Mobile application development has become tricky. Not because of the complexity in developing unique and interesting apps. But, because of the competition, it can have in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Let’s talk stats.
Until March 2017, there were around 2.8 million Android apps in the Google Play Store.
Apple App Store had around 2.2 million iOS apps.
Imagine the numbers by the end of March 2018 and so on.
Let’s have a look at the following graph:
Source : Statista
As per the above graph, an average of 88.7 apps were installed on the smartphones in 2016 in the US. But, only an average of 24.7 apps are used on a monthly basis. And, only an average of 7.6 apps are used on a daily basis.
Why such a huge difference in the usage of mobile apps?
The only reason is the remaining mobile apps have FAILED to impress and engage the users.
What can be the reasons for a mobile application to fail?
Let’s check out the factors resulting in the failures of the mobile apps:
Table of Contents
1. Inappropriate Audience Research
Audience research needs to be the 1st step towards developing a mobile application, whether for Android or iOS.
Following are the steps to research your audience:
- Study your industry
- Understand the audience that might be interested in your apps
- Note down the demographics of your mobile app users
- Make an approximation of which gender is most likely to use your app
- Conduct surveys through your network or some 3rd party survey organizer
- Work on researching the industry using Google Trends, Google Adwords, Google Search Queries, Quantcast, etc.
- Look for varied online communities where people talk about the latest mobile apps
- Check for your industry’s app trends at Statistatic
2. Lack of Competitive Analysis
The way it is important to research your market and audience, same way, competitive analysis is mandatory.
Well, competitive analysis is not at all quick. Your app can fail if you don’t know your competitors and even if you don’t know how to do competitive analysis.
Who all are your competitors?
- Apps that are on the top 25 list in the different Stores
- Apps that are similar to yours
- Apps that have similar app ideas to yours
- Companies that develop the similar mobile apps
- Companies who have developed the similar mobile apps
Once, you know your competition, how to work on analyzing your competitors?
- How well your competitors have worked on the app idea?
- What are the functionalities that they have covered in the app?
- Do they have apps for both – Android and iOS?
- If yes, compare the app downloads and reviews for both
- If no, which platform they’ve chosen?
- What app description they have on the Stores?
- How many app downloads they have?
- How app users review them?
- What are the strengths of your competitive apps?
- What are the weaknesses of your competitive apps?
- How they work on their marketing strategy?
- What people talk about your competitive apps on different platforms?
Once, you are done with thorough competitive analysis, you can work on developing a mobile app that outsmart your competition.
Lagging behind on any of the above competitive analysis step, your mobile app is at a bigger risk of failing.
3. Lack of Platform Analysis
We already discussed in the above point to check whether your competitive app is available on a single platform or on both – Android and iOS.
Platform analysis is important to know where your maximum audience is. If your app idea is for iOS and your competitors are successful on Android, then imagine the blunder your app will make.
In fact, platform analysis should be done in such a great detail:
- Which platform is more preferable for your audience?
- Where your competition is available?
- How your competitors are performing on both the platforms?
- How are the reviews of your competitive apps on both the platforms?
- Compare the positive vs negative reviews of your competitive apps on both the platforms
Each platform has its own audience and their expectations. And, to meet those expectations are necessary to avoid the mobile app failure.
4. Poor App Idea
Most developers have this thought-process that they have app ideas that are kick-ass and work amazingly. But, not all app ideas are great and successful.
As per a research, 49% of developers reported that they develop apps based on their own requirements. And, they weren’t successful.
One needs to understand the following before bringing your app idea to life:
- Is your app idea unique?
- Does the audience need your app idea?
- Does your app idea solve any of the users’ needs?
- How much competition you have for your app idea?
- How your app idea is different from your competing apps?
- Will your app idea resolve the weaknesses available in the competitive apps?
Until and unless, you have foolproof background prepared for your app idea, your mobile app is likely to fail.
5. Inappropriate App Development Strategy
Without a proper strategy, even Uber or Airbnb would not have been successful.
So, one of the reasons why your app can fail is the perfect development strategy.
Your app development strategy needs to be appropriate in all aspects:
- How will you design your app development?
- How much time the design will take?
- What technology will you use to develop your app?
- How much time the app development process will take?
- How much time would you spare for testing the app?
- When do you plan to launch the app?
All the above points help in developing a perfect app development strategy. If you make a slightest mistake in any of the above estimations, your app is sure to hit the failure road.
