10 powerful mobile app features you should not miss out

Is your mobile app capturing the imagination of your customers? Are you wooing your customers or just satisfying them? Are they excited to use your mobile app? If not, you need to understand what mobile app features will get them enthusiastic and eager to use them.

Due to innovations in operating systems, frameworks and tools, mobile app development is easier than ever. Today entrepreneurs from all walks of life are converting their ideas into viable products. However, this standardization of mobile development has a problem. More and more mobile apps look and feel the same.

If you want your customers to be excited about your app, it needs to stand out. You need to select the best app characteristics that will make your product distinctive and useful.

Check out the following mobile app features to implement in your next product to make it more appealing to your customers:

touch-based-ux

1. Touch-based User Experience (UX)

In the YouTube video “A Magazine Is an iPad That Does Not Work”, a baby keeps touching magazine pictures and expects the pictures to change automatically. It illustrates how ubiquitous touch screen has become in everyday life.

Today customers are more comfortable using touch gestures than using keyboards. A properly designed touch screen is intuitive and easy-to-use. So, the preference for touch-based user experience is here to stay.

A smooth touch screen experience will make your customers fall in love with your app. It will improve app interactions. Easy to learn user interface and intuitive flow of control are the bare essentials for a smooth touch-based user experience.

2. On-Click Contacting

Consumers value their time. When they invest in a product, they want to know they can rely on the business for excellent customer service. This service starts the moment your customer wants to contact you. Easily accessible on-click contact information can make a huge difference.

On-click call, email and chat options give your customers direct access to you. It builds rapport and increases trust. In the case of a problem, rather than leaving a bad review, a customer is more likely to click and contact you. Then, you can fix the problem and keep your reputation intact.

3. In-App Search with Dynamic Filtering

Typing on a mobile screen is awkward. Even with large size screens and autocorrect functions, users have to retype and correct regularly. When you are looking for something on your phone, it can be frustrating!

Dynamic filtering during a search is one of the mobile app features that make your application seem smarter. Data filtering on the existing screen while typing gives your app a modern look. It also makes it feel interactive and responsive.

Most mobile platforms have built-in data filtering options. So dynamic filtering should be easy to implement.

offline-support

4. Offline Support

Cities in industrialized nations have robust and reliable networks. But network outages are still common in remote areas or developing nations. Mobile developers often forget this reality. Their apps depend exclusively on network availability.

Design your application with network outages in mind. During lost network connection, the ability to use local storage will make your app seem invincible. Your app can sync to the global database when the network is restored.

A seamless offline support requires changes on the architecture level. Plan for this feature early in the design process.

5. Geolocation-based Localization

Smartphone users are expected to grow to 2.87 billion worldwide by 2020. That’s a lot of smartphones across the globe. Businesses can’t expect to serve this large customer base with a generic user experience. Localization can help.

Localization of app content and location-based messaging personalizes the experience. It captures the nuances and customs of a particular culture and makes the users feel comfortable in the app environment.

However, localization tasks like translation and interface customization can be complicated. They are difficult to test and verify. Planning is crucial for incorporating this feature into your app.

6. Optimized Forms

Forms are not popular with users. But they are a necessity. Whenever possible, implement optimized form fields for a touch keyboard. This will help keep your users happy.

Appropriately managing keyboard type, autocorrect and other keyboard attributes based on the input fields will make the forms easy-to-use. It creates a more pleasant experience.

smooth-gestures

7. Smooth Gestures

Hand and touch gestures are important for designing a smooth UX experience. It takes trial and error to make the gestures seem effortless.

Be prepared to invest in an experienced quality assurance (QA) team who can help you test and calibrate the gestures for an optimized experience. Without proper calibration, users may feel your app is clunky and outdated.

8. Barcode/Receipt Scanning

Barcode/receipt scanning is one of the mobile app features that gives your app a certain gravitas. For product and order tracking, this feature makes your app seem cutting-edge and easy-to-use. It helps your app outshine the competition.

Also, going paperless makes businesses eco-friendly. It can be a great selling point for your application. “Convenience meets eco-consciousness” can be the slogan.

9. Password Visibility Options

Cyber criminals often use deceptively simple methods to find their victims. In a public place, they can just sit behind you and note down your password while you are typing it on your device.

Developers can help combat this problem through giving an option to show/hide passwords when a user types it. It can work as the first line of defense against hackers.

10. Save Payment Options

Mobile payment systems are often poorly designed. In 2015, even though US users spend 59% of their time on mobile, only 15% users purchased anything on a mobile platform. Users preferred PC for payment based transactions.

Mobile app developers need to improve their payment options. Securely saving preferred payment method information can shift more market share from PC to mobile.

Conclusion

A mobile app is an important tool of influence in the modern society. It’s a resource for communication, entertainment, and information. But that’s not enough. Consumers expect more from their devices.

The above powerful mobile app features will help your product reach those expectations. But it’s only a starting point. If you have suggestions for more “can’t miss” features, please feel free to leave your comments below.