So you have designed yet another mobile app. Well, congrats, but it’s as challenging as ever to break users’ loyalty towards the current established players. With the growth of mobile device users, it’s no surprise that mobile apps are a huge hit these days. With over 2.3 million apps available to choose from on Google Play and another 1.5 million offered by Apple on their App Store, there’s certainly a large variety of apps you could create.
TikTok, a mobile application that allows users to create short videos and share them with friends, has been one of the most popular mobile apps globally in 2021. According to the Apptopia app intelligence provider, it was downloaded 656 million times and had the most engaged audience, averaging 46 minutes per day.
So how can you make your mobile application as popular as TikTok? In this guide, we’ll explore why some apps succeed while others fail, what makes a good app unique; and how you can create apps that people will love and use!
What are the Characteristics That Make a Good App?
An attractive design can quickly draw in users, but providing a genuinely engaging, reliable, and consistent app experience goes further. The truth is that if you don’t focus on users from the very beginning, your marketing apps will lose customers quickly. More than half of smartphone users indeed have an app installed. However, everyone knows that hardly anyone uses them. Google research claims that 26% of installed mobile apps are used daily.
Ever wondered what makes an app genuinely great? Well, we did. And we found out that many of the best apps have one thing in common: they’re good at making you feel like you’re part of something bigger. That says a lot. Please take a look at TikTok. Everyone in the world uses it daily. Because their targeted audience is so vast and their purpose so engaging. Naturally, the app will have success.
We’ll break down all of these reasons and how you can avoid being a statistic and start improving your mobile app’s popularity today. For your app to be successful, it needs to have the following characteristics:
Easy to use.
Your app should be intuitive and easy for people to understand. Many apps are built so that people instinctively know how to use them. If you need help explaining how your app works, you probably need to make some adjustments.
Easy to find.
People aren’t going to download your app if they can’t find it on the App Store or Google Play Store, so make sure you promote its release well in advance of launch day! Social media is an excellent way of reaching a wider audience beyond just an ad campaign or press release — but don’t forget other ways to make its presence known!
Easy and fast downloads.
If downloading isn’t quick enough for users’ tastes, they’ll abandon ship before even trying out what’s inside (or worse yet — leave bad reviews). So you may want to optimize this aspect.
Advanced features.
Great mobile apps feel like part of your business. That’s why we think the best apps have advanced features that help your customers feel closer to your brand: helpful customer service, user reviews, and order tracking — these features make for happy, returning customers!
Regular Updates.
Regular updates are the lifeblood of any good app, like developing new features and fixing bugs, providing users with the best experience possible. But here’s the thing: if you don’t update regularly, your users will get bored and leave. They’ll look for another app that keeps them coming back again and again. So, if you want a loyal following, keep things fresh!
Balance out being helpful and overwhelming.
Don’t push your customers away by over-communicating. If you want to convey information, ensure it’s engaging and easy to digest. Try not to do it too frequently. That goes for asking for information too. They might leave and never return if you ask for their private information too soon.
Expended functionality:
The best mobile apps can do more than one thing simultaneously. They’re not just a means of communication or entertainment; they’re also something that makes life easier in some way.
Personalization.
Users expect more personalized experiences on mobile apps. You can personalize your app using the user’s location, preferences, and purchase history. For example, you would expect a shopping app to save at least basic information rather than have the users type them each time they use the app.
Unique.
An excellent mobile app is a standalone product that does something no other existing app can. So it’s got to be unique—or at least offer something users can’t get from current products.
What Makes Mobile Apps Unique?
If you want to build an app that people will use and love, think about how you can make your app unique. What makes a mobile application unique? If you’re thinking, “I have no idea,” don’t worry—we’ve got simple tips for making your next mobile application stand out from the crowd.
A unique mobile application breaks the product mold and stands out in the crowd. It does something that no other app does or does better than competing apps. But, of course, it’s the same as any other product: If you want people to buy it, they need to know why yours differs from everyone else’s. So how do you make your app unique?
The first step to making a new app stand out is finding an underserved niche of users that no one else has tapped into. Next, look at what your competitors are doing, and then do something different—something that they don’t offer or do. This can be tricky because it means digging through data and analytics until you find something interesting. However, once you do, think about how you can incorporate those insights into your app’s functionality so that users have a reason to choose yours over somebody else’s.
The second step is to consider making a complimentary app for the popular ones. For instance, seeing the popularity of TikTok, the CapCut app developed an app to help TikTok creators edit their video and audio files.
The third step is to research your competition. This step is crucial because it will help you understand what your competition is doing well and how to improve upon those aspects. Each of us has some ideas on how the company can improve an app, and while you use competitors’ apps, there is a chance you might come up with a feature or two to create something unique.
The fourth step is to never forget about the user. It is in vain to create a perfect app that no one will use. While starting on the concept, always remind yourself of your audience, perhaps even ask a few people what they think about it. There is an app for everyone out there; if you find your audience, it’s easier to know their needs and improve your mobile app.
