In a world where consumers place more value on experience over products and services, the key to rising above the competition is designing your app to be as user-friendly as possible.

A study cited by Small Biz Genius found that 52% of users were reportedly less likely to engage with a company that doesn’t use responsive mobile design and doesn’t offer the best possible experience. So in this article, we will talk about five of the most important features that apps must have to achieve a more user-friendly experience:

1. Engaging and quality content

As the economy continues to be run by information, there is a growing demand for apps that offer relevant insights and useful knowledge through engaging and quality content. In our previous article ‘How to Create Engaging Content for Your Mobile App’, it was emphasized that in order to create compelling content, you have to focus on short, direct writing that has informative and actionable suggestions. A great example of an app that has this feature is Fooducate. Fooducate keeps users informed about the benefits and drawbacks of the food they eat and even suggests healthier alternatives.

2. Easy navigation and minimalist interface

Having to deal with a complex navigation system will lead to a negative first impression, especially for those who are new to using smartphones. It helps if you limit your use of color and make sure that any text is easy to read. Petal Card’s mobile app demonstrates this through its classic white background and clean layout. With the user’s current balance, statement balance and charges all laid out in one clear visual format, the app makes it easy to generate monthly budgets. Payments are also made simple with the app’s automatic interest calculator. Having a minimal interface goes beyond just making your design easy on the eye – it also entails the smart placement of elements that will make achieving user goals straightforward and hassle-free.

3. Seamless social media integration

In today’s world, most if not all of the people online use social media as a way to communicate with others. Through these platforms, users share almost anything that piques their interest. To take advantage of this, you first have to provide your users with seamless social media integration that will make signing up and sharing easier. You can follow the example of Webtoon, which uses Facebook to allow users to sign up, like, comment on and share content.

4. Personalized experiences

In a recent survey by eMarketer, it was found that internet users expect not only rich but also highly personalized experiences on mobile. As a developer, it is imperative that you try to integrate personalization strategies into your app whenever possible. You can take inspiration from Spotify’s custom playlists, which are curated based on the interest, generic moods and genres users frequently enjoy. To achieve a more personalized experience, some of the factors you have to take note of are demographics, behaviors and current location.

5. Reliable security features

As the world continues to shift to the digital space, the biggest concern for many has become data privacy and security. Since hackers can easily create apps that have underlying malware, developers have to make sure that they create very secure applications. Follow the example of Signal’s industry-leading encryption methods, which ensure that every message sent within their application is secure and private. In addition to Signal’s industry-leading encryption, they also steer clear of tracking users and their connections through other people.

The widespread popularity of smartphones, alongside the important functions they perform has contributed to the rise of thousands of app all around the world. To be able to compete, you have to make your app the most user-friendly app it can be through engaging and quality content, easy navigation and a minimalist interface, seamless social media integration, personalized experiences and reliable security features.