Last week we started a series of articles about bad user experience: here; this week we are going to continue our tour into the land of unfortunate user experiences. This week I want you to picture finding a great new app. Picture downloading that app. Picture launching that app on your phone for the first time. Now picture… what? You don’t know what to do next. You’ve never used this app before and there is no first time running help that pops up to help guide you along the way. You’re not interested in taking the time to sit down and figure the whole thing out. Now it’s gone to the back burner and eventually, when you need more memory on your phone, you’ll delete it and move on.
This is a tragedy on both ends. Yes, it is extremely annoying to the user who wants a simple run down when they launch a new app; but, it’s also extremely frustrating for the app developer who just launched a brand new app that people aren’t really using. Is that what you want for the future of your new app? No, obviously not. You have to remember though that the months (and maybe years) that you spent developing this new app was done without the customer. They weren’t along for the ride. They don’t know the ins and outs like you do. What may seem obvious to you isn’t obvious to someone who has never seen your app before.
I see apps all the time with no first time running help and I have to say that it’s a huge user experience annoyance. One that a lot of people won’t have the patience to stick around through. It makes all the difference in the world to have a first time walk through simply letting users know to click this for this and that for that. This is how you get started. Then, boom. They’ve gotten started. They’re on their way.
User experience is all about the little things. These little things make the difference in a customer using and recommending your app or never touching it again. Remember that. You want the user experience to be seamless. They don’t need to know that they’re having a great user experience, they just need to know that they’re not having a bad one.
This is just one of many reasons why you should be consulting with an outside person who deals with developing and launching applications. Even if you’ve launched applications in the past, it never hurts to have a fresh set of eyes, perspective, and expertise. This can mean the difference between a success or a failure.
Anyone having other user experience annoyances right now? An app that you literally have no clue how to get started? One that is overcomplicated or very vague? Comment below
