5 best user engagement ideas to provide a fun in-app experience to users

Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, states that the iPhone users have an average of 119 apps installed on their phones. However, an average user spends 70 percent of the time, switching between just three apps.

Another research indicates that 80 percent of the people churn out within three days of downloading a mobile app.

Looking at the statistics, we can come to the terms that user engagement is indeed challenging.

But don’t worry, we have your back!

People get bored easily, so why not give them the most effective, efficient, and fun user experience. And for that, we have brought you the right set of ideas to transform your app into a fun and engaging journey all along.

So, let’s get started.

1. Don’t wash them overboard with boredom

John puts a home workout app on download and sits back — his eyes fixed on the progress bar. Soon as the notification marks the download complete, John opens the app with great zeal only to find a long series of welcome messages and tutorials. Inevitably, he gets turned down and deletes the app.

The onboarding process should be welcoming but subtle. The welcome message should contain the most important information.

Moreover, people love to learn along the way instead of getting flooded with tedious tutorials at the beginning—right when the happy hormones are at their peak.

The user-interface shouldn’t be too complicated to raise a need for a tutorial in the first place. But if need be, incorporate tooltips and hotspots that cut down on text and make it visually appealing for the users.

Speaking of visual appeal, people love animations and visual experience; so, make use of animated images and visual effects to keep them engaged in their sessions.

2. A personalized experience goes a long way

“Dear Anna, we missed you dearly!

Pay us a visit sometime”

According to a survey, 89 percent of the U.S. companies reported that a personalized website or mobile application experience increased the revenue.

Why?

Because people feel engaged when their apps are tailored to provide a personalized experience!

Start by analyzing their demographics and then employ behavior analytics to keep an eye on their in-app interaction to take personalized actions.

Monitor time spent on the app — send in discount vouchers to get their time and attention.

Notice how regularly they make purchases — send in rewards and “thank you” notes.

Track their browsing habits — suggest similar products or services on social media pages.

Always dig ways to make people close and connected to you. For example, “Welcome aboard, Sarah” is sure to stir up warm emotions than a bland “Welcome aboard.”

3. In-app gamification is the new cool

To make it a fun experience altogether, add gaming elements in the application!

People play games to compete, to relax, and to have a sense of achievement. That is all that it takes to inject the apps in order to introduce the thrill factor.

Reward: The cornerstone of the habit loop. This is an essential tool in getting people through the monotonous parts in a fun way.

Some apps reward people with incentives on watching a certain number of ads. Alternatively, the others reward people in exchange for getting referred to their friends and acquaintances.

You could even introduce a pointing system in the app. When the customers make a transaction against your product or service, you award them some points. And when those points hit a specific number, they enable customers to make a purchase.

What’s more, you could consider adding a progress bar in your app that denotes your progress on required actions. This motivates people to hang in there. A great example is Duolingo—a language learning platform that informs people about their progress as they learn a language.

4. User interface is the bedrock of fun and engagement

A very integral factor that determines the fate of a user’s engagement is the interface of the app. Mess up on this part, and you suck all the fun out of the user’s experience.

For starters, make sure that the app cuts down on the keyboard usage and requires the user to tap on the screen for the most part— nobody wants to waste time tapping letters on the keyboard anymore!

If you get the following things implemented, you are almost there:

• The content fits the screen, and there is no need to scroll through it
• The most important functions are situated at the bottom so that they are reachable by the thumb
• There is no inconsistent spacing in the text
• There is no need to zoom in to view the text properly

To take it up a notch, compliment your in-app colors and animated features with the nature of the app. For example, airG MiniMe, a friendly platform for kids, utilizes pastel colors, funky texts, and cool animations to keep the kids engaged.

Decrease the number of steps to complete their task and make use of icons and animated figures—instead of boring text— to guide them.

5. Use push notifications but don’t push too hard

Finally, one important piece of the puzzle is the push notification!

This is one thing that just pops up on the screen and gets the attention of the mobile phone user with no effort.

According to Braze, a single onboarding-based push notification targeted at the new users in their first week of using an app was all it took to increase retention by 71 percent in two months.

Push notifications can prompt user engagement in various ways. Some of them include:

• Letting the user know about exciting deals
• Announcing special discounts on products
• Sharing tips and new features
• Letting the user know what he or she might have missed out on

Again, you can track a user’s browsing habits, personalize their experience, and send them a push notification that informs about it.

With that being said, push notifications can get on your nerves if you go over the top with it. People turn them off without second thoughts if they flood the phone with unnecessary notifications. So, find the balance and involve them intelligently.

Wrapping it up

Now that you have all the right tools, pick them up, and craft an exemplary app!

But before we sign off, let us all be reminded that app engagement is a learning process. It keeps on evolving, and as it evolves, new patterns emerge. So, while it is important to analyze what works the best for you, it is equally important to experiment a little and measure impact.

Share with us your ways to keep the users engaged and let us know what you think about our ideas.  The comment section is all yours!