Apple’s App Store attracted over 650 million average weekly visitors worldwide in 2022, with users downloading and re-downloading apps billions of times per week.
Nevertheless, 77 percent of mobile apps leave within three days of download.
4 steps for successful collaboration in app development
- discovery: Conduct research to accurately determine your target audience.
- definition: Define what the app should do for its users.
- design: Meet with product teams during the design phase. Test and test and test again.
- Delivery and beyond: Stay in touch with end users to refine the app and conduct additional testing as needed.
In our three decades of developing digital products, we’ve found that highly rated and widely used apps all have one thing in common: incredible user experiences. According to the 2023 study, 90% of users say they abandon an app due to poor user experience (UX). Report on the state of mobile technology.
A user-centric approach to digital product development is only possible when the development team is 100 percent aligned with the product owners. To develop engaging digital user experiences, it is crucial to be in lockstep with every aspect of development and to pursue a co-creation strategy.
Co-innovation was the topic of a recent webinar that I participated, along with product design and engineering leaders from Orion Innovation and Rheem, a manufacturer of water heaters and HVACR products. The discussion focused on how the collaboration will Product innovation. Our presentation covered the four phases of development, with concrete examples of our partnership in developing Rheem’s award-winning cContractor app. Here are the key findings.
Discovery phase
The discovery phase involves thorough research to understand the challenges and needs of the target audience. Without appropriate Market researchthere is a high risk of failure.
Developers and product owners were encouraged to share their knowledge and research on existing solutions and to conduct joint interviews with their users. We took this approach when we met with dozens of Rheem’s key customers – contractors, plumbers and dealers – at their factory. The interaction and engagement in a one-on-one environment helped us jointly identify common pain points.
During these interviews and workshops, we learned more about the different users and their individual needs and challenges. In this case, it was about equipment optimization and the need for support with installations, diagnostics and repairs.
We use these insights to create user personas and map user journeys to drive new features and capabilities in the application.
Definition phase
In the definition phase, we developed the baseline of what we wanted in the application. We started by defining the technical requirements with the Rheem product team and reprioritizing them together. Then, we established a cadence for learning and adapting the app’s features based on user personas. After establishing the requirements and capabilities, we mapped user journeys to guide our design and set the experience design strategy.
Design phase
Since our goal was to provide a guided experience for contractors by simplifying their processes and improving their workflow, we started creating concepts and developing prototypes. We met regularly with the product team to validate the implementation of our designs and collaborate on new ideas.
Once we had a working version, we repeatedly tested it with contractors and identified any challenges or features they were missing. Over four days at a major industry conference in Las Vegas, we met with more than 100 contractors to test the quality of work. Figma Prototype. We created surveys and conducted interviews to gauge their reactions, their excitement about the app’s potential, and their honest feedback about what worked and what didn’t.
Delivery phase and beyond
We took the feedback into account and made the necessary adjustments. We refined the design and functionality based on what we heard from those who use the app for their daily work. We focused on key questions such as whether the app would help users do their jobs better, whether it was useful and whether it would make their work more efficient. This direct interaction with end users makes a huge difference to the success of a project.
Additionally Test continues to bring forth new features, challenges, and learnings. This is also the phase where we can start to see the future state of the app and upcoming features. For example, since we can track installs, we can offer incentives or other products based on the work done.
The app has been downloaded more than 100,000 times in the last year. It has a 4.5-star rating in AppleAppStoreone of the highest ratings in this segment. The app is 54 percent faster than other brands and 62 percent faster in diagnosing and troubleshooting than the other brands that use this app.
Successful digital product development requires a partnership with product owners and developers. When you collaborate locally and the teams are well aligned, you can create products that deliver exceptional results. User experiences that affect your customers’ daily lives.
