We’ve found the secret to sticky products

77% of users abandon an app within the first three days. So, what’s your app doing to keep them around?

If you think the answer is sparkly new features, it may be time to think again. The secret to a sticky app is far simpler – and it’s probably not what you expect.

The secret to designing sticky apps

We all aspire to the Airbnbs, Instagrams and Ubers of this world — the unicorns that users can no longer live without.

But building those apps starts with redefining how you think of them. It’s not just about revenue, it’s about how much apps substantially change the lives of people in a positive way, and keep them coming for more.

→ Our take on stickiness? Make users’ lives that little bit easier and you’re half way there.

The steps to stickiness

1. Start by going back to basics and deeply understanding what your product does for your people — what are your users’ goals, and how is your app meeting those goals?
2. Use UX tools to go through your app’s flow and make sure the user truly gets what they want out of the experience. Take a journey through your app’s core features and put yourself in your user’s shoes, with empathy.

→ Never stop improving the experience for your users. Think of your app as a living, breathing thing that evolves with their needs.

Our favourite UX strategies for retention

Bring new value to the table

Offer more than functionality, every time users come back to the app. When we worked on the FYTA app, we built a points-based system where users earn rewards for actions like onboarding and checking plant health, redeemable for discounts and add-ons. It’s interactive, shareable, and keeps engagement high.

For SaaS apps, we like to add value through intuitive reminders and notifications — timely nudges that bring users back naturally.

Personalise the experience

Make your users feel like you get them. Think of ways your app can add personal value, like insights on user progress, or easy access to information relevant to them.

Make everything flow seamlessly

There’s no doubt about the fact that users leave (and don’t come back) when the process of using apps isn’t easy. By easy we mean seamless, intuitive — when every action makes sense, nothing breaks, and it’s an all-around effortless experience for users to achieve their goals. This is what we focused on when we worked with Orbiit on growing their average customer value by 400%.

So focus on simplicity — make every interaction as smooth as possible. Don’t overwhelm users with too many features, just slowly build out from your app’s core functionality.