Google someone who has just run a marathon and you’ll find them posting content on the web. When people at a dinner party get bored, what do they do? They go online for entertainment. And you need to be there for them because, if you’re not, somebody else will.
If there’s one thing that people carry with them at any time, whatever the circumstances, that’s a mobile device. They’re everywhere: in restaurants during lunch, at movies, in line at the grocery store, during receptions, rest breaks at work, you name it. There is absolutely no scenario that we can think of which does not involve the presence of at least one smartphone in today’s fast-paced environments.
Whatever the activities that people engage in at any certain moment, they will most likely turn to their smartphones to either socialize online or simply look for stuff that will knock the boredom off them. But just being there is not enough. People want results fast; they want whatever it is that they’re looking for in a timely manner. They are not going to wait too long for some content to load when there is plenty of other smart, engaging and useful content out there, which they could access before you can say Jack Robinson.
Mobile apps usage has increased
This year’s survey from Flurry has shown an increase in time spent on mobile applications, as opposed to mobile web usage, which has dropped since last year. According to Flurry, mobile usage has increased to 2 hours and 42 minutes per day from 2 hours and 38 minutes registered in 2013; and 86% of this time accounts for mobile apps usage.
Now, this may not seem like a whole lot when put in perspective but speaking in apps term, it is. Sometimes, it takes one screen touch for an application to reach someone. Consider how many people could be reaching your app in just 4 minutes.
Optimizing for mobile applications
If you know your users, you can optimize content for apps based on preferences. Given that applications designed with a lot of graphic or video are usually larger, it is only normal that the download will take longer. An influential factor is also going to be the speed connection of the mobile user, so you may want to create apps that are more text-based, but still fun and interactive.
Fast access isn’t going to make it on its own either. Native app activity is one of the main factors that you should consider when looking for ways to bolster engagement by optimizing for mobile devices. Who are your users, what do they use smartphones for, patterns of behavior in applications usage – all these are factors that you should consider.
