Mobile apps – what the customer wants


Smartphone penetration has reached 50% in the US and on average each smartphone user has 41 apps installed (up from 32 on average in 2012).  A billion apps are downloaded from Apple's App Store every month.Technology company Compuware conducted a global survey of over 3,500 respondents (in France, Germany, India, Japan, the UK and the US) to find out about their mobile app experiences and expectations.Key findings

  • 85% prefer mobile apps over mobile websites
  • 55% consider apps more convenient
  • 47% consider apps as faster
  • 40% consider apps easier to browse
Problems with appsUsers are impatient when apps underperform.  Over half the respondents had experienced problems with apps, including crashes and freezes; slow launch times and failure to open.   79% of users would only retry a non-working app once or twice.   Only 16% would try a non-working app more than twice.  The vast majority (84%) also pay attention to app store ratings when making download decisions so bad reviews really matter.What do users really want?
  • Easy to download and navigate
  • Speed - 80% expect an app to launch in three seconds or less
  • The right options for the device
  • Relevant/personalised information and services
  • Ability to share/recommend via social networks
Key lessons
  • Focus on user satisfaction and engagement - ease of use, optimised design and functionality
  • Focus on ‘fast and reliable'
  • Monitor app performance for all your users
  • Monitor real-user experiences
  • Identify issues via device type/browser type/geography etc
"Businesses that embrace the mobile opportunity, offer the most usable features, and provide the fastest, most consistent performance will emerge as mobile leaders in their category." The report is free to download from Compuware.

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