Building an app for your brand isn’t about filling a missing channel. It’s about giving your customers a richer experience that puts their needs and motivations first.
Mobile technology has taken over the world, and it’s not done growing. Tablets and phones have become some of the most critical channels for brands to engage with their customers.
That doesn’t mean that an app is right for everyone. Mobile web design has come a long way, and websites offer versatility that apps can’t always match. Also, new mobile apps can be hard to discover, which means you need to be prepared to market an app robustly.
But if your app has a valuable job to do and the right support behind it, it can be an incredibly powerful tool for your brand. It might even achieve the holy grail – daily use and engagement by your target audience.
As with any design work we do, at BFM we take a human-centric approach to app design that involves getting to know your users in depth. An app is a tool, and we spend a lot of time designing not just the look and feel, but the cues and interactions that inform and guide users.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t also have fun – we also spend time thinking about the little touches that will surprise and delight people, creating moments that express your brand’s personality and keep your app fresh and interesting to use.
Built for Your Brand
Before our talented designers start thinking about how to approach your app design, we begin a deep discovery process that includes stakeholder interviews, business data research, and prioritization of your brand’s objectives. It’s critical for us to understand what you intend to accomplish with your app, and what actions you want your users to take.
It’s also important for us to explore what your team likes, or doesn’t like, in the design of other apps, so we can gather direction and gain inspiration. We like to open a dialogue from the very beginning of the design process, to ensure we understand your needs and expectations and can give good advice about how best to meet them.
Created For Users
It’s been a decade since apps were introduced to the mobile market. Over that time, apps have changed dramatically. As user behavior, preferences, and expectations have evolved, so has the thinking and execution behind app design – being human-centric and focused on users’ needs is now make or break for brands entering the space.
During our app design process, we do extensive audience research in order to understand how an app can solve your customers’ problems. Our goal? To create personas and example user journeys built on data, user interviews, user testing, and competitor analysis.
This thinking is what connects the app’s design, messaging, and task flows into a seamless experience, encouraging loyal customers to engage day after day.
Designed for Engagement
Apps work best when designers get out of the way of what users want to do, so naturally, we design with that critical point in mind. Above all else, it’s important to design interactions that make tasks easy for users to understand and execute, which also helps to streamline app development.
But that doesn’t mean the imagination has no place: an app should be enjoyable to spend time with, too. That’s why our designers are always looking for places where accomplishing a task can add a little moment of joy to a user’s day – and create a positive interaction that builds loyalty to your brand.