How To Design A Great App In 2023

In 2023, app store revenue is set to rise to $96 billion!Are you considering designing and launching an app for your business this year? If so, you must plan carefully to create an app that aligns with your business’s brand and provides a positive experience for your customers or clients.Do you want to learn more about the elements of good app design? If so, you’re in the right place. Discover how to develop an excellent app in 2023 below.

Benefits of App Development for Your Business

The latest data shows that 48 percent of businesses have an app to connect with customers or clients. If you’ve avoided developing an app up to this point, you might need a little extra persuading to dive into the app design pool.Here are some of the most significant benefits you, your team, and your customers can enjoy when you build and launch an app:

Provide More Value

These days, it feels like the price of just about everything is going up. Consumers want to know they’re getting the maximum value from what they buy and the brands they support.By creating an app that offers access to additional services or unique discounts, you can start providing the value many people want.

Build a Stronger Brand

Developing and launching an app also creates a new avenue for your business to expand its brand.When people see your business’s name and logo pop up in multiple places — billboards, social media ads, and now the app store — they’ll eventually start to recognize it. They’ll also be more interested in checking out your products or services.

Connect with Customers More Easily

An app provides another avenue for you to communicate with your customers or clients.Not only can they call your office, visit your website, or send an email, but they can also download your app and chat with a representative from their smartphone — without having to be put on hold for several minutes before connecting to an actual human.

Increase Customer Loyalty

You'll likely find that customer loyalty increases when you provide multiple options for customers or clients to contact your business.If you make it easy for people to learn about your brand and buy what you’re selling, you’ll notice that they’re more likely to continue coming back whenever they need to buy more or want to utilize services like the ones you offer again.Loyal customers are also more likely to refer your business to their friends and family. They’ll advertise for you, meaning you can save money while also building your customer base.

Gain a Competitive Edge

Plenty of businesses have apps these days. Are your competitors part of this group?If your competitors don’t have apps yet, you can beat them to the punch by designing and launching an app this year. If you’re the first company in your industry to release an app, you may have an easier time drawing in new customers and standing out from other brands.Let’s say your competitors do have an app. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t also create one. You’ll just have to be more creative. Look at their app and see what it’s missing — then work on developing an app that fills in those gaps.

Collect Feedback Faster

Many apps provide a streamlined process for customers or clients to leave feedback. If they can quickly complete and submit a form through your business’s mobile app, they’ll be more likely to tell you what they liked or didn’t like about your products or services.

Improve Customer Service

Similarly, apps also allow you to offer better customer service.Not only do they provide additional outlets for customer feedback, but they also offer a place for you to answer frequently asked questions more easily. For example, you can include a Help page in the app that addresses FAQs or connects users to your customer support line.

Access Valuable Data

A well-designed app will also provide valuable data on your customers or clients.You can use app data to learn more about what your audience likes or dislikes — which products or services they prefer, when they tend to buy certain items, etc. This information also can help you improve future product development or marketing efforts and tailor them to your target customers.

What Makes a Good App Design in 2023?

If you want to experience all the benefits discussed above, you must invest time and resources in your app design process. The following are some critical elements associated with good app design in 2023:

Flat Design

Many of the apps launched in 2023 will feature flat design elements — simple shapes, bright colors, simple illustrations, etc.This design style works well for apps of all kinds, from e-commerce to gaming. Regardless of the products or services you sell, you can use flat design to connect with your audience and show them that yours is a modern company worth checking out.

Minimalism

On a similar note, minimalism will also remain popular in the app design world in 2023.App users don’t want to sift through a bunch of clutter to find information, buy a product, or connect with someone through an app. They want to get where they need to go with as few distractions as possible.By designing a minimalistic app, you can help them achieve this goal.

Responsive Design

These days, people can access apps from various devices — smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc. — all with different screen shapes and sizes. If you use responsive design when creating your app, you can feel confident that the user interface will look the same regardless of the user’s screen shape or size.Responsive design allows for a better user experience and ensures customers or clients can easily find what they need or complete actions on any device.

AR & VR

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will become more popular than ever in 2023. If you’ve been hesitant about investing in these trends, this year might be the perfect year to take the plunge and offer your audience a more immersive experience.

User-Generated Content

User-generated content is created by your customers/clients for your customers/clients. It comes in various forms, including ratings, reviews, comments, social media posts, photos, and videos. In 2023, designing an app that features user-generated content will help you build trust with your audience and increase customer loyalty.

Personalization

People love personalized experiences. In 2023, these experiences will start to show up more often in the apps people visit from their smartphones and tablets. You can include personalization options by offering unique recommendations, allowing users to change the app interface, or sharing targeted content with visitors. All these options allow for a more engaging experience and increase the likelihood that people will use the app regularly.

Chatbots

Chatbots are computer programs that mimic human conversations. You can include chatbots in your app for basic customer support, to answer frequently asked questions, or to promote specific products or services.With chatbots, you can also stay connected to your customers at all times, even outside of regular business hours.

Increased Cybersecurity

In an increasingly digital world, cybersecurity is more of a priority than ever before. When designing an app in 2023, look for ways to provide additional security — and explain to users what you’re doing to keep their data safe.

Accessibility

Remember that not everyone who uses your app will have the same abilities as you and your employees.To cater to a larger audience and ensure no one who wants to connect with your brand is excluded, look for ways to increase app accessibility. For example, offer closed captioning for videos and high-contrast mode for improved visibility.

