10 Major Causes That Lead to Mobile App Failure

The mobile industry is rapidly progressing to an interminable extent. Today, the

app stores are jam-packed with myriad mobile applications that strive to attract

user attention. But the sheer volume creates fierce competition for businesses who

want to develop mobile apps to drive their business. It can lead to increased

chances of mobile app failure.

So, businesses are often left wondering – what is it that makes for a successful

mobile app? The answer may lie in finding out what mistakes lie behind

unsuccessful apps – in the mobile app development process, design, marketing,

and testing.

Mobile Application Facts and Figures

In the year 2019, the number of app

users reached a whopping 3.5 billion.

All in all, users invest 69% of their

media time on smartphones.

Despite the millions of applications

accessible to users, an average user

uses nine apps every day and a total

of 30 apps monthly.

An average mobile app tends to lose

somewhere around 77% of Daily

Active Users (DAUs) just within three

days of its installation.

Source – Mobile App Daily, Business of Apps

Mobile app development is not inexpensive. The gigantic amount of time, effort,

and money are put into the process and this makes it all the more difficult for

organizations to face an app failure.

The ideal approach to mobile app development is to consider all those factors.

While there isn’t a magic pill for victory, there are distinct traps that can forestall

it. From terrible business practices to the weak development processes and a

negative user perspective, it’s crucial to dodge the factors that impede the

development.

This article mentions the causes that lie behind mobile app failure and the

commonly made mistakes during the app development process.

1. Failure to Solve Any Real-

World Problem

Most mobile apps, as we see them today, are replicas of a few popular ones. The

users are looking for innovation and the failure to come up with something

inventive causes disappointment and loss of trust.

If you have an innovative idea that is unique, then you are primed to be effective.

Mobile apps available in today’s world tend to create an application with features

already existing in the market. This will bring you to ruin sooner than later. App

developers need to offer a fresh concept that will lure the users and tackle their

issues.

For instance, if all the fashion designers start replicating a particular style of clothes,

the competition will be high, while the buyers are less interested. Eventually, only

the original concept and designs will make an impact on the customers’ minds. All

the replicas are doomed to be classified as failures.

If you are creating an app with the sole purpose of earning money out of it, you

have already committed the first blunder. Your main motive should always/ be

solving a problem that exists amongst the users.

The marketers have an essential role to play in this scenario; their survey results of

the market will exhibit the user pain points, which in turn will be your model of app

creation.

2. Inability to Understand the

Target Audience

Not being able to understand your target audience is a faux pas that can doom you

quicker than you think.

While developing an idea related to the target audience, reaching out to them

should be your prime motive to be successful. You should think about making an

app that offers easy-to-use features for every age-group. The user should feel

connected with your app.

For instance, consider an innovative idea of an iPhone app for kids, which would be

all about exciting games and activities that would keep them occupied and enhance

their cognitive skills.

However, thinking only like kids wouldn’t be enough. You also need to consider

nannies, mommies, and even elder siblings who will be interfacing with the app

more than the little ones will.

If you are not able to focus on your target audience appropriately, it will

undoubtedly paint a very blurry picture about your ideas; your application will

never reach the right, thus spelling failure for your app.

3. Not Being Sure about the

Mobile Apps Platform

Whether your application is going to be an iPhone app or Android app or for the

Windows phone, if you have not been able to make up your mind about it, you are

indeed calling for some trouble. Although, in most cases, people are sure about the

mobile platform for their app, yet their decision is not based on careful

deliberations.

You cannot go with a specific platform just because it suits your predisposition. The

mobile platform that you select must be the preference of your target audience.

Whether it is iPhone app development or Android app development, unsuccessful

apps are not just a result of the issues with app’s performance, quality or lack of

user experience, but also because the platform hasn’t been carefully studied.

In the mobile-first world, getting apps developed for both iPhone and Android

platforms is fast becoming the norm. And it’s great if your audience is available on

both the platforms.

4. Too Many or Too Few

Features

A remarkable number of apps that get abandoned after the first use are unable to

get the balance right. They either present the users with too few or too many

features to be of use to them.

