Why more features won’t save your app?

Why more features won’t save your app?

Doing too much at once is known to be one of the main reasons why a product fails miserably when developing a mobile app; more features won’t save your app. Here are some tips to help you avoid that and create something valuable for your users.

80 per cent of consumers are using smartphones to browse the Internet; that’s why so many businesses are keen to develop their own apps to get into that growing mobile market. Statistics clearly show that 90% of the time on mobile devices is spent on apps, so it’s only natural to come to the conclusion that a branded app will enhance your business growth. That being said, your product’s success requires careful planning and development.

What is wrong with app development

One of the obstacles to overcome when developing an app in the team is an overly long list of features to be included. It can result in customer confusion and, most importantly, not fulfilling his key needs.

The product owner is the solution

By that, I mean identifying a person within your organization that will be able to stand his ground. His main task will be to say ‘no’ a lot more than saying ‘yes’ during brainstorming sessions.

Nothing changes without his approval, it will cause quite a stir in your team because of shooting down ideas for features, but it will result in a focused product that brings value: a win-win situation.

Identify key features

It’s really hard to say ‘no’ to a person who signs your paycheck; that is one of the reasons why identifying product owner in startups is so demanding. One of the most crucial rules in the mobile world is that by trying to make your app do everything, you will usually end up with a product that doesn’t make anything particularly well. That’s the risk you want to avoid.

The solution to that problem is to focus on key features. Apps like Evernote or Shazam are examples of how it should be done. The first is an easy way to take notes; the latter helps you find out what is the song you are listening to. These are the core features, and they are the first things that come to mind when thinking about those apps.

Note-taking app should offer taking notes in a fast, easy way. Adding more features such as customized skins or social sharing is not needed.

Before even considering adding new features, focus on making core aspects of the app run smoothly and intuitively.

Testing

User testing helps to uproot features that don’t add much to the user experience. Besides in-house testing, it’s always good to check out what is customer’s reaction.

Tracking tools such as Google Analytics will help you decide which features are worth implementing.

Developing your app is a process

Your app won’t be perfect when it’s first released. However, it is always possible to improve the user experience. Focus on listening to feedback instead of adding more features; simplifying an app’s design and making them available with fewer taps is more effective.

Adding a new feature is not always a bad idea, but you must describe the reason behind it correctly. Otherwise, you are taking the risk of complicating your product.