7 Tips for Testing the Usability of Mobile Apps

Of the one million mobile apps, only half are used more than five times.

If you study any random cross-section of successful mobile apps and games you’ll find that they have one common factor. All of them are accessible. They have user interfaces that people can navigate intuitively without instruction. This is partly about building on expectations and established norms with Android, iOS, or whatever platform you are developing on. But there’s no substitute for thorough usability testing.

According to localytics, 20 percent of apps are used once and never opened again. Only 50 percent of apps are used more than five times. The window for app developers to impress and hook the user slams shut quickly and it stays shut. First impressions are vital if you want to boost retention rates and stand out in a crowd of over a million apps.