Some apps seem to instantly go viral while others aren’t as well received.

Part of the success is marketing, but the other part, which is even more important, is how the app is designed.

Every successful mobile app is a chance to learn a valuable lesson for your own business app. These five apps showcase five of the most important lessons for app creators and businesses.

Waze – Easy To Use Interface

Waze is designed to make travel easier by involving the community to create real time traffic data. The app is full of information such as navigation, road work details, traffic accidents and more. Since users need quick access to the app on the go, an easy to use interface was crucial. Large icons and obvious navigation make it quick and easy for users to access the information they need and enter details for other users. Plus, it even has an introductory tutorial to answer any questions.

Takeaway: The app avoids looking cluttered while still giving users a powerful mobile app. Design mobile apps with a clear, concise UI. Great app developers strive to create the most user friendly interfaces possible for more successful apps.

Evernote – Seamless Integration

Evernote quickly became a must have note taking app due to it’s clean layout and seamless integration with different platforms. Whether the user was on their tablet, laptop or desktop, they could access the same notes anywhere. Plus, the app looks similar on every platform, making it easy for users to pick up and learn. What really makes this a truly successful mobile app is how well the app is designed to perfectly fit every screen size so users can easily see all their notes with no problems.

Takeaway: The more accessible an app is, the more successful it is. Businesses never know what platform their audience might use. Ensuring the app integrates well with other platforms while still being easy to use is important.

Candy Crush Saga – Social Integration And Spacing

Candy Crush Saga and the entire line of King games have proven highly successful. Part of the success lies in the social integration. Users love having apps that integrate with social media, especially games. They also like if the social aspect isn’t front and center. This app keeps the social aspect in the background without interfering with gameplay or valuable screen space.

The main lesson to learn from this app though is spacing. The app has graphics galore, but they’re spaced well with a pull out menu to make the most of even the tiniest screens. The app shows you can place a lot on the screen as long as it’s well laid out and easy to see.

Takeaway: The spacing of an app’s layout is crucial. If it’s too cluttered, users won’t go back to it. To make the most of an app’s screen space, hire a professional designer who fully understands the importance of spacing.

Pocket – Simple Navigation And Offline Access

Pocket combines two valuable app lessons into one app. The first is simple navigation. Users don’t want to scroll endlessly or search for buttons to go from one screen to the next. This app incorporates intuitive gesture controls that make it easy for users to navigate and learn to use the app. The second lesson is making the app useful offline as well. Many mobile apps require Internet access to load at all. Saved stories in Pocket are available offline, bringing users to the app all the time.

Takeaway: Keep navigation simple. Use clear icons, slide out menus or gesture controls to save space and provide easy navigation through the entire app. If possible, provide an offline element as well to encourage users to use the app more often.

Flipboard – Continual Updates

Flipboard showcases a myriad of lessons, but the most important is the app’s constant improvements. The developers listened to their users and paid attention to what other successful apps were doing. They’ve continued to incorporate new features into the magazine style app such as content curation, in-app sharing and a more stream-lined design. With every update, the app’s popularity increases.

Takeaway: Never stop developing the app. Always work with an app developer who provides regular updates. Users often tire of apps that never incorporate anything new. Updates help boost an app’s success rate.

Conclusion

If you want to create a more successful mobile app, look at other successful apps and learn from them. Take notes about design, navigation, colour schemes, update schedules and more. Mixing highly useful features with a great design is the first step towards creating the next must have app.

Are you ready to incorporate these lessons into your own app? Contact StuartMedia today for details on crafting successful app on multiple mobile platforms.

Image: Siddartha Thota