Making Apps irresistible - A Guide to Creating Habitual Usage
Streamlined Onboarding Tactics: Transform New App Users into Regular Users by Adopting These 4 Habit-Forming Strategies Inspired by Atomic Habits
Yo! Let's talk about what makes social media apps so dang addictive, you cannot resist checking them every few minutes. It's all about understanding the fundamentals of human behavior, mate!
Take Facebook, for example. When that sweet notification chime rings, what do you do? Probably snatch your phone up lickety-split to check that message, right? That's 'cause these apps get how we humans build habits, including our responses to cues. But let's not get ahead of ourselves yet; first, let me explain why I'm chattin' 'bout habits.
As it turns out, 40-60% of users open downloaded apps only once - a real bummer for mobile app developers who need a horde of devoted, frequent users to keep their app alive. Fortunately, James Clear, brains behind the best-seller Atomic Habits, offers a handy-dandy framework for forming habits. In this read, I'll show you how to use Clear's insights to make the first-time user experience as effortless and enjoyable as possible.
Let's dive in!
What is first-time user experience (FTUE)?
FTUE, my mate, is a user's initial interaction with your app. This encompasses everything from sign-up to onboarding. It's during these experiences that users form their first impression of your app. You gotta ensure that FTUE is as smooth as silk, 'cause these vital seconds decide whether your newbies deem your app worth sticking around for or not.
The Importance of FTUE – Making Your App Stick
It's essential to give your app a frictionless FTUE, 'cause newbies often make their minds up within minutes about whether they want to stick around with your app or move on to greener pastures. With the competitive app world out there, users usually don't give another shot to apps that fail to impress on their initial stride.
Most genres of apps would see a 14-15% drop in retention within a week of download. By day 30, most would only have a 6-7% retention rate. That's why it's crucial to make the most of the limited opportunity given by new users to convince them that your app is worth their time and effort.
The key to achieving that is ensuring their FTUE is as frictionless as possible. Check out the top four best practices for driving habitual usage among newbies:
1. Make it Obvious
According to Clear, our brains often respond to cues automatically. These cues trigger our brains to take action in anticipation of a reward. Many of the tasks we do every day are triggered by such cues, but we rarely consciously notice 'em, 'cause they've become ingrained in our habit system.
To encourage specific behavior, we must make the cue obvious. If you want, say, to encourage your app users to continue engaging, it should neither be complicated nor take them too long to figure out how to find its value.
Here are some best practices to highlight your app's value:
- Simplify the welcome page. Your welcome page should give customers a clear, concise view of what they'll gain from your product. Think short, simple, and straight to the point.
- Write benefit-driven copy. Showcase the benefits of using your app, rather than just listing its features, to give customers the impression you care about their needs.
- Wield call-to-actions (CTAs). Use clear, concise, and actionable CTAs to guide users to take the next step.
2. Make it Attractive
Creating a habit involves training our brains to appreciate tasks that we don't usually look forward to doing. Often, this isn't possible without the promise of a reward. By Clear's definition, a reward is something that we associate with a positive feeling. The anticipation of that reward is what motivates us to take action.
But most everyday tasks aren't naturally alluring - that's why Clear suggests habit stacking, or combining a task you dislike with something you enjoy. Essentially, if you want something done, you have to make it fun. As Clear puts it: "The more attractive an opportunity is, the more likely it is to become habit-forming."
To make your app appealing, design an exciting, engaging onboarding process. While app store windows give users their first glimpse of your app, it's during user onboarding that they decide if your app is indeed something they want to explore further. Inject fun and excitement into the process to pique their interest.
Here are some practices to make the process enjoyable:
- Offer an interactive product tour. Who wants to read a lengthy manual when they could enjoy a more engaging guided tour or video tutorial instead? Consider using visual mediums to introduce newbies to your app.
- Make use of gamification. Gamification is known to increase user engagement. Since people are inherently competitive, offer challenges or goals that motivate them to explore your app further.
- Tailor the experience. Consumers are more likely to engage with brands that provide personalized experiences. Not just in a "Hello [Name]" sort of way, but also through content that speaks to their individual needs.
3. Make it Easy
Leverage Clear's Law of Least Effort: Humans tend to favor options that require the least amount of work. The lesser the friction, the more likely it is that users will repeat their actions.
To encourage habitual app usage, make the process of using your app effortless for new users. Here are some best practices to ensure a frictionless FTUE:
- Simplify sign-up. Limit the number of steps required for sign-up. The fewer steps, the more frictionless the experience, and the greater the chance to win over new users.
- Welcome guest users. Don't demand too much information or commitment before offering value. Allow first-time users to use your app without registration and strings attached.
- Balance choices. Too many options can make the process appear complicated and overwhelming. Keep things simple by removing optional questions and reducing the number of steps required during onboarding.
Let's take TikTok, a social and video-sharing app, as an example. The app allows first-time users to experience most of its features without signing up, letting them build a relationship with the app before committing.
4. Make it Rewarding
By Clear's Fourth Law of Behavior Change, immediately rewarded actions are often repeated. Since our brains seek immediate rewards more than delayed ones, it's vital to incentivize new users to keep using your app.
Here are some best practices to reward newbies:
- Offer app coins or tokens. Many apps, like mobile games, give new users in-app currencies as a welcome gift to encourage repeated engagement.
- Give a new user discount. Offer exclusive discounts for first-time purchases to let new users experience your app without making a significant commitment.
- Reward redeemable freebies. Give away actual items or branded merchandise that appeal to your target audience to market your app and build user loyalty at the same time.
One example that exemplifies the power of instant rewards is Rakuten, a Japanese e-commerce and retailing brand, which gifts new users a $10 bonus for spending at least $25 within 90 days of download.
In Sum
To create good habits, make them obvious, attractive, easy, and rewarding. By implementing these strategies, you'll encourage users to form habits around your app, creating a genuine relationship and fostering long-term engagement.
Stay updated with user trends and adjust accordingly to ensure a frictionless FTUE that draws users into your digital world. If you need a partner to help design and build a flexible app that caters to user preferences and expectations, get in touch with us at our Apps website today.
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• To maintain app success, follow James Clear's approach in 'Atomic Habits' to optimize the first-time user experience (FTUE). The FTUE sets the tone for new users, influencing them to return or move on.• Offer a seamless FTUE to increase chances of retention, as users often decide whether to continue using an app within the first few minutes. Apps with poor initial experiences risk a high drop in retention, typically to 6-7% within a month.• To encourage habitual use of a custom app development, make it obvious, attractive, easy, and rewarding. Employ simplified sign-up processes, interactive product tours, and gamification to make using the app enjoyable. Offer incentives like in-app currencies, discounts, or freebies to reward new users for their engagement.
