App Overload Got You Down?

Are your app-infested mobile devices starting to look as cluttered as the outside of a Nascar stock car or the back of 5K fun run t-shirt? If so you’re not alone.

According to a comprehensive study by the folks at Kaizen Research in the U.K., more than 1,000 new apps hit the market every day and more often not they start to gather digital dust after the initial wow factor wears off. Here are some highlights of the study:  

• The average, overall app retention rate, is highest in the first month of installing an app at 36 percent. Only 1 in 10 people keep an app for 12 months.
• Over half of the 4,000 respondents surveyed (50.6%) of said the primary reason they uninstall an app is because it takes up too much storage.
• More than two in five (40.6%) blamed intrusive advertising.
• One in three (33.8%) cited the fact that the app kept freezing up.

As Kaizen’s clever infographic shows, when it comes to uninstalling business apps, the top three reasons are :

 

1.      Users found a better quality app that does the same thing (28.4%)

2.      Poor user experience (27.0%)

3.      You have to pay extra for the features you need (24.6%)

Conclusion

When we’re talking about work-related apps, only use the ones that truly save you time, make you more productive, or better informed. Junk the rest. Keep that in mind if you’re thinking about developing apps for your clients or customers. The cool factor only takes you so far. Keep the design and registration process simple. Don’t hog the user’s bandwidth and respect their privacy. As with any other product or service, sooner or later the user gets frustrated or bored unless you’re delivering true and long-lasting value. And above all else, make your app interesting and engaging and don’t try to charge users for features that come standard with your competitor’s offering.

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