6 Prominent Causes That Lead to App Failure and Their Solutions

Emma Cuthbert
Predict
Published in
8 min readNov 28, 2023
Image Source: Google

Have you encountered “Mobile App Failure” despite spending a hefty amount of money and time on the development process?

Well with the survey report saying that the mobile app industry will make $755.50 billion in revenue by 2027, businesses from all across the world are rushing to become a part of this thriving industry.

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With these figures, it is fair enough to say that the mobile app industry is at its peak and throwing various opportunities to startups and leading entrepreneurs to expand their foothold in the market.

However, one such mistake that businesses often make while considering developing a mobile app is overlooking the important parameters of launching a successful app.

Now here are two important questions to answer:

  • What Are all those important parameters that can cause app failure if not followed?
  • Why it is important to pay attention to these parameters?

So let’s answer the second question first!

According to the market survey, there are over 7 million apps available on all iOS and Android platforms.

On average there are about 70,000 new Android apps are released in the Google Play Store.

But do you know only 0.5% succeed in the market? 9,999 out of 10,000 apps fail for various reasons.

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So now when you hire a mobile app developer in India, you will keep this thing in mind that launching an app is far easier but setting a benchmark is always challenging in this cut-throat competitive market.

With each passing year, the number of apps and usage is continuously growing and providing more opportunities for businesses to launch an app. However, the success rate of the app is decreasing at a fast pace.

If you are also a business owner and looking to build an app or facing app failures, then you need to find out why mobile apps fail after their launch. In this blog guide, we will discuss all the big mistakes that you should avoid while developing a mobile app.

here are the potent causes that lead to app failure.

Major Reasons For Mobile App Failure and How To Avoid Them?

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, mobile devices have not only become the new epicenter of our digital lives but also the bridge to the physical world. Mobile technology has the potential to revolutionize your entire business, extending its impact far beyond the realms of digital operations.

However, before you hire mobile app developers in India, it’s important to recognize that the success of a mobile app hinges significantly on the effort you invested in its development process. The difference between a mobile app soaring to great heights or plummeting into oblivion often boils down to the choices made during its app development.

In this blog, we will delve into the primary reasons why mobile apps can fail and, more importantly, how to avoid these pitfalls. By gaining insights into these common challenges and adopting strategies to overcome them, you can significantly enhance the prospects of your mobile app not just surviving but thriving in the competitive landscape.

  1. Developing the App Clones

In the rush to launch their mobile apps on various app stores, many businesses pick a shortcut and fall into the trap of replicating their competitors’ offerings. But unfortunately, this strategy won’t lead to success.

For example, during COVID-19, social media apps like Instagram and Facebook have witnessed a crazy wave in their app usage and started generating a hefty amount of revenue. And various businesses have replicated the idea to share the success. But sadly, they haven’t realized that app stores are already flooded with a plethora of similar apps.

So what’s the solution to this issue?

If you want your app to thrive, you must present a compelling value proposition that stands out.

In essence, your mobile app needs to offer a unique value proposition to capture today’s discerning users.

Creating a Unique Value Proposition (UVP) is the starting point. Begin by crafting a vision statement for your mobile app. This exercise not only enhances your chances of success but also sets your app on a trajectory toward achieving its ultimate objectives.

2. Irrelevant To Real-World Scenarios

Imagine you have a billion-dollar app idea in mind promising increased business revenue and ensuring excellent user experience. But here’s the catch — is it effectively addressing real-world issues? If not, even the best concept and big-budget funding will be in drain.

The basic principle of developing a successful mobile app revolves around its ability to solve real-world problems and address real-world issues. To make it work rightly, it is important that you hire a full-stack developer in India.

For instance, consider an app that facilitates smooth purchases and offers fantastic payment options. However, if every other app does the same, how will you distinguish yourself? It’s crucial to analyze your competitors and provide something unique and valuable.

So how to deal with it?

Start by conducting thorough market research to understand industry gaps and deliver what’s currently missing in existing solutions. Additionally, channel your efforts into creating apps that cater to a broad demographic. A well-planned app that aligns with real-world needs and demographics stands a far better chance of success.

3. Neglecting the Changing Needs of The Target Audience

In this rapidly changing world with constantly changing user behavior, launching an app without considering the needs of the target audience is the biggest blunder.

Just imagine you are trying to develop an online education app during COVID-19 when these apps were considered a savior for students. But if you are launching an app now in 2023, then surely the same app idea won’t be that impactful.

The moment users sense that your app isn’t meeting their needs, failure lurks around the corner.

So how will you research your target audience and their needs correctly?

The simple way is to look for Indian app developers who will conduct regular usability tests and surveys to validate your app idea with the user’s needs. Using various tools, experts will help you get valuable insights, allowing businesses to navigate the evolving landscape of their target audience’s preferences.

