Think you have the perfect idea for a mobile app? Great! But let’s not jump the gun too quickly. While most smartphones contain around 100 apps, only 10-15 are regularly used, according to a Nielsen study.

Here we will dive into 5 characteristics shared by almost all successful mobile apps, so you can up the odds of developing an app users love.

1. Quality Product

For a mobile app to be successful, you must provide a high quality product that enables users to solve a problem. The best apps on the market perform only 1 function, but they do it REALLY well! In addition, ensure your mobile app has high quality design. This means making your mobile app visually appealing and simple to use, which brings us to the next point.

2. Simple to Use

Make your mobile app super easy to use. If a user has to struggle to figure out how to use your app, they will drop it and move on to the next one.

CTAs should be clearly defined and easily clickable. Provide the simplest possible path to conversion. A user should be able to fire up your app and be up and running with little to no direction.

3. High Value

The most successful mobile apps do something you can’t do anywhere else. Don’t just give users another way to make purchases or find a store. Create unique value by doing something that’s never been done. Value can come in a multiplicity of forms, including

  • Entertainment
  • Convenience
  • Utility
  • And more

Just make sure the value is there.

4. Measurable

Integrate your app with a solid analytics platform, like Google Analytics, to track app interactions. This will help you understand what is working and what’s not. Without the ability to understand app behavior, you will be driving blind and making decisions on hunches alone. Data-driven decision making will lead to a better performing and successful mobile app.

5. Built-in Virality

Your mobile app needs to contain some sort of viral mechanism. The traits of virality include:

  • Triggers
  • Social currency
  • Emotion
  • Public
  • Practical value
  • Stories

This will contribute to the likelihood of your app being used and shared with others.

Not all apps are created equal. Some succeed, while others fall short. If you think you have stumbled upon a successful mobile app idea, start planning it out today using our Custom App Development Worksheet.