In today's competitive app market, standing out and making a solid impression on users is crucial. With millions of apps available, it's essential tailor your app to meet the needs and preferences of your ideal users. This is where app personalisation comes into play.
App personalisation involves customising the content and design of your to better fulfil the unique needs and preferences of each user. By providing tailored experiences, you can enhance the user experience and exceed their expectations.
Here are some effective ways to create a personalised app:
1. Get the Exact Data You Need
Collecting data from your users may seem intrusive, but it can help you make informed UX decisions. Whether through onboarding surveys or IP addresses to determine location, try to collect data without the need of asking for system preferences. Once you have gathered the necessary data, carefully analyse it to identify patterns or group users with similar preferences, provide a set of personalisations based on these groups' preferences.
In Airbnb app, the home page for new users show rooms that are described as cozy and comfortable. This creates a sense of a warm and inviting app that prioritises user comfort and aims provide a pleasant experience. This is exactly what most users are looking for.
They also personalised the map’s location and display search results for nearby accommodations using the user's IP address.2
2. Communicate Effectively with Users
Using push notifications effectively can help bring back users and make them feel more connected to your app. Spotify's annual wrap notification entices users to click on their app, as the notification sounds evoke the feeling of unwrapping a personalised present. The element of surprise in discovering something new generates excitement among users.
Notification tones are important to get people's attention. Using a friendly tone in your writing can help you connect with users and keep them interested. But be careful not to be too pushy and forceful, because might make people stop using your app.
If your users don't seem eager to return, you can learn from Duolingo. They solved this problem by making their notifications more emotional. This makes users feel like they are talking to someone who has.
From a different point of view, it also offers users the choice to quit, thereby preventing them from becoming overwhelmed.
3. Usage-Based Personalisation
Analyse user habits within your app and modify its features accordingly to adapt to their usage patterns. Here are some examples of usage-based personalisations:
- Utilise user search history analysis to present tailored search results that align with their interests.
- Pre-fill search bar and filters according to the user's previous search behaviour, enabling them to save time.
- Highlight and create shortcuts to user's favorite items for easy access and visibility.
By closely observing how users interact with your application, you can gain valuable insights into their preferences, behaviors, and challenges. This information forms the foundation for making app personalisations to enhance the overall usability your app and set it apart from competitors.
4. Think Ahead
Furthermore, consider what users would want to do next after certain actions. Look at the usual steps users take from when they start using your app until they finish their goal. This way, you can your app better suited to their needs. Being proactive like this helps create a more personalised and enjoyable experience for your app's users.
- Analyse the typical journey of users and identify the common paths they take from entry to goal completion in order to better understand the flow.
- Identify the areas where users often face challenges or drop-off as these pain points are crucial to achieving the desired goals.
Your ultimate goal is to keep your users in your app. To achieve this, you must ensure that your app caters to their entire usage journey. Hiking enthusiasts might want to stay at hotels that are close to beautiful places. It would be helpful to show how long it takes to travel to these nature spots when showing hotel search results. This way users won't have to switch to a map app and get distracted from your services.
In addition, providing filters can be a great choice if you don't know your users well, but be mindful of nudging instead of pushing users towards using filters. Users will appreciate filters that align their preferences.
Customisation vs App Personalisation
Finally, it's essential to understand the difference between customisation and app personalisation in UX/UI. App personalisation involves tailoring the customer based on collected data, while customisation allows customers to make changes themselves according to their preferences. Customisation settings can be useful for collecting valuable user data and creating personalised experiences. Additionally features like background themes, text sizes, and colours can make your app more approachable and perfectly suited for individual users.
In conclusion, app personalisation is a powerful tool for enhancing user and making your app stand out in a competitive market. By understanding your users' needs and preferences through data analysis and effective communication strategies, you can create personalised experiences that keep users and satisfied with your app.