Common Mobile App Development Mistakes To Avoid in 2024

Carefully scrutinize your app by finding the most common development mistakes!

Have you ever thought why your app doesn't succeed even when it's designed by keeping all the required app development parameters in mind? It's because you mostly ignore several important factors that might be crucial for building mobile applications, like your target audience, app visibility, and important functions. Ignoring key exceptions in building mobile applications mostly result in app failure even if you have a dedicated and most promising team. 

So, instead of improving your app functionalities, you should rather find common mobile app mistakes to avoid during app development. To help app owners with the best information, we have curated a list of common app development mistakes that developers mostly commit while developing a business app. 

To make it more clear, we've categorized the list into three sections:

• Design-specific App Development Mistakes
• Technology-specific App Development Mistakes
• Solutions to avoid the popular mistakes

While the former covers mistakes that should be avoided in an overall process, the latter commits its attention to User Interface: primarily design.

Design-specific App Development Mistakes

1. Too Much of Anything is Dangerous, Especially when it Comes to Fonts

Many developers are misguided by the misconception that fancy fonts improve the UI of an app. It has the opposite effect on the design as it makes the design look messy. Keeping the app interface coherent with simple system fonts. For example, you can choose the San Francisco font for iOS and Roboto to create an Android UI interface.

A very important aspect of fonts that developers tend to forget is that a font is a software that needs licensing which can add to your average cost to build an app. Using a font without licensing can add to your mobile app development cost by $2,000!

2. Less is More when it's on Display

When smartphones and tablets getting a bigger screen; it’s mandatory for developers to display all their features on the main screen. But instead of informing the user, this gamut of information becomes confusing, making it hard for users to understand and use the app.

These days, users quickly get attracted to visual appearances. So, it's great if you keep the visuals of an app simple and alluring. The visual elements present in the actions of an app should be consistent so that they can make it easier for users to relate the options screens with one another.

3. Android and Apple are not the same

Android and Apple are different platforms that need different designs: The common mistakes in mobile app development is applying the same app design for both Android and iOS app interfaces. Contrary to what developers think it's fine to keep the interface for both platforms similar. 

If you're an app owner, make sure that you don't commit such a mistake while developing an app or your business. 

4. Pay Attention to How You draw Attention

Again! Remember that humans mostly get attracted to appealing visuals. How you present your app idea to the market is all up to you. And luckily, you can make it happen by paying close attention to the factors that highlight your app's qualities and clear purpose. 

Such highlighting factors can be colours, fonts, size, and navigation that help an app draw the users' attention to the most important information/CTA. 

5. Avoid complicated UI and UX

Simplicity is the key to success in the 21st century. If you like to overcomplicate things, it better you rethink your strategy. Almost every time it is mandatory to step inside the head of your user and deliver something which doesn’t feel too complicated or difficult to understand. A complicated UI and UX design are one of the top reasons why people delete an app. It's important to think about the UI and UI from the user’s standpoint. 

6. Failing to test enough 

Test, test and test your app before you launch it to your customers. Testing is a long, continuous and evolving process which should be carried out during the entire development process of the app. It is not only crucial to keep your app’s design optimum and intuitive but also to remove the bugs and other problems with the app. An untested app will undoubtedly fall short of people’s expectation and will face way too many glitches than expected. 

Technology-specific Mobile App Development Mistakes

1. Bias to one platform

iOS may have a monopoly in the U.S., but there’s a whole world out there for your app to conquer. Android with a great global audience serves as a stronger platform if you’re targeting a market outside the U.S. However, it's important to remember that the two platforms though the parallel is still different, so do pay close attention to the design in terms of its visual style.

2. Beta Testing of Your App

A mistake many developers often commit and eventually regret is by not beta testing their apps before mobile app launch. Ignoring this valuable perspective usually doesn't let the developers and app owners know the hidden issues like UI glitches, bugs and even high-level flaws that can ruin your App.

If you put your app on beta testing, you'll get accurate insights into how the beta testers utilize your app and make actions through it. This phase can be executed by using app-analytics tools such as Flurry and Google’s Universal Analytics. 

3. Rushing to the Monetization Model of the App

How to make money from an App is undoubtedly one of the most daunting questions faced by developers. The options are many- subscription model, freemium approach or in-app advertising?

Thanks to app analysts giants such as AppAnnie and AppTrace that help you find the best approach to compliment your App. These sites organize top apps by categories and popularity, offering you valuable insights on how to monetize your App.

4. Undermining the importance of advertising

Sorry to burst your happy bubble, but regardless of how amazing your App may be, the app won’t sell itself unless people hear about it. Defining your target audience is unarguably one of the foremost steps of an app development process. While this information is a key reference while designing your App, showcasing your App at the right moment and in the right places goes a long way in advertising your App and may add a little in your app development budget.

For instance, Apple is always bringing new features such as “App of the Day” that offers greater visibility to the featured Apps on the App Store. Mobile App experts such as MobileAppDaily serve as a credible source for such updates and identify the latest mobile app trends.