Voice-Based Assistance

Voice-based assistance can also improve app accessibility for those who can’t easily type on a keyboard. Allowing for voice search also increases efficiency for all users and provides a more streamlined experience.

How to Design a Great App in 2023

If you’re intimidated by the list of features associated with good app design, don’t panic.You don’t have to know how to incorporate all those things into your app. You just need to work with professionals who do.Below are the steps you’ll need to take to design and launch a high-performing app in 2023:

Conduct Competitor Research

As we mentioned above, a well-designed app can give you a significant advantage over your competitors. To achieve this result, though, you must first research your competitors and take a deep dive into their apps (if they have them).Competitor research helps you see what aspects of their apps are working and where they need to make improvements. They also help you gain more insights into what your target audience wants to experience when they download an app like yours.

Choose the Right App Platform

You’ll also need to decide early in the design process if you want your app to be available on the iOS app store, the Android app store, or both.It can be more costly to design apps for both Android and iOS devices. However, it also allows you to reach a larger audience and build brand awareness faster.Consider your audience’s preferences and the devices the majority of people use before making a final decision.

Partner with the Right Team

You don’t have to be a professional app developer to create an app for your business. However, you do need to work with a team of professionals who know how to develop apps for companies like yours.Look for a development team that has experience working with businesses in your industry, and check out the company’s portfolio to evaluate its previous work. It’s also helpful to read reviews from past clients to learn more about their experiences.

Check-in Often

Once you’ve hired a development team, it might be tempting to take your hands off the wheel and let them do all the work. While they will be doing most of the actual app development, you should still be involved in the process.Check in often to see how the app is progressing and ensure it aligns with your vision and goals. If you don’t check in regularly, you might be disappointed with the final result (and have to spend more money getting the app to look the way you want it).

Measure Success

The hard work isn’t over just because the app has launched. After it’s been released on the app store, you need to pay attention to the number of people who download it, the number of people who use it consistently, and the number of people who uninstall it.Monitoring these metrics will provide valuable insight into your app’s success and let you know what elements you need to improve first.

Prioritize Continuous Improvement

Speaking of improving, you and your development team should continuously look for ways to enhance your app and provide users with a better experience. Review their feedback regularly, brainstorm ideas to improve your features, and incorporate their suggestions.

App Development Best Practices

When looking for a team of developers to help you create an app, talk to them about their approach and the tactics they typically use when working on projects like yours. Here are some of the best practices they should keep in mind when designing your app:

Be Aware of Gestures

The most skilled app developers understand the different gestures people use when engaging with an app. These gestures might include pinching the screen to zoom in, swiping to scroll through a list or look at a series of images, and tapping to select an option or click on a link. Design with these movements in mind to make your app more intuitive and easier for new users to figure out.

Consider Notifications

Many apps use notifications to encourage continuous engagement and customer loyalty. However, an excessive number of messages can cause people to get annoyed with your app — perhaps so annoyed that they uninstall it.Consider how and when you want to send notifications, and make sure you’re not overdoing it and potentially irritating your audience.

Maintain Consistency

App design should be consistent across all pages, sections, etc. Every element of the app should feature the same color palette, typography, and images. Buttons and controls should appear in the same place on each page, too.

Use Negative Space

Negative space refers to the area between and around subjects. It’s also known as breathing space.Be sure to use plenty of negative space when you’re designing your app. Adequate space between paragraphs, images, etc., makes it easier for people to scan content and extract the key message without getting overwhelmed.

Simplify the Onboarding Process

Don’t make users jump through a dozen hoops before they can start engaging with your app. Make the signup process simple and offer a brief tutorial to teach people how to utilize the app’s most important features.Remember that if your app is designed well, it will be intuitive and easy for people to start using. In other words, they shouldn’t require an in-depth tutorial.

Reduce “Noise”

Too much “noise” or clutter in your app design can be distracting to users. It may also cause them to feel overwhelmed or unsure of the best way to use your app — meaning they may end up closing it altogether.To eliminate noise, get rid of unnecessary images and animations. Limit yourself to just a few colors and font styles, too.

Optimize for Poor Connectivity

Regardless of where they live, your app users will occasionally run into situations where they have subpar connectivity. Optimize your app, so it continues working in these environments.One of the best ways to optimize for poor connectivity is to use small file sizes for images, videos, and audio. Caching to store data locally also ensures it can be accessed offline.When testing the app, be sure to test it in areas with poor connections, too, to ensure it still performs well.

Optimize User Flow

User flow describes the path someone takes when navigating through your app. Ideally, the flow will be intuitive and straightforward.Strive to create an app that lets users reach their desired destination in as few steps as possible. Limiting the number of steps they have to take provides a more streamlined experience and eliminates potential frustrations.

Use One Hand-Centered Design

Most people use their smartphones with one hand (or at least appreciate the option to do so). When designing your app and considering the user flow, make sure it’s easy to use one-handed. For example, are all essential buttons and links within easy reach, meaning the user doesn’t have to stop using their thumb and switch to their pointer finger to carry out a specific action?

Need Help with App Development in 2023?

Are you ready to take your brand to the next level with an impressive, expertly designed app in 2023? Follow the guidelines discussed above so you can create a great app for your business and your customers or clients.Do you need help from an experienced app developer to turn your vision into a reality? If so, our team at Alpha Bravo Development has got you covered.Contact us today for a free quote, consultation with a project manager, and a technical analysis.