How do you make your new app special? Learn from these game changers

Every app developer dreams of creating something that really moves the dial.

Something like Duolingo, which upended how people learn a language. Or Apps like Tinder which revolutionised the world of online dating.

For the next generation of developers, you could argue a lot of the hard work’s been done for them. There’s a huge number of successful game changers for them to learn from. They can teach us what features make your app feel special. We can also see how apps are changing to suit evolving tastes.

If we look at what’s being created today, they broadly fall into three camps (although some of the most successful can be a combination of all three).

1)     Gamification

2)     AI-led

3)     News-feed style

We’ve taken a look below at all three categories, and some of the ones to watch who are taking their apps to new levels.

Gamification

Gamification is now such a well-established tactic that it can no longer be considered some kind of ‘secret sauce’ for app developers. The lessons we’ve learned from video games – rewards, progress charts, competition with other users – drive engagement and reduce churn.

One of the most successful is Strava. Upwards of 120 million users worldwide use it to record their runs and other activities, comparing themselves against friends and wider networks. The competition for ‘kudos’ and hitting personal bests pushes them on to keep coming back.

Most apps use a combination of carrot and stick. Users are rewarded for completing tasks, but penalised for excessive downtime. Duolingo users are compelled to keep up their daily lessons, by notifications warning they’re at risk of losing a streak or being relegated to a lower league.

What we can see from the next generation is developers creating apps that are more nuanced and personalised.

Ones to watch

Gentler Streak. A fitness tracker. But unlike Strava and others, its focus is on wellbeing. The app encourages users to hit exercise goals, but also strike a balance between fitness and rest. It takes measurements to give users optimal amounts of time for their personal needs (instead of going all out).

How we feel. An app that tracks your feelings. Beautifully designed, it presents your feelings in shape form, tracking your emotions without judgment and allowing you to understand how you’re doing without any preconceived notions.

Atoms. An app encouraging users to build better habits. Like Duolingo, users build streaks, but this is more forgiving – a gentle nudge to move forward, rather than a harsh shove. It focuses on starting small, so rather than telling users to work out every day, it might suggest a short walk instead. The result though is no less effective.

AI-led apps

Artificial intelligence can elevate an app and make it stand out. AI is now used widely for basic tasks, including planning, transcribing meetings, summarising long documents. It’s also seeing greater inclusion in content creation apps for images, videos and writing.

But it also gets things wrong. Google AI went viral this year with its recommendation to put glue in a pizza to stop the cheese sliding off. When AI is used in a lazy, clunky way (think of the monotone narration on countless YouTube and TikTok clips), it can be a huge turn-off for potential users.

One to watch

Superhuman – This app helps users save time wasted on emailing. It scans inboxes, summarises conversations, and even draft replies. We love the use of AI to draft messages based on the user’s own email style. Crucially, the use of AI doesn’t detract from the main product functionality, which is helping improve users’ email workflow.

Newsfeed apps

It’s incredible to think how revolutionary the news feed was when websites such as Facebook and Twitter first arrived on the scene. A live rolling feed makes it near-impossible to stop scrolling. Fear of missing out means users return several times a day. But the arrival of these apps has also created a new buzzword, ‘doomscrolling.’ Developers must bridge a fine line between retention and focusing on their users’ mental health.

One to watch

Welltory. A wellness app with a difference. It has the feel of a never-ending feed, like Instagram. But – based on reading from a smart watch or workouts – the focus is how to improve your wellbeing. The app gives its 8.7 million users data specific to them or makes suggestions about further content. This includes how to sleep better, get more active, and reduce stress levels. There’s always something good to browse, making it hard to put down – or the first thing users look at when they wake up.

How do you make your product special

• Learn from what’s gone before. The apps we’ve discussed here stand on the shoulders of what’s come before. They incorporate what has worked well in the past into their app designs – but have adapted them to changing tastes.
• Make it personal. One of the key adaptations the newer generation are making is greater nuance and personalisation, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach we see in older apps.
• Use AI to enhance but not distract. AI can be a hugely useful tool, but not if it clouds the main purpose of your app. The best apps know how to incorporate AI successfully into their app’s usability.
• Use a product studio. We help you through the process of ideation, product design, development, and delivery. We’ve worked with startups worldwide to create great-looking products with excellent user experiences that help them grow their user bases and save time and money.

Please get in touch to find out more.

‍