Does Your Mobile App Need a Major Update?
The majority of successful mobile apps are regularly updated, focusing on bug fixes and small tweaks. However, something which isn’t such a regular occurrence is a major update to an app.
Major updates have a huge impact upon the app’s user experience (UX). It may consist of a new design or a number of new features, but how do you know when your app requires a major update?
New Features
If you’re planning to implement a new feature or a handful of new features, a major update is certainly required. Whether it’s adding a social element to the app or integrating with third-party service, it’s critical to plan ahead for a major update.
New Design
Changing the app’s design will prompt a major update, whether it’s the UX or just the visual design. Updating the UI and UX of an app is vital and it pays to be vigilant and remain ahead of the curve.
As technology changes, the way people interact with it changes too. Their expectations are constantly evolving and if your app doesn’t meet these expectations, uninstalls will become more frequent.
App Performance
If your app is underperforming, a major update is critical. It’s important that users keep returning to the application on a regular basis and if that isn’t the case, something urgent needs to be done. Using app analytics will ensure you solve any issues that arise.
Expanding to Other Devices
New technologies and devices are constantly emerging, so you need to be prepared for this. Expanding to new devices may have an impact on UX and visual design but it’s important that the design feels native to each individual device.
Expanding to new devices such as wearables can require some major changes in the back-end, it’s something you need to consider in the future.
Major updates are crucial to the long-term success of your mobile app, however, you shouldn’t update it just for the sake of doing so.
Consider whether your app requires new features, a new design or a general refresh and if the answer is yes, a major update is certainly something you should be looking to implement sooner rather than later.
Andy Floyd
Marketing Manager| B60