First-Time User Experience: How to Keep New Users Coming Back
Mobile app localization is an essential aspect to consider if you want to enhance the user experience. Preparing for app localization during app development is an excellent idea to make mobile or game localization smoother. There are a few things to consider when working on user experience.
The first-time user experience, or FTUE, is a user’s initial impression of your app. It is critical for any product, but especially for games.
What do your users see the first time they download and open the app? Do you give users a quick tour of the app or ask them to create a profile?
Everything from the visuals to the calls-to-action and language affects the FTUE and, essentially, whether or not your users stay. Users will leave if your FTUE is too confusing or complicated. Retaining users after the first week entails requesting what you require from the user to deliver what they want from your app successfully.
Here are some tried-and-true first-time user experience best practices that have been shown to increase user retention.
Enhance functionality
Is the app functional? Is it moving too slowly? Are the links useful? If you click the same button five times without getting a response, your app will likely end up in the landfill.
Mind consistency
An app that performs consistently is simply one that does not crash. Apps that fail to perform as expected are typically uninstalled.
A consistent app also uses as little space and power from the user’s device as possible. When a user receives that annoying message about “manage your storage in Settings,” they will usually begin by deleting some pictures. If that isn’t enough, they will continue searching for apps that take too much space. If your app is near the top of that list, there’s a good chance it’ll be removed.
The same is true for battery usage. If your users suddenly need to charge their batteries twice as frequently as before and discover that it’s your app that’s causing this frequent low battery indication – it’s likely that your app will need to be removed.
Consider connectivity
Your app should be simple to integrate with social media. This facilitates the spread of your brand’s awareness. Your app must include a social component to succeed in some markets, such as the Korean market.
Notice encourage & reward activity
The best first-time user experiences frequently incentivize users by rewarding them for completing an action.
People become more intrinsically motivated as they get closer to a goal, according to the Goal Gradient Effect3. For example, People are more likely to contribute to a charitable campaign if they reach their destination.
Profile milestones, checklists, and progress bars are excellent ways to visualize progress and encourage users to continue.
According to Persuasive Tech Lab, three things must happen at the same time for a behavior to occur:
- The user must be highly motivated.
- The user must be capable of doing so.
- The user must be prompted to do so.
To elicit a response, begin with the trigger and then move on to motivation. Consider Netflix: they automatically play the next episode to entice viewers to watch more.
Show customers what to expect
For certain apps, the first-time user experience establishes expectations through a product tour. This familiarizes the user with the app’s looks and determines whether they will actively use it.
This strategy is best suited for apps with a robust UX design and a product experience for a complex topic. Users become overwhelmed when dropped into an app with complicated terminology and a complex user interface.
When you launch the app for the first time, it shows you exactly what to expect when you use it regularly, as well as UI samples. Clear goals and visual examples provide the user with an overview of the app before using it.
Test on various platforms
Check that your app works on multiple platforms. It should be thoroughly tested. Extremely thoroughly. Don’t assume it will work on iPhone 12 if it works perfectly on iPhone 10. Borrow an Android phone, experiment with various browsers, click every button to connect, and submit everything there is to offer.
Don’t let their first time be their last
The first-time user experience of your app can make or break its success. When done correctly, it justifies acquisition costs and increases retention.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution for the best onboarding experience. What works well for one app may not work well for another. However, learning how to add value to your users’ first interactions with your brand not only gets them in the door but keeps them coming back.
Conclusions
When you’ve decided on your user experience, preview how your app page will look before going live. First impressions are lasting. Give your icon some extra attention. Your app’s icon should stand out from the crowd and demonstrate what it does.
Localization of mobile apps is the next step in creating a great first-time experience for users worldwide. Otherwise, you risk launching an app that isn’t accessible to everyone. Localizing your app entails more than just translating the app’s text; to fully reach new markets, images, keywords, and descriptions must be localized.
GTE Localize is confident to bring you the best app translation and localization services in town at the most cost-saving rates with extensive market knowledge.
If you are looking for a professional translation partner to assist your localization journey in the global market, contact GTE Localize’s team now.
If you want to localize your app/ game app into Asian markets, check out our white paper for insightful localization tips here.