5. Undermining the importance of a co-founder

While looking back into the history of the most successful apps, we found a few common aspects- all these apps had co-founders. After diving deeper into the matter, it has been realized that these arrangements were not just destined but designed.

While one founder was a hacker, the other a marketer. Such complementary associations helped the founders to brainstorm ideas, utilize connections, making the app wholesome.

6. Undermining the importance of research 

Research is vital before any venture and application development is not any different. Conducting a thorough research plan executing it to its maximum potential is of extreme importance. Developers needed to understand the target audience, their habits, their needs and the features they are habitual of using and implementing it in the application. 

A badly researched application may end up being full of features but there is no guarantee that there will be a need for the service which you are offering. It is always better to take an educated decision backed by extensive research than to develop something highly sophisticated but without having any understanding of the product or the market.

7. Poor budget management

Budget is one of the most important resources at your disposal and arguably, one of the most vital ones also. You can replace almost all of your shortcomings if you have a viable budget to overcome it. But what if you fail to utilise the allocated budget efficiently? Blowing your budget prematurely is one of the most common problems developers face. There are 3 main ways by which you can fall short of the money you need to develop a great app.

• Wrong budget estimate from the beginning - It is not so uncommon that people make absurd estimates which get exposed when tested in real life. The biggest reason behind is lack of real-life experience or absence of professionals who have gone through the process of similar app development.
• Incomplete planning - Again, a result of incomplete planning and lack of real-life experience, sometimes developers neglect some of the vital features which are not only necessary for the efficient functioning of the app but also costs significantly high. Failure to include such aspects while creating a budget will lead to a shortage of budget at the time of execution. 

• Including unnecessary functionalities - Functionalities cost money if you want them to include in your app. So, if you fail to figure out what your goals are with your app and you created something which is a cluster of functionalities but fails to deliver the value it is supposed to then all your investment is gone to waste. It is commonly seen that people load their apps with many features but fail to deliver on the services which users expect them to deliver flawlessly. 

How to avoid popular Mobile App Development Mistakes?

Some may call them development risks, while others consider creating mobile apps. Therefore, elements such as touch feature, speed, agile development, connectivity issues, and platform choices must be viewed carefully during the app development process.  

No single approach determines the success of an App, there are, however, commonalities that can be found in all successful Apps.

1. Your app should offer solutions to common problems

Before you start with the basics of an App, ask yourself these questions: What problem you want to solve with your app? What solution does it provide to the problem that users are willing to pay for it and not the rival Apps? Is it just like an alternative to the rival services or integrated with something unique? How useful is it for targeted customers?

These questions help you validate the idea and purpose you want to solve by developing your app. Remember people are lazy, if you want them to switch from X to Y, one or two updated features won’t cut out from the crowd, build an app with a unique identity.

2. Deploy fresh and engaging content

Give your users fresh and interesting content that compels them to explore the app further. Create an app which includes contests, quizzes, downloadable offers, polls, social integration and more. Speaking of integration, make sure that the third-party advertisements that serve as a revenue source for you are relevant to the content of your App.

3. Branch out to Social Media and the Web

Reading my previous point, you must be wondering how often should you post new content? While it is great if you can update your content daily, hourly and even by-the-minute, it’s difficult to adopt a rhythm. Though it adds to the cost to develop an app but gives amazing results. A great solution to this can be tying the app to a traditional vehicle like radio or television.

4. Use popular structure methodologies

Kim Heldman, senior IT director for the state of Colorado, provides a structured methodology for the app development processes, the most popular of which includes a waterfall, agile and scrum.

5. Every App is different and so is its strategy

While different mobile Apps have different purposes, their services can be loosely categorized into need-based apps, efficiency-based- tasks management apps and entertainment-based apps. Each category needs a different strategy, to make sure that your idea is well validated.

The UI design has more than one wireframe, the app is well tested “by the experts other than you,” and that includes a well- prepared pitch when the app is submitted to the Google App Store or Apple App Store.

6. Make a testing checklist

To make sure that you follow a flawless testing strategy, create a testing checklist which you cross-reference from time to time. Here are a few points to consider while making a testing checklist.

• Define your process (How do you test, what is the strategy, who will test, etc.)
• Create an in-house testing environment with an appointed in-charge.
• Use inhouse as well as offshore testing experts 
• Schedule your testing and inform people in advance.
• Get the right tools, equipment and facilities for testing.

Ending Note

Every app has room for improvement which is digestible. But if you develop an app with mistakes, it can't be tolerated as it directly leads to its failure. Overcoming these mistakes is a great idea that you can do by finding the common mistakes of an app. It would be better if you make sure that you will not commit the same mistakes in upcoming apps and follow key exceptions in building mobile applications. This ultimately improves the quality and usability of your app. A lot of a decent app development budget, invest in our team, hire professionals with demonstrated experience, optimize mobile app development cost and keep patience, you will have a great app. Follow and study top app development companies to know their practices and learn from their experience.