Building an app? Do it right | The Giles Agency

Our guide to creating a truly top-notch app

If your app is missing any of these features, it may be time to return to the drawing board. Without them, you’ll struggle to stand out from the crowd and please your customers.

A search feature

Users want to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily.
Why make it difficult for them?

Social connectivity

Users want to share content with friends, colleagues, and contemporaries – so make it simple and seamless for them to do so.

Responsive design

Apps are geared towards the mobile market. Your design should bear this in mind, and adapt to screen size and settings without the user needing to lift a finger.

Touch support

What makes apps so great is their fluidity, their interactivity, their usability. Apps that require a keyboard or typing without making the most of touch technology have completely missed the point.

Simplicity

An app is an extension of you, of your goods and services, of your brand. Never overcomplicate. Keep things simple, clear, and streamlined.

Security

Perhaps even more important than usability and functionality, security is key. Users must be confident that their data is in safe hands, or you’ll lose their trust.

Offline mode

It might sound preposterous, but sometimes mobile internet simply isn’t available. Users should be able to keep working and using your app even in the absence of wifi or data.

A way to give feedback

People like to be listened to – and rightly so. Feedback offers a way for your users to engage more strongly with you and your app, and help you develop it to become even better.

These features are essential to include if you want your app to be well-loved and well-used. But what about the app copy itself? A seamless user experience is not just about effective design and functionality, it’s about effective copy.

Make sure your copy is:

Correct

Bad grammar or spelling is all it takes to erode trust in the quality of your brand.

Claim you’re rewards   

Claim your rewards

Simple

Your priority here is to be understood, not to be clever.

You smashed it!  

You passed Level 1!

Concise

Apps have very restrictive character limits, so you’ll need to learn the art of communicating more in fewer words.

Go to the next page 

Next 

Personal

Write like you speak, address the user in the first person and be more friendly than formal. The goal is to make an automated user experience feel like a human conversation.

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Necessary

Sometimes, it’s best not to write anything at all. A simple arrow or icon will do.

Filter your search 

By following these basic guidelines, you’ll be well on your way to creating an app that your customers find valuable, useful and enjoyable.