App Designing Factors That Make or Break the Mobile Commerce Experience
App Designing Factors That Make or Break the Mobile Commerce Experience
Today, the majority of businesses that desire an app already have one. However, obtaining one is not the end-all solution. The app developer and the business behind the mobile application must still ensure that it functions effectively.
Because more people are using apps, many businesses are focusing on bells and whistles to differentiate themselves – rather than designing apps for maximum efficiency. Often, the app developer is more concerned with monetizing a larger share of app users' revenue than with seeing the third-party entity earn a sizable revenue share.
Consumers are frequently caught in the middle, having downloaded and installed the mobile apps but then encountering a less-than-pleasant user experience. Additionally, they must put up with subpar – and potentially dangerous – app performance.
This is a problem for both the business and the developer of the application. Flashy apps improve the user experience only when the app is fully capable of performing the task at hand. Assuring that an application works on both ends, even for the simplest tasks, is critical to producing a high-quality application that is valuable to all parties involved in the business process.
SDK Risks
The bottom line for both business owners and app developers is that app functionality frequently falls short of expectations. Business owners must identify these flaws in their own app in order to provide a fully functional and engaging user experience to their customers. The pressure is increasing as mobile app usage continues to grow at a breakneck pace.
According to Hank Schless, senior manager for security solutions at Lookout, the root of this problem is a difficult dichotomy between monetizing a mobile app and providing a positive user experience. Mobile application developers are constantly under pressure to provide users with engaging updates while also monetizing their apps.
"The majority of mobile users view advertisements as intrusive and believe they detract from the overall experience. To monetize the app in a less intrusive manner than with full-screen ads, developers frequently integrate dubious mobile ad software development kits (SDKs) that can run in the background "he explained to TechNewsWorld.
SDKs are a bundled collection of software development tools. They enable a developer to create a custom application that can be added to or connected to another program.
The Mintegral SDK for iOS apps is the most prominent example of an invasive advertising SDK, he added. This SDK, dubbed Sourmint, allegedly has extensive visibility into user devices, sends URL requests from the app into which it is integrated to a third-party server, and can allegedly report on ad clicks that were not legitimate.
"These capabilities classify any app built with this SDK as riskware, which means that while the app may not contain malicious functionality, it may violate user privacy and corporate data usage policies," he explained.
Organizations must gain visibility into their mobile fleet in order to determine whether any apps installed on employee devices use risky ad SDKs such as Sourmint, he warned.
"However, while advertising SDKs may not appear to be visually intrusive, there is a risk that personally invasive capabilities are concealed deep within the software's code," he said.
When app development teams are pressed for time to release new app versions, they may neglect to conduct a thorough security review of these SDKs.
Misdirected Efforts
According to Mike Welsh, chief creative officer at digital consultancy firm Mobiquity, a large part of this functionality issue is that developers can overlook points critical to the business behind the mobile app. This is the point at which the theory of silent utility becomes relevant.
This occurs when, for example, the retailer behind the app overlooks the app developer's emphasis on features the retailer overlooked. This may include retail experience and the ability to sell their goods or services.
"What they frequently overlook is that consumers use less than 20% of the app's functionality. Developers devote no effort to creating onboarding and cart checkout experiences "Welsh explained to TechNewsWorld.
The app developers are dispersed across a landscape of unused features and functions. Thus, the retailer's sales efforts will fail despite the retailer's investment of time, money, and energy in features that will never be used and may even become a risk in the app store, he explained.
"You do not want a one-star rating for a desired feature. Businesses have an incentive to think carefully about developing functionality that is meaningful to users and accomplishes their silent utility "Welsh has been noted. "I am unconcerned with your ratings and reviews in my app, as they are a liability for me."
It Is Essential To Maintain Consistency
The retailer or website owner's challenge is to identify and then resolve customer experience issues. The trick is research, not data or self-selecting surveys that nobody fills out. Welsh suggested that the solution is to conduct legitimate research into that behavior.
Oftentimes, businesses will pull out their PowerPoints, spreadsheets, and other nonsense. They allow that to guide their behavior, and it is entirely internal, he added.
Retailers and app developers must agree on the purpose of the app. Both require knowledge of the driver in order to have an app. The purpose of hiring an app developer is typically to get a piece of the revenue pie. In that case, the app developer will eliminate all impediments to revenue development.
If you are a retailer with a digital channel strategy in place, which includes an app, a website, a retail store, and physical locations, you must maintain consistency across those properties. These retailers must then begin developing road maps around an overarching vision for their consumers.
Welsh cites consistency as a primary factor in connecting mobile applications to the overall e-commerce operation. Consumers are seated in front of a variety of devices. Each offers a unique set of user experiences. What matters is the consistency of those experiences.
"There must be a single platform and a single operating system. I'm not referring to operating systems such as iOS or Android. That is, these companies must share a common mentality in order to create a platform for consumers to interact with "'He stated.
Businesses must recognize that they are developing a system for the transactional portion of it. Welsh desires that consumers have a consistent experience across all devices. The user experience must be consistent regardless of whether the user connects via a mobile app, a website, or retail outlet kiosks.
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