Mobile App Optimization Techniques - Top 4 Proven Strategies

What is mobile app optimization?

Mobile app optimization is the process of systematically improving the performance, visibility, or UX of a mobile app.

There are all kinds of related processes that fall under this umbrella, including:

• App store optimization (ASO)

• User behavior analytics

• Performance monitoring

• A/B testing

The overarching goal is to use data to make informed decisions about how to improve your app for users. In other words, mobile app optimization is all about understanding what makes users tick and then using this knowledge to optimize the app experience.

Mobile app optimization example: Inspire Fitness

For an example of mobile app optimization, consider Inspire Fitness. 

The company needed to gain a holistic understanding of user retention and engagement across their integrated ecosystem of fitness equipment and mobile apps.

Although they had quantitative data tools like Mixpanel and Instabug, they lacked the ability to analyze qualitative data for meaningful insights into user behavior. This hindered data-driven decisions for fitness content on the app.

With UXCam's session recording, event analytics, issue analytics, and heatmaps, Inspire Fitness gained valuable insights into user behavior and engagement. This data-driven approach led to informed decisions, improved app performance, a 460% increase in user activity, and a 40% reduction in app crashes.

4 Mobile app optimization techniques

1. Analyzing user behavior

Mobile apps generate tons of user behavior data. Every tap, swipe, drop-off, and action leaves a trace—and with user data analytics tools like UXCam, developers can pick apart this data to identify trends and patterns that can inform optimization.

There are all kinds of tools that can help you analyze user behavior, including:

• Heatmaps: For visualizing where users tap, swipe, and scroll on a large scale.

• Session replays: For zooming in on individual user sessions and seeing their exact actions.

• Funnel analysis: For identifying where users drop off in the conversion process.

• Event analytics: For tracking specific actions taken in the app (like button taps).

PlaceMakers used UXCam’s session replay, heatmaps, and event analytics features to figure out why sales had plummeted since introducing a “constrained” tag to label low-stock products that may take longer to ship.

By zooming in on user sessions using session replays and heatmaps, the PlaceMakers team noticed that users were scrolling past products tagged as “constrained”—even though they matched their searches.

They hypothesized that their messaging around this feature was too strong (e.g., bold red font) and may have been scaring off potential buyers. They softened the messaging and sales quickly doubled.

2. App performance monitoring

Regular in-depth app performance audits are essential for identifying potential issues before they negatively impact users. UXCam can help you find issues that could potentially impact users negatively with features like:

• Frustration monitoring: For tracking rage taps and dead taps that may indicate a user struggling to complete a task.

• Issue analytics: For identifying issues like UX freezes and app crashes that are impacting performance.

In addition to these features, you should also think about using a dedicated mobile app monitoring tool like Dynatrace or New Relic for insights into metrics like load times and network issues.

3.  Onboarding optimization

Onboarding is a key driver of user adoption. If users don’t learn how to gain value from your product quickly, many will abandon it. That’s why optimizing your onboarding experience is crucial for retaining users.

Costa Coffee is a great example of onboarding optimization.

When the multinational coffee brand launched a loyalty program along with a mobile app, they were surprised when a big percentage of users dropped off during registration. They turned to UXCam to uncover the root cause.

Costa Coffee's Global Digital Analytics Manager tracked custom events, visualized the registration process through funnels, and identified a 15% drop-off due to invalid passwords. Reducing the number of steps to reset a password by simplifying the flow resulted in an increase in successful registrations.

Additionally, you should consider:

1. Using tooltips and guided tours to help users navigate the platform

2. Streamlining the registration process by only asking for essential information

3. Providing clear and concise instructions throughout the onboarding process

4. Incorporating visual elements and interactive features

5. Ensuring compatibility with various devices and browsers

4. Regular testing

Regularly testing your mobile app is important to ensure functionality and performance. Thorough testing helps identify and fix bugs or issues before reaching users—and there are two main kinds of testing that are especially important:

• Functional testing: This type of testing ensures that the app is functioning correctly and performing as expected. It involves testing all aspects of the app, including its features, buttons, links, and navigation.

• Usability testing: This type of testing is more focused on the user experience. It involves testing how easy and intuitive it is for users to navigate and use the app, and if they encounter any difficulties or confusion.

Recora used UXCam to conduct usability tests for their mobile to understand why users kept complaining of bugs that didn’t seem to exist.

With session replays, the product team quickly discovered that many users with tapping and holding an important button that was programmed to be tapped. This meant that from users’ perspective, the app wasn’t usable.

Recora resolved this by enabling a press-and-hold gesture, reducing support tickets by 142% and improving the overall user experience.

Why is mobile app optimization important?

It enhances UX

90% of users abandon apps due to poor performance. Slow loading times, crashes, and unresponsive features frustrate users and lead them to abandon the app. Mobile app optimization targets inefficiencies and improves the overall user experience.

It boosts engagement

When users have a positive experience with an app, they're more likely to engage with it, spend more time using it, and even recommend it to others. The opposite is true for users with negative experiences—66% of mobile users believe that a negative user experience can adversely affect their perception of the brand.

It gives your app a competitive advantage

By optimizing your app, you can make sure that it loads quickly, functions smoothly, and provides a user-friendly interface. Plus, mobile app optimization can also improve your app's visibility in app stores, since app stores consider factors like app performance and user ratings when determining search rankings. 

Conclusion

Mastering mobile app optimization is essential for delivering a seamless user experience and driving engagement. 

By focusing on techniques like efficient understanding your user, streamlining your onboarding process, leveraging analytics tools like UXCam, and continuously testing your app. Businesses can not only stand out in the competitive app marketplace but also ensure sustained success. 

Sign up for a free trial of UXCam today.

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