In previous blog posts, we discussed the key tactics and strategies that any entrepreneur or enterprise should consider to successfully create and launch their website or mobile app.
It started by carefully defining the requirements in the discovery scope process.
We then discussed the key milestones and deliverables that come after the discovery phase, in the design and development phase.
Now, as you transition to the website go-live or app launch phase, we will discuss how you might want to define exactly what success looks like for your particular software project. This includes a discussion about the tools and metrics you can utilize to ensure that user feedback and engagement is leveraged to its fullest!
With any software, and especially mobile apps, the idea of simply ‘build it and they will come’ just doesn’t apply in the real world. So before launching a beta release of your software, or even a soft launch to the public, you should ask yourself a couple of key questions first:
What problem did you set out to create a solution for when you built this software? Based on the answer to that question, how will you measure the initial success of that objective? This will require that you set up user feedback loops in multiple places, both inside the software, and in your marketing efforts.
Here are a few common feedback mechanisms you can deploy within the software:
- Pop up messages that are appropriately timed in the UX journey that clearly show you appreciate any early user comments on what they like, and don’t like, using your software… and of course, what is it that they would really like to see in the next iteration of your software!
- Links within the appropriate places of the app or website, where users can immediately provide feedback along key moments of their user experience within your software. Offer incentives, if necessary, to obtain more in-depth, user feedback-like surveys.
- Analytics software embedded ‘behind the scenes’ in order to track user engagement levels within various features and functionality of the software. Examples of some commonly used software analytics are:
1) Google Analytics (free), App Store Connect
2) App Annie (paid, third-party software), Mix panel
3) AWS AI services (AI) (paid, third-party software). Easily integrated into your software, AI-type services can track user preferences and behaviors, and provide very personalized calls-to-action to the user. These can take multiple forms, but AI-powered chat bots are just one of them.
No matter what type of feedback mechanisms you deploy, whenever you are soliciting user feedback, make sure that you have a way of responding (even if just to thank them for their feedback) so that you deepen the engagement and user relationship. This can help turn any user into real advocates of your software’s mission, as well as encourage them to continue giving you feedback.
This also holds true for any mobile app reviews that you might receive on one of the two app stores. For the first several hundred reviews, if not more, even something short and sweet like, “Thank you for the review and feedback!” will go a long way toward building more user engagement!
There are myriad ways to solicit user feedback the right way, and at the right time. Contact us at Epic anytime for a free consult to discuss how we can help drive user engagement within your mobile app or website.
“Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” –Ken Blanchard