re already used to how your app looks, and revamping it entirely can throw them off and even cause them to stop using your software. They might struggle to find pages or features they use often, their muscle memory within your app will be reset, and they might just not like it, visually.

Here are some tips on how to rollout big redesigns:

• Announce it beforehand. Just launching a major redesign can be a lot to current users. You can try announcing that you’re working on a redesign (this can be useful for PR as well) so that users know what to expect.
• Post previews. Similar to announcements, you can show your audience previews of your redesign. This is a great way to gauge feedback and to see first impressions. If opinions are mostly negative, you should listen and reconsider.
• Do A/B testing. Show current and/or new users side-by-side comparisons of your current and new designs. Which ones do they prefer? Make sure you get detailed feedback and focus on whether or not your existing users can still find their way around your new design. Keep in mind - it’s not just about aesthetics.
• Allow users to switch back. Don’t force users to switch to a new design overnight. Leave a button or a banner that allows them to switch back to the old version if that helps them. But do encourage them to use the new one as well - and if no one does, that’s your hint to rollback.
• Carefully consider whether you need a redesign in the first place. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Don’t do a redesign just for the sake of it. If it doesn’t look terrible and works well, you might do more harm than good. Gauge user opinions or ask UI/UX designers. We, for instance, offer a free UI/UX assessment which also reviews your overall aesthetics.

Big new features or flow changes

Alternatively, you might want to implement new features or do a rehaul of existing ones. Either to add new things for your paying customers and thus increase sales & conversions, or just to improve how your app works.

When doing so, just like redesigns, you might surprise your users - and not all of them might like that. You could disrupt their routines and make them spend extra time learning how the new features work, time they might not have.

Here are some tips on how to implement big new features:

• Announce them. Just like redesigns, doing a big announcement (especially a video presentation or a live stream) can help introduce users to the new features and build some excitement.
• Provide guides and tutorials. Make sure you don’t just add new features without any clarifications or explanations. Provide video guides, tooltips, info boxes, or tutorials. This way, you’re making sure users won’t avoid your new features just because they can’t figure out how to use them.
• Offer training sessions. If you’re adding complex features and are working with businesses, consider offering free training sessions. This ensures your churn rate won’t go up.
• Implement them over time. If possible, implement your new features gradually. This will help users get accustomed and it’s less scary than a big, instant change.

5. Subtle UI changes that make a not so subtle difference

A great way to improve your overall UX is by making subtle UI changes. It’s all about identifying and adapting to user needs, so a big part of it is knowing your users and what they want - plus how they use your app.

You don’t need a full redesign to improve your overall UI/UX. Making slight quality-of-life changes can greatly improve user experience and make people stick around longer.

The first part of this is knowing how to talk to your users and successfully gauging & implementing their feedback.

Once you’re well established, it’s essential to gauge public opinion on your software: some features might not work anymore, some might be obsolete, or maybe your audience developed new needs that you can cater to.

Here’s how to do user research if you’ve already launched your software:

• Hold focus groups. Gather 5-6 of your app users and ask them how they feel about your app’s features, show them new features you’re proposing and gauge their opinions.
• Send surveys to your users. This is a great way to get feedback, and you can even offer incentives - such as discounts - to users who fill the surveys.
• Read your reviews. If your app is on any kind of app store, chances are you’re getting reviews. Reading and paying attention to this feedback is essential: reviews often contain bug reports.

After you’ve gathered data from your users, map out what you can implement and what not. Try to listen to their feedback even if you disagree. It’s user experience you’re trying to improve, so do it for your users.

Here are a few UI changes you can make to improve your UX:

• Give users the chance to collapse or expand pieces of content. On pages that contain a lot of sections or long lists, it’s essential to add arrows that allow users to collapse said content. This makes it easier for them to minimize sections they don’t need to view, and thus declutter pages they spend a lot of time on.
• Add more white space. Increase padding on your pages to add white space. This makes it easier to distinguish elements and to add breathing room. Cluttered pages can be overwhelming and even tiring to some users.
• Decide how much SEO content you really need. You might add more content just to reach a certain number of SEO keywords. But you could end up overcrowding pages instead. What’s the use of ranking high in search results if your bounce rate is high?
• Add more visual elements. Instead of words that act like buttons, use icons. Add images or graphical elements to add breathing room and texture to your pages. Where an image can express as much as words would, try maybe adding one instead.
• Use a larger line and paragraph spacing in text areas. Text is more breathable when you leave more space. This also makes it easier to read, and less intimidating for new users. You should also divide content into blocks and precede each block with a heading. When getting to a more specific topic within a block, add a smaller heading, and so on.
• Improve your navigation. Help users find what they need: don’t hide often-accessed menu items within submenus. Make essential features easy to find.

Such UI changes, even subtle, can help users find their way around easier and enjoy using your app.

Overall, having good UX is more important than you might think. Unhappy users means lower sales, and they could be telling their friends your app isn’t so great. But the good news is: it’s not too difficult to improve your app’s UX. It’s all about subtle changes that make your users’ lives easier.

Not sure what kind of improvements you can make to your app? We offer a free UI/UX assessment where we carefully go through key parts of your app and evaluate its look & feel. We then give you recommendations you can implement to improve your app’s UI/UX. Intrigued? Book a free meeting with us now.

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