For example, Vine, a video sharing platform, was extremely popular and enjoyed

close to 40M subscribers. But, it eventually failed despite its popularity since it was

unable to offer any unique features to its target audience other than it’s two main

functions: shoot and post.

TikTok subsequently filled the void. It watched Vine’s rise and demise, learned from

their mistakes, and entered into the market with a plethora of features.

Also, if you are under the impression that a feature-loaded app will lure users, it

might turn out to be an opposite scenario. Excessive features might confuse and

push them to opt for something more specific to their needs.

While, if you have been too selective about adding features in your application, it

might also have an adverse effect, that of making your app inadequate. The number

of features should be decided after properly scrutinizing the usability of your app

along with the devices in which it will be used.

5. Making It Too Complex for

the Users

In the process of enhancing the user experience, app creators often make it an

elaborate affair for the users.

The biggest reason for Apple to be able to gather so much attention so quickly was

its simplicity of usage. If a user is not able to locate the right buttons in your app in

one go, it is not serving the purpose it was created for.

The truth is that the users do not have the time to sit back and learn how to use

your application, especially when there are easy-to-operate options available

around them. And if you expect them to put in so much effort, you are certainly

investing in an unsuccessful app.

For an app to be compatible with the user you need to analyze your target

audience’s intellectual understanding and their compliance towards changing

trends. Design intricacies can cause the app to fail.

6. Incompatible User

Experience

Imagine an app designed for helping the visually challenged without any alarm

feature that could be used in case the user is in trouble; or a home automation

application that allows it to be linked with only one phone.

These apps limit your user experience instead of enhancing it. The main criteria for

app creation are starting an interaction with the user. If you have an app that does

not provide any communication with or feedback to the user, they will certainly be

less interested in using it.

User experience is critical for both iOS and Android apps, especially when it comes

to appealing to your target audience.

7. Neglecting the Backend

Support

It especially applies to the apps designed for the eCommerce market or even

gaming applications. For your app to be stable, you will need robust backend

support.

With cloud technology at your disposal, it is time to embrace faster and better

means of support and storage. There have been several instances when apps have

not been handling the traffic inflow, as a result affecting the business value for a

more extended period.

Another aspect to consider when looking for a robust backend is scalability. A

scalable backend service will adjust according to the traffic influx over a period.

8. Not Allowing Enough

Marketing Time

Most marketers make this mistake – marketing your app after it has been created

and launched.

A little hype never hurt any app. You can make effective use of social media and

even ask your prospects to share responses and ideas about what they would like

to include in the application.

Build up a little excitement before the launch of the application like Apple does. It

will aid in creating a ready market for your application, so you will not need to toil

later to make it visible to your target audience. Launch events are also a good idea

if you want the media to talk about your app.

But then, make sure that your app meets the claims that you make.

9. Not Optimizing App

Performance

Unoptimized apps are always a lost scenario, and there’s hardly any chance of them

winning with the newer waves of applications flooding the coast every minute, and

eventually, they add to the list of reasons why some apps don’t succeed at all.

App performance optimization is a methodological approach and must be carried

out cautiously lest it should backfire.

10. Failure to Update the App,

Based on Users’ Feedback

Your application is for your users. Failing to recognize what they think about your

app can translate into failure.

As your app is released, you continuously try to sell it to your customers without

realizing that you also need to pay attention to the issues that they are facing. Fixing

these issues for them is essential to keep the customers coming back to you.

The best example is Apple taking back its iOS 8 update and quickly coming back

with 8.0.2. It heeds the customer’s problems, and the company is excited to

preserve its reputation by providing a quick solution.

Final Thoughts

Having listed some of these most common yet devastating mistakes, it’s plain to

see why so many millions of apps fail. Apart from striving to make an app that

stands out, it is also important to make planned moves and to be cautious about

the strategies you deploy when deciding the market for your app.

The strategy applied for marketing your app is an equally critical step, especially

when it comes to the timing and the target audience. Also, it is equally important

to create a rich user experience to make sure that your app doesn’t go down the

drain like those 80%-90% apps that are never used twice.

Source - https://www.netsolutions.com/insights/10-major-causes-that-lead-to-mobile-app-

failures/