Today, businesses work tirelessly to create apps that offer enhanced user interfaces. This is where modern app design proves its value. A well-designed app can increase employee engagement, collaboration, and productivity.
In the past few years, application development has significantly pivoted towards user-centered design.
At its heart, user-centered design incorporates user feedback at every step of the process. Developers use mockups, usability evaluations, and site maps to develop iterations. The ultimate goal is to meet the business needs of employees and other end-users.
Modern app development also supports a multi-client or multi-architecture framework. These apps provide a consistent API for accessing features and functions. Businesses that embrace modern app development realize higher employee satisfaction and lower turnover as they are able to address employee needs and pain points.
Principles of Modern App Design
Modern app design offers scalability and the ability to deploy on modern cloud platforms. It has proven to be a game-changer for business growth in an ever-evolving market. At its heart, modern app development focuses on leveraging the 12-factor app methodology to build resilient software-as-a-service apps for enterprise organizations.
Essentially, modern app development delivers changes (iterations) over time, with the end product as originally conceived, but tested and calibrated along the way to meet employee needs.
Below are the key modern app design principles you can sell to employees as infuse modern app design into your workplace culture.
Architecture
Container-based microservices tops the list of modern app design architectures. Companies that embrace it and best practices like Agile and DevOps can quickly adapt software applications to employee needs and market trends. With APIs, businesses can get better insights from connected apps and data. The microservices approach ensures that code is isolated. So, you can make small changes and test those changes without compromising the whole project.
Essentially, modern app design allows you to build and deploy apps affordably and efficiently.
Usability
By and large, your dev team needs to assess an app’s effectiveness, ease of navigation, efficiency, and error tolerance before deploying it. Designing apps for optimum usability builds trust and confidence, facilitating greater employee engagement.
In modern app design, we see clear, intuitive navigation menus contributing to an organic arrangement of data. This ensures that content isn’t fragmented but accessible in orderly sections. Meanwhile, the core functions are appropriately highlighted, and users can find secondary information via the search bar. Optimized load times also contribute to usability. Studies show that apps with faster loading times average session lengths that are 70% longer and bounce rates that are 35% lower.
Fast loading times can go a long way towards convincing reluctant employees to embrace your new app.
UI/UX Look & Feel
Modern UI design is essential in establishing your brand’s credibility. Your dev team needs to adapt to usability patterns and visual trends to appeal to your employees.
UI consistency, for example, helps users engage easily with your apps. Your team can also adopt purposeful animations and gradient visuals to encourage interaction. As busy professionals, your employees will likely also appreciate smart forms/inputs that only ask for what’s needed.
Dev teams can leverage Siri, Google Assistant, or Alexa to create convenient voice interactions that enhance the user experience. Modern app design is consistently shifting towards AI-powered voice-controlled technologies. Keeping in step with this evolving trend ensures greater employee satisfaction.
Passwordless authentication has also taken center stage, with numerous apps adopting biometric recognition features. As an illustration, facial identification, fingerprint scanning, and pattern detection don’t require your employees to remember and keep track of passwords.
If you have a diverse workforce and employees with disabilities, incorporating accessible design features is a critical investment. In-app voice navigation tools and gesture-based vibrations for biometric authentication need not constitute a time-intensive investment. Including them can transform employee perceptions of your organizational culture. In particular, point out to late-adopters that modern app design facilitates inclusivity and accessibility.
Change Management & Incentives
To encourage a high rate of user adoption, leverage change management practices to support your employees and achieve a successful app rollout and implementation. For example, use in-app “wizard” tutorials & walkthroughs to provide a visual highlight of improvements and changes.
A knowledgebase or wiki can increase employee confidence when navigating your new app. You can also reward the employees who have given the most feedback, logged into the app at the highest rates, and mentored the most people in adopting your new app. In light of COVID-19, companies are increasingly using gift cards and merchandise as incentives. Essentially, you’ll want to use incentives as a change agent.
Finally, include a feedback mechanism so employees can share frustrations, report bugs, and suggest iterative changes. This can go a long way towards motivating employees to accept the principles of modern app design.
Drive Success With Modern App Design
Getting your employees to adopt modern app design will transform your app development process. Subsequently, an effective app design process results in enhanced user adoption and satisfaction.
App modernization can also impact your bottom line positively. With multi-container orchestration frameworks, microservices, or DevOps-based approaches, modern app design is full of possibilities. Entrance Consulting can help you assess your legacy apps and leverage modern app development to meet your goals. Let us evaluate your business needs today to create a customized app modernization process for you!