Companies often create their own mobile application, but it does not live up to expectations: users quickly delete the service, give low ratings in the marketplace, and the conversion falls every month. Wasted budget and resources seem to be in vain. A UX audit can cope with such a problem: professional developers, designers and marketers will objectively evaluate the interface, find errors and help make the service popular.

We at AppCraft have been developing mobile applications for more than 10 years and tell us what it is for and how the audit process goes.

What is the analysis of a mobile application for?

UX audit helps to find weaknesses that prevent a person from reaching the target action. For example, an online store has an inconvenient filter for searching for products, and the order button is too small and inconspicuous in color – this can cause a large churn of users at the selection stage.

During usability testing, each element is checked: buttons, search bars, personal account, navigation, data storage and security, screen structure, color schemes, etc. An objective and careful analysis will help to identify problematic and strengths, priority and unnecessary functions, technical errors and user friendliness.

Practical recommendations will increase user loyalty, add a competitive edge, and increase conversions.

When to apply for an audit

At the stage of prototyping. The most profitable approach from a financial and labor-intensive point of view. An audit in the process of prototyping will allow us to correct most of the errors and bring to the market the most convenient product with a minimum number of edits.

Before launching to the marketplace. A final usability check will help you re-check features and find bugs to avoid a wave of negative reviews after publication.

If you are not satisfied with the indicators. When the application is already launched, but gives a low conversion, works slowly and collects a lot of negative reviews, there is a reason to test the technical part and interface again.

Audit stages

An individual verification process is built for each service, but there are basic stages that each application goes through.

Data collection

At the first stage, interviews with the client about the existing problems and goals are carried out, after which a plan is drawn up to correct the errors.

Information is usually collected through analytics systems and / or focus group polls.

• If analytics systems are integrated into the application, they study the metrics of interaction, engagement and conversion. The analysis will show how people move within the service, with which functions I interact most often and at what stage they leave.
• To collect additional information or in the absence of systems, analysts organize focus groups with target users. The respondents are asked to use the app and study their user journey, ask questions and study motivation. A focus group helps to better know the target audience and find solutions to interface problems.

Technical analysis

Problems can be hidden in the code itself. For example, the developers admitted the vulnerability of the code for hacking, problems in the operation of the service and data exchange. Checking the quality of the code and auditing the security of the mobile application will help solve technical problems and improve the interface.

Usability testing

Experts evaluate how convenient it is to use the application: whether the content is clear, whether all the buttons are pressed, how quickly the pages load, and what barriers prevent reaching the target action.

Before contacting the specialists, you can check everything yourself using the questions from the checklist of the usability of the mobile application:

• How logical is the user’s path. If the goal of the service is to get an order from a customer, it is necessary to build the correct sequence of screens, gradually guiding the person towards the purchase. An illogical page transition, unnecessary actions and an inconvenient interface can alienate a potential client. If there are many competitors on the market with more convenient services, people will simply go to them.
• Are all elements clear and conveniently sized. Each button must adhere to the guidelines for Android, iPhone or Windows Phone platforms. For example, buttons for iOS smartphones must be at least 7 × 7 mm.
• Whether a person can easily move between screens. If the interface does not have a button to return to the previous screen and back, or to easily navigate to the main page, usability will clearly suffer.
• Is there a convenient filter in the search? If there are many positions of different types in the catalog, make it easier for a person to find the desired position.
• Whether the information is retained after exiting the application. The interface will be more user-friendly if customers automatically save items in the cart after adding or data after technical failures. If you have to re-fill your shopping cart every time you exit, there is a chance you might lose a potential customer.

Design analysis

Outdated style, too invisible elements or unreadable fonts can also create problems in communication with users. During validation, professional designers and technicians examine each element and conduct A / B testing to provide evidence-based conclusions.

Report presentation

After collecting information and conducting tests, the team draws up all the data in a single document and presents it to the customer. Usually the report is divided into directions: technical part, usability, design and content, and at the end they present a technical task that will help the customer to eliminate the shortcomings.

Our team has been developing mobile applications since 2011 and knows what potential customers need. We develop services for banking, corporate social networks, instant messengers and online stores, so we can conduct a UX audit for any company and improve your application.

To learn more and order an audit, fill out the form below. We will contact you shortly.