How App Developers Can Better Put Themselves in a User's Shoes
Ever used an app and wondered if it was designed to test your patience and see how frustrated you would get before smashing your phone against a wall? I mean, the app was so sluggish and cluttered that you felt it was a social experiment to test human annoyance levels.
Now, imagine users having the same reaction for an app you built. That kind of response only comes down to one problem—you didn’t put yourself in the user’s shoes while designing.
As developers, we can get too focused on providing cutting-edge designs that we forget our target audience are everyday internet users who just want a super-fast and smooth experience on any online platform.
I mean, most of them don’t know the intricacies of code and all that technical jargon like elements of E2E meaning. So, overdoing it with an app’s design to the point of creating a poor user experience won’t win over any customers.
To create applications that are a delight for users, the trick is to step into their shoes and think like them. How do you do this? Here are some tips:
Research and Consult Your Customers
Want to know what your target audience wants in an app? Don’t guess—just ask them! Remember, app users aren’t expert developers like you. They’re ordinary folks who still ask questions like, “What does CPU stand for?”
If you try to figure them out from your own perspective, you’ll end up creating an app that doesn’t match their preferences or needs.
So, kick-start your app’s design with some in-depth customer research. Use surveys, polls, and customer personas to truly understand your audience. Of course, this process shouldn’t end when you’ve launched the app.
After the app’s release, pay attention to customer feedback to figure out what to improve. Reviews on app stores can give you an idea of some of the frustrations users have with your application.
2. Prioritize Accessibility and Build for All Users
Statistics show that around 14% of the US population live with a disability—that’s more than 40 million individuals. Chances are some of these folks might be among the target audience for your app.
Due to their bodily impairments, they may not be able to interact with a mobile phone or PC like everyone else, especially if the disability affects their vision or hearing. As such, you want to build your app to accommodate their conditions.
This is the basis of web accessibility, and it's a critical requirement for businesses or anyone running a web platform/offering web-based tools. That said, some features to consider including in your app to boost accessibility include:
Screen readers
Keyboard navigation
Voice control and other assistive tools
Closed captions for videos
Alt texts for images
Customizable UI elements, such as font size and contrast
Of course, while you’re including these elements, it’s critical to ensure that the performance and user experience is enjoyable across all devices, including mobile phones, PCs, and smart watches.
3. Optimize for Impatience
It’s no longer news that internet users are impatient. They won’t hang around all day waiting for a page to load or trying to figure out the navigation on an app. A couple seconds of frustration, and they're instantly hitting the back button.
That’s why you have to build your app to ensure it does what it should do as quickly as possible. Here are some suggestions to help with this:
Keep the navigation menu simple with clear labels and icons to avoid confusion
Guide users through every section with visible call-to-actions, visual cues, and signs
Optimize the app for speed and ensure users can scroll through each section seamlessly
Opt for onboarding instructions that are simple, clear, and short
Include a search feature to help user get around the app quickly
Make sign-up processes hassle-free by only requesting for important information
Conclusion
Designing apps that users love requires developers to think like their target audience. By utilizing insights from customer research, optimizing app performance for speed, and including accessibility features, developers can build applications that solve problems for their audience rather than introduce new frustrations.
