The Importance of Consistency in App Development

SARATOGA, Calif. - Feb. 11, 2014 - PRLog -- When one of your customers interacts with the latest version of your app, can they easily figure out what they need to do? One way to ensure that they can is to incorporate a user interface into your app development that is consistent with previous versions or with other products they use in their day-to-day activities.

When you change a user interface in technology, it actually can be disruptive to customers who are used to operating products a certain way. A well-known recent example of this is Microsoft's Windows 8, which made it challenging for users to locate the desktop they had come to rely on. In fact, you will get 486 million hits if you do this Internet search: "Where is the desktop on Windows 8?"

That point is driven home even more when it comes to mobile app development. People have gotten used to reaching into their purses or pockets for the phone that will quickly and easily provide them with tools they need for whatever task is at hand--and it can be frustrating when it takes too long or doesn't work the way it's supposed to. For example, a recent study found that 6-10 seconds is as long as mobile users will wait for a website to load. Imagine if it takes them that long to figure out how to get your app running, before even getting to whatever answers, solutions or entertainment they are seeking by using it.

Take the popular gaming app franchise, Angry Birds, from Rovio Entertainment Ltd. Whether you are playing Angry Birds Rio, Seasons, Space or another variation, once you understand the interface of one, you can easily pick up one of the others. And it is a confidence in that consistency that has led to more than two billion downloads--with many users downloading several of the variations.

Consistency is also important in providing ease of use in setting up a product. Video Date, an app that was developed by Software Developers India, recently featured in Time magazine and USA Today,  allows users to meet a "special somebody face to face" over their mobile phones. Dating can be stressful enough, so users have expressed how much they appreciate the ease with which they can use Video Date. User comments include that "it's super simple to set up and get a date" and "the layout is self explanatory."

On-the-go customers also appreciate the consistency of being able to use apps like Video Date on different operating systems, but still knowing exactly what to do to operate the app. As another customer put it: "I like that it is on iOS and Android. Have 1 LG Optimus G & 1 iphone 4 so very happy to use on both devices."

Incorporating  consistency in these areas of your company's app development will help empower your customers for successful interactions with your applications. And as we know, customers who have an enjoyable experience with an application are more likely to come back to that application, as well as to the company providing that applications time and time again.

About Software Developers India
Software Developers India understands the importance of being consistent when it comes to app development, having helped companies with their strategies for the past 15 years. It also can enable consistency across applications and geographic regions, as it also provides website design and apps for Google Glass and smart watches in more than 40 countries. Software Developers India is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in Melbourne, London and India. For more information, please visit http://www.softwaredevelopersindia.com/ or contact them directly at 408-802-2885 or team@sdi.la .