Mobile engagement is notoriously tough. 22% of mobile apps are opened just once and never used again while nearly 70% of users typically churn off an app within the first month. With all the money and effort being poured into mobile, why is engagement so difficult? Learn to recognize and avoid many of the common mistakes that app developers and entrepreneurs make that turn off users, ranging from poorly thought-out product and business decisions to confusing UI patterns. Analyze both market research as well as user behavior to build a methodical, data-driven approach to better mobile app design.

1. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013
of downloaded apps are
opened just one time
of an app’s users are
lost after one month
22%
62%
Sources: http://www.localytics.com/blog
http://blog.flurry.com/

2. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013
Mariya Yao (@thinkmariya)
Founder & Creative Director, Xanadu
Simple & Lovable Products for Mobile & Web
Common Mobile Design Fails (And How To Fix Them!)

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Awareness
App Store Search
Download
Open
Registration
Key Action
Retention
Major dropoff
Major dropoff

4. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013
Awareness
App Store Search
Download
Open
Registration
Key Action
Retention
Strategic FAIL
Tactical FAIL

5. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013
Awareness
App Store Search
Download
Open
Registration
Key Action
Retention
Built the
wrong product
Built the
product wrong

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STRATEGIC FAILS
How to Build the Wrong Product
Miss the forest for the trees
Solve a nuisance instead of a problem
Miscalculate your addressable market
Make a product no one LOVES
Require users to adopt new behaviors

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Source: http://www.visionmobile.com/blog/2013/01/report-developer-economics-2013-key-insights/
Which mobile strategies make money?

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CREATING REPLACINGvs.

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Check In Explore
2009 2012

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Source: Mobile Access 2010 http://www.pewinternet.org
of people use
their phones to
take photos
May 2010 Pre-Instagram
76%

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10x BETTER
Awesome Photos Instant Sharing Love and Adoration
vs

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PROBLEM or NUISANCE?
Are you solving a

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Recognize and acknowledge
Passively or actively search
for solutions
Will pay for incremental
improvements
Will put in the effort to make
a change
Problem
VS
Nuisance
Accept or tolerate
Not consciously looking for
improvement
Not willing to spend money
Not willing to break habits
Can be 10% better Must be 10x better

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Are enough people
interested in your product?

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Are you loved or just liked?

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Would you recommend us
to your friends?
How would you feel if you
couldn’t use our product?

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Sources: http://www.startup-marketing.com/using-survey-io/
How would you feel if you
couldn’t use our product?
1. Very disappointed
2. Somewhat disappointed
3. Not disappointed
4. I no longer use it

18. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013
How would you feel if you
couldn’t use our product?
1. Very disappointed
2. Somewhat disappointed
3. Not disappointed
4. I no longer use it
Sources: http://www.startup-marketing.com/using-survey-io/

19. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013
How would you feel if you
couldn’t use our product?
1. Very disappointed
2. Somewhat disappointed
3. Not disappointed
4. I no longer use it
Sources: http://www.startup-marketing.com/using-survey-io/

20. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013
How would you feel if you
couldn’t use our product?
1. Very disappointed
2. Somewhat disappointed
3. Not disappointed
4. I no longer use it
Sources: http://www.startup-marketing.com/using-survey-io/

21. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013
Very Disappointed
40%
Sources: http://www.startup-marketing.com/using-survey-io/

22. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013
STRATEGIC FAILS
How to Build the Wrong Product
Miss the forest for the trees
Solve a nuisance instead of a problem
Miscalculate your addressable market
Make a product no one LOVES
Create instead of replace behaviors

23. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013
Awareness
App Store Search
Download
Open
Registration
Key Action
Retention
Major
dropoff

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TACTICAL FAILS
How to Build the Product Wrong
Take before you give

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27. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013

28. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013

29. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013

30. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013

31. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013

32. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013

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TACTICAL FAILS
How to Build the Product Wrong
Take before you give
Make people do extra work

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Uber Sidecarvs.

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37. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013

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Every extra field on mobile
is a possibility for error
Asks for name and
password twice
Error leads to frustration
which leads to dropoff

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$12 MILLION
Source: http://www.geekosystem.com/expedia-12-million-field-delete/
a year due to an extra form field
Expedia lost

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TACTICAL FAILS
How to Build the Product Wrong
Take before you give
Make people do extra work
Tell instead of show

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13 screens to teach you
how to use a calendar
...really?

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Fantastical uses a 3-page interactive tutorial

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45. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013

46. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013
TACTICAL FAILS
How to Build the Product Wrong
Take before you give
Make people do extra work
Tell instead of show

47. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013
Awareness
App Store Search
Download
Open
Registration
Key Action
Retention
Strategic FAIL
Tactical FAIL

48. 05/2013 MARIYA YAO COMMON MOBILE DESIGN FAILS MODEVUX 2013
Awareness
App Store Search
Download
Open
Registration
Key Action
Retention
Built the
right product
Built the
product right

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What are your favorite mobile design FAILS?
mariya@xanadumobile.com
@thinkmariya