6. Poor UI/UX
Looking at a research of marketing research and statistics data,
Well, this is the biggest reason why most of the mobile apps fail.
User interface (UI) is the one aspect that not only attracts the users, but keep them engaged. UI is known as the first impression of your mobile app. And, while launching your mobile app, you have your app screenshots prepared to put them on the Stores. And, that is where, your users will take an effort to read the app description below.
So, if your UI seems inappropriate in the screenshots itself, you are not going to get any downloads resulting in a great failure.
Also, only screenshot does not matter. If you get the downloads and the UI of your mobile app is not able to grab the attention of your users, even that is where you will get a huge fall.
Amazing user interface and user experience define the success of your app and poor UI/UX can fail your app.
What are the UX factors that lead to mobile app failure?
- Low resolution images
- Poor loading time
- Broken sign up or login functionality
- Broken app navigation
- Inappropriate implementation of micro interactions
- Tiny fonts or too big fonts
- Poor connectivity to social profiles
- No actions on clickable elements
- Inappropriate spacing between touch points
- Too much of page scrolling
So, look for these UI/UX factors to see your mobile app doesn’t fail.
7. Unplanned Development Process
How unplanned development process leads to mobile application failure?
Let’s learn about the things that affect the development process:
- How to start with designing the mobile app?
- Which functionality to develop first?
- How many hours to allocate in developing a certain functionality?
- Which designer/developer to utilize?
- How to finalize the app designs?
- In how many sprints it will be released?
- How much time will require in testing?
- What will be the cycle to resolve the bugs when caught on the live app?
All the above things need to be considered and planned appropriately to make sure your mobile app does not fail.
8. Ignorance of Rigorous Testing
Only designing and developing of the mobile app is not important. Mobile app testing is equally important.
Mobile app testing is required to check your mobile app has no exceptions and bugs. A mobile app that is launched without testing it rigorously, fails for sure.
There are too many types of testing to be executed in order to see your mobile app has no bugs.
- Each functionality needs to be tested as and when developed
- With each new developed functionality, needs to check whether the earlier functionality is not broken
- Testing is required to check whether each app integrations are working appropriately
- Usability of your mobile app needs to be tested
- Whether the app is compatible on all the platforms and devices needs to be tested
- Need to check whether the app works at the users’ end before going live on the Stores
Well, this is not limited to just testing. The process after testing is even considered. What measures need to be taken after getting any bugs or exceptions makes the difference.
So, test your apps rigorously to avoid failure.
9. Ineffective App Launch Plan
You cannot just develop an app and launch it directly on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Well, if you do this or if you have done this earlier, you would surely get a big failure hit for your app.
Without letting your target audience know about your app, how are you going to get the downloads?
This brings the app launch plan into the picture.
Come up with an exclusive and effective app launch marketing plan:
- Use paid marketing to directly target your audience
- Use social media to grab the attention and app awareness
- Use PR, advertising to launch your app grand
- Use content marketing to bring your app in the limelight
- Use video marketing to attract your target audience
- Use influencer marketing to get the immediate effect in your launch
Well, these are a few marketing tactics that you can use to make an effective app launch plan.
If you think that without any of the above, you can win a million downloads, then only the God may help you.
10.Mediocre Monetization Strategy
Designing, developing, testing and launching an app does not pay you anything. These are just the investments.
How will you measure the success of your app?
Obviously, with the money coming in, from your app.
If your mobile app is not able to make you money, then there are chances that your app has flaws and is at risk of failure.
If you have noticed in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, most of the apps are free and if you are looking to charge your audience, you need to be more careful.
So, how will you earn money out of your mobile app? Well, this needs a solid, foolproof monetization strategy to work on.
- Offer great content/stuff to download which only premium users can get an access to
- Offer discounts on various offerings
- Offer few amazing app features only to the premium users
- Offer subscriptions to remove ads, get extra time (for gaming apps), etc.
Also, go for various monetization tools like SMS subscriptions, push notifications, newsletters, in-app purchases and much more.
But, don’t overboard your app with too many monetization features as this can distract the user affecting the poor UX which again will fail your mobile app.
Conclusion
Mobile apps are a great way of doing business. But, it is important to make sure that it does not fail. Because if it fails, you cannot revive it. So, consider the above reasons why your mobile app can fail. Also, make sure to follow the mobile app tips given along with them to avoid the same.