  • Continuous Audience Understanding: Stay vigilant about your audience’s evolving mindset. Adapt and refine your target audience approach as needed.
  • Embrace Emerging Tech: Don’t just follow trends, but proactively seek and adopt new technologies that can enhance your app’s relevance and usefulness.
  • Expert Analysis: Form a team of experts specializing in mobile UX and analytics. They are your treasure trove for understanding metrics affecting engagement, conversion, and retention rates. Stay informed and ready to adapt based on their analyses.

4. Navigating the Wrong Platform

Selecting the appropriate platform is a critical decision that can significantly impact the success or failure of your mobile app. Each platform offers unique advantages — while Android boasts a larger user base, iOS users tend to spend more on commercial apps.

However, where do you want to launch your app? This decision needs to be made at the initial stage of the app development.

No matter what platform you choose to launch an app, the real challenge lies in ensuring the app’s development is precise and tailored to the chosen platform. This complexity can be fixed by simply hiring an Android developer in India who will help you develop a platform-specific app.

Since each native app is developed by using a specific programming language, therefore, the app can cause an issue while running across various devices and operating systems.

The simple way to deal with this is to deeply evaluate the platform differences while developing an app to avoid leading to a frustrating user experience.

5. Poor UI/UX of The Mobile App

Poor UI/UX can significantly contribute to app failure by frustrating users and diminishing their overall satisfaction with the application. Confusing navigation, cluttered interfaces, slow loading times, and unclear instructions can discourage users from engaging with the app.

If users struggle to find what they need or encounter difficulties in using basic features, they’re likely to abandon the app and look for alternatives. Additionally, a lack of intuitive design can result in negative reviews, eroding the app’s reputation and credibility in the market.

To mitigate this, investing in thorough user research to understand the target audience’s preferences and behaviors is crucial. Implementing a clean and intuitive UI with a logical and easy-to-navigate layout will enhance user satisfaction.

Conducting usability testing and gathering feedback regularly can help identify pain points and areas for improvement, enabling continuous refinement of the UI/UX to meet users’ evolving needs and expectations. An iterative approach focused on enhancing usability and addressing user feedback is vital to creating a successful app.

6. Lack of App Testing

Launching an app with undiscovered bugs or glitches can cause compatibility issues with different operating systems. These unaddressed issues can ultimately ensure a lower user experience, leading to negative reviews, reduced user satisfaction, and making users abandon the app.

Secondly, without proper testing, security vulnerabilities may go unnoticed, making the app prone to hacking, data breaches, or unauthorized access, compromising user data, and damaging the app’s credibility and trustworthiness.

Now the question is how to deal with it.

Comprehensive app testing is crucial. You can hire a quality assurance engineer to conduct a rigorous testing process that includes functional, performance, compatibility, security, and usability testing is essential. Engage in beta testing with a select group of users to gather valuable feedback and identify potential issues.

Continuously monitor and update the app post-launch based on user feedback and ongoing testing to ensure a seamless user experience and robust security, ultimately minimizing the risk of app failure.

How To Successfully Launch a Mobile App?

Though it’s painful to see millions of apps failing to succeed in the market. So if you’re also a business owner looking to create an app, then instead of starting investing immediately, it is worth planning an app wisely. Be smart about choosing the app development strategy and sensibly choosing the market for your app.

But above, you need to keep these points in mind to successfully launch an app:

  • Establish a clear vision and strong leadership.
  • Research and understand your target audience’s behavior.
  • Identify a universal problem or need gap in the market.
  • Pay meticulous attention to coding and development.
  • Conduct beta testing to gather critical user feedback.
  • Adhere to a realistic timeline and project plan.
  • Align strategies with business goals and follow correct processes.
  • Craft effective marketing and pricing strategies.
  • Thoroughly train the support team.
  • Balance and prioritize key features for users.
  • Ensure seamless architecture and appealing design.
  • Study and learn from competitors.
  • Start with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to test the market fit.

Conclusion

Successful apps like Uber, Amazon, and Netflix began with small steps and emphasized gradual strategic growth. Survival and progress in your niche require a similar approach — start small, scale strategically, and seek expert guidance when needed. you can consider hiring a mobile app developer in India to kickstart any project rightly and avoid such costly mistakes that lead to app failure.

If you are still confused about how to optimize your app quality to avoid leading to app failure then you can consider booking a consultation with experts. For more details or queries you can drop a comment below or contact us.

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Emma Cuthbert
Predict

Sr. Business Analyst — www.appsdevpro.com/ | Senior Tech Writer | Sr. IT Consultant. 11+ Years of Exp.