Popular Mobile Apps in 2022 and What They Did Right
TikTok may be the most mobile app of 2022, but not every application is as lucky. With 188 million downloads and over a billion active users, TikTok has become the most popular mobile app. The app is simple and easy to use, with a user interface that encourages people to make 15-second videos with filters and music. It seems like there is nothing special about TikTok, but its success can be attributed to:
Let users create content for you.
Although the notion is nothing new, it comes down to allowing everyone to make a short video of whatever they want. These videos are divided into categories, and the popular ones are “Artistic,” “Music,” and “Lifestyle .” People are always interested in seeing other people share their stories, from funny videos to memes.
Easy to use.
TikTok makes it easy for anyone to use its platform. When you look at it, all you need to do is scroll through the content, and that’s a quick and easy way to serve the content to the audience. Hence, that is the reason why people spend at least 45 minutes a day engaging with the content.
Intimacy.
When you look, any app used daily creates intimacy between the user and the brand. Unlike desktops, mobile apps are always close to our faces, and we engage with them wherever we go. That is a good start for building trust with the brand. So, the goal is to create an app that will perform well, offer engagement, and solve a problem.
The future of social media.
In truth, the concept of social media is not going to go away. So, even if you are not building the next video platform, remember to have your app easily connect with any social media platform where your audience is. For example, people often like to share their milestones. If you are building a health app, you will surely need this bond to deepen your engagement with the audience. But, in the end, word of mouth is the best ad you can get.
What Kind of Mobile Apps are in Demand in 2022?
Millions of people around the world are incorporating mobile apps into their routines. Whether shopping, managing a monthly budget, jogging, or cooking, apps are becoming more integrated into our daily lives. Hence, if the app is a part of our daily lives, it is more likely that we will use it more often. When you look at it, it is the purpose of a well-designed and built an app to be used daily.
So, what are some of the popular apps in demand in 2022? We’ve compiled a list of some of the most popular apps expected to be on the market in 2022.
- Retail apps
Retail apps are expected to be among the most popular apps in 2022. With the rise of online shopping, more and more people are using their phones to find, compare prices, and purchase goods. As a result, the demand for retail apps has increased significantly over the past few years.
- Food delivery apps
For many people, delivery apps are a part of their diet. With the rise of restaurants delivering food, people are finding it easier to purchase their favorite dishes. This has led to increased demand for food delivery apps that allow users to order takeout directly from their phones. - Fintech apps
Fintech apps are financial services that are offered through the use of technology. Since mobile devices provide consumers access to various financial tools, these apps allow users to manage their money and make payments more conveniently than ever before. - Wellness apps
Wellness apps are designed to help users improve their well-being. They provide various tools and features that allow people to track their diet, exercise habits, and other aspects of their lifestyle. That is an essential part of staying healthy in today’s busy world, where many people feel they don’t have time to take care of themselves.
Why do Most Apps Fail?
Winning apps move customers through the journey in a coherent, engaging, and effortless way. Apps that perform this task are more likely to stay on users’ devices and drive conversions. Yet, when you look at Google statistics, 34% of apps are deleted by consumers for being too slow, too complex, or simply not helpful.
Whether it’s because they’re poorly designed, or the developers don’t understand how to market their app, most apps don’t make it past the first day. It’s not a very encouraging statistic, but what can we do about it? Apps are not just a product. They are a journey that users take to solve a problem or get something done, and the experience is critical to the success of your app.
Successful apps create an emotional connection with their users by making them feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves. There are many reasons why most apps fail, and it is crucial to understand them to create a winning app. Let’s look at the three main reasons why most apps fail and how you can avoid them.
Reason 1: Poor user experience. It is the most common reason apps fail, and it’s because it’s so easy to make mistakes in this area. You might be able to create an excellent design, but your users won’t like it if it doesn’t work well or make sense.
Reason 2: No user testing. Most developers think they can create a great app themselves, but they’re wrong. To create a winning app, you need to test it with real users as soon as possible. You can’t rely on yourself or your friends to tell you what works and what doesn’t; they won’t see things from the same perspective your future users will.
Reason 3: Lack of originality. The App Store is full of apps that are just like yours. If you want to stand out from the crowd, then be original. Don’t just copy another app and make a few changes; come up with something new that offers real value.
Conclusion
You can make an app that is more popular than TikTok, but you need to think beyond the app and its features. One way to do this is by improving your App Store Optimization (ASO). It refers to how well-ranked your app appears in search results and the number of downloads or reviews it gets.
You can also increase awareness through user reviews and social media marketing campaigns. You will need to improve your app listing, so potential users know what they’re getting into upon downloading it.
The takeaway is that you can make an app more popular than TikTok, but you need to think beyond the app and its features. The key is to create something people want to use—and not just because it’s new or innovative, but because of its social benefits. If your app does those things well enough, then success will follow naturally!
