Techniques for growing user engagement in iOS mobile apps

Posted by The NineHertz on June 5th, 2018

There are more apps on the App Store than the stars in the sky. That's an exaggeration, but it's not far from the truth.

Users have so many options that best iOS app developers struggle to make engaging apps or retain them. Even when there is brilliant marketing to drive users to download these apps, the app may not be good enough to keep them engaged. 

So what can an iOS app developer who's looking to make an engaging app do?

Keep reading to find out.

Utility: 

This goes without saying. If an iOS app developer makes an app that is not useful to the user in any way, there is no way that they will keep coming back to the app. Top app developers may think that the market is saturated with apps, but there's always a new idea that can make lives better. Look to the app Calm for inspiration. It is an app designed to help people sleep better.  

Similarly, some strategic market research can identify gaps and give way to an app that is much needed by users. 

Tricking the brain:

Don't worry it is not as devilish as it sounds. It has been found that people respond better to specific colours or sounds. All an iOS app developer needs to do is understand the basics of the human psyche. Having someone on board who does is also a great idea. All top app developers chalk out a colour scheme and test it in beta mode before going public with it. 

As far as sounds go, take Candy Crush for example. It is an incredibly simple game. All you need to do is match candy. So what gets users addicted to it? The voice that says ‘Delicious’ or ‘Tasty’ is a deep baritone that instils positive reinforcement.

Push Notification:

As an iOS app developer, you may have created an excellent app, but if people are not egged on to come back, it is entirely possible that another app may be on the receiving end of their attention. Fitness apps like 8fit lets users set a time at which they want to exercise again.

So, at the prescheduled time, users get a push notification reminding them to get fit. The positive messages are varied to have users come back to sweat it out. This is something top app developers have known for ages. 

Enabling Siri:

An iOS user often turns to Siri for answers. Users can ask Siri to book a cab or a movie. Integrating your app with Siri can give it an added advantage of becoming more visible.

Making it easy to find:

Increasing user engagement can all come down to making it easy to find. Spotlight indexing makes it easy for users to search for the app.

Support for multiple languages:

Top iOS app development developers make sure that their app can be used in several countries. Support for different languages is an excellent way to make more people download the app. 

Free Trials:

Let users use the app before they are prompted to buy it. Top app developers include a free trial in their apps. This lets users see what the app has in store and eventually buy it. User engagement during the free trial increases because they are eager to avail of the services.

An iOS app developer should do the same to make sure that users have a reason before buying it. It’s the same thing as Instagram public profiles. Letting people see the news feed is better than them having to send a follow request only to see if the account is worth engaging with or not. 

Gamification:

Include goals and points to engage users further. Take the Starbucks app. It lets users collect points everytime they order using the app. Incorporate such digital game design elements in your app. This will make it all the more appealing to users. 

Sharing to social media:

Users like sharing achievements, photos or new levels of social media. Wordswag, for instance, lets users make beautiful posters. This can then be cropped for Twitter, Facebook cover, IG stories or feed and shared directly.

Making it easy for users to share directly from the app will retain users.   

Feedback:

Getting users involved and asking for feedback is something almost all apps do. This feedback and rating can bring in more users. The ratings and feedback is the first thing that users see. This is what makes other people download or buy the app. 

Personalization:

Top app developers add a touch of personalisation to the app. An iOS app developer should give the users to personalize the app. That may come in the form of choosing a color scheme or a font.

Engaging content:

All the design elements and options aside, content is king. Have material that is engaging and tailored to the demographic. This is important to retain users in the long run.

Simple and easy:

Users want apps that have a smooth onboarding process and have demos. Making it complicated drives potential consumers away. The UI needs to guarantee an excellent user interface. 

Deep Linking:

Deep linking is crucial to retain users. It works like a URL and sends the user to the different part of the screen or another page on the app. Users save valuable time. This makes it more plausible that they will continue using the app.

USP:

Customer satisfaction isn’t the goal. It’s customer delight. Whenever you make a new update, add features to amuse users. That could be based on market research or feedback. 

One tap buttons:

Let users accomplish something by using one button. Suppose, users, want to order his favourite pizza. It should be possible for them to do using a single button.

Keeping these things can help an iOS app developer create an app that is engaging and retains users. Making a consumer-centric app is key. Market research is also essential to make an app that people are more likely to download, use and share.