With hundreds of apps being launched every day, the competition to cope up with has become quite challenging. Testing and developing an app is still fine, but meeting up with the daily challenges and the new requirements of the users can be a big task and prove to be problematic in future
A new app might help an entrepreneur earn a lot of money during the initial days of its launch, but in the long run, it might not sustain the effectiveness and charm that it had earlier. With a lot of competitive apps coming in with new features, your app might just look old and shabby to tech-savvy people, who will not take long in switching to some other application with better additions.
Therefore, it is very important to know about the right time when your app needs some redesigning. Change is always better and for good, and users might get bored with the monotony an app offers as it is something they use on a regular basis. Something new in the app or a revamp of the same might make them keen on using it more and more.
Your research team comes in at this point of time to help you know if your app actually needs a redesign or some changes here and there will put it back in the game. You must consider consulting a good app designer agency if there are a lot of changes to be made to your app, as this will also affect the future of your profits and company.
Always talk to the stakeholders before redesigning your app, as they are the first ones who deserve to know about where their money is being invested. Redesigning might need a lot of money and manpower, therefore it should be confirmed with the stakeholders first.
When Do You Need to Redesign Your App?
Let’s take a look at the times when you should consider redesigning your app:
#1 Too many changes
When you make too many changes to an existing app, it might start looking messy and will be complex to use for the users. With too many changes coming in, a user might not be able to work efficiently on the app or might not get the right thing at the right place. This is the right time for you to revamp your app and launch it all together again, with new and improved features. Practices change over time and a user might become advanced with a lot of new apps coming in. If yours stays there with just the changes and no upgradation, then it will be of no attraction to the users. Lastly, if you plan on redesigning an app for the addition of new features, you must design it carefully, to make it look more appealing than before. Also, try keeping it simple and easy to use.
#2 Less traffic
If the amount of traffic of users on your app is slowly diminishing, by either not using the app in days or deleting it, you must consider taking this step. Limited traffic will not help cope up with the competition, neither will it bring you any returns.
#3 Inclusion of more social features
If your app is not running on social features, it might app redesign soon as social networking platforms are now everywhere. A quick link of Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and all other social networks must be directly given in your app so that if a user wants to share anything from the app directly to a social networking site, he can do that without any hindrance.
#4 Dated product
You should run research and ask your users if they are happy with the functioning of the app. If you receive a response from them, you must scrutinize it properly and see if some changes and updates would help in making your app reach places or it requires a total redesign. Also, if the app has dated content or software, you must not take long enough to start strategizing your redesigning process and get a team to do it at the earliest before the app stops working at all. It does not take long for the users to delete an app and switch to a rival application if he sees an app not functioning properly.
#5 Evolution of the product
It is a good practice and figures out the aspect of the app that needs redesigning. The product development team can help in finding it out. Then you must ask the team for inputs if only the aspect needs some redesigning or the entire app should get revamped. You must consider the changes your industry is going through and make the changes accordingly to get the best results. Also, you should make sure if the users will accept these changes with open arms and the new additions will be welcomed or not.
#6 Online presence
It is very important for any organization to make its online presence felt. If you are planning to redesign the entire app, you must be sure of the changes you are going to introduce as you wouldn’t want the app to perish in the coming 3-4 years, rather, you would want it to stay at the top amongst the competitors for as long as possible. Your revamped app should be well promoted online and offline so that the users who might have switched by the time, can come back and start using the app they have been loyal to.
#7 Users struggle
When a user struggles to catch up on an app and gets confused about where to go and which page to navigate to, you must know that the life of such an app is not for long. That is the time you should bring in changes and consider redesigning. Make sure to keep track of what the user is looking for on the app and then only make new additions. However, features that are not being used at all must be removed from it.
An app is always used by someone or the other. Certain features might work well, while others might not even come in use. It is better to eliminate such features as they will just make it look haphazard and crowded. It is always better to keep an app simple with minimal tabs on the home screen. The home screen should be informative, rather than having too many icons and tabs. Also, it is a must for the developers to update the app regularly. Even the slightest of changes made in the app must be tested before being launched.
However, an app should not be redesigned without conducting proper research as there might be times when it is not even required and you might just go for research which will prove quite expensive for you and the organization. It is better to sit back and notice the rise and fall of the app. It might just need a slight addition of something, or something might not be functioning well, causing a blockage in the usage of the app. And if all research and tests show that the app has been going downhill and nothing can be done to safeguard the future of it, then the app developers must definitely consider redesigning it entirely.
