What Makes a Web App Great?
Many factors must come together for web applications to be great. In the absence of even one of these factors, a web application may be just good—or plummet to downright terrible. For app developers, a great web app brings them money and visibility. For consumers, a great app looks good, is easy to use, intuitive and reliable.
A Gleaming Look
An excellent app projects the correct tone and look for its purpose. The layout is logical, and scrolling is minimized. There’s no design overkill. For example, a children’s game would probably have bright colors and bigger touchscreen buttons for players. Any tutorial text should be conveyed in simple language. Vandelay Design has a great page on inspirational designs. The most important thing to understand is that you don’t need to be a design professional to design a great web app, but you should at least spend some time doing a research about what goes into a good design.
Easy to Use and Intuitive
The ideal web app streamlines any signup or registration process. It doesn’t require the user to wade through pages that require his address, income level and other information. It respects people’s time, which is in ever shorter supply for consumers these days. Once they purchase or download a web app, they expect to easily be able to use it. They don’t want to have to study a technical manual to figure out how to use their application.
Reliable and Versatile
A great web app rarely, if ever, crashes. For example, an app that allows people to make Internet phone calls must do so consistently and with high voice quality. Also, consumers use all sorts of phones and operating systems. A great web app is designed with this diversity in mind and works optimally on most, if not all, systems. It stores and backs up consumer data, and depending on the app, should sync with its counterparts on a consumer’s phone, computer, tablet and so on. Contact information for support is logically displayed and easy to find.
A Great Web App Also Takes Consumer’s Privacy Seriously
Perhaps most importantly, the best web apps deliver what they promise to. They don’t trick consumers into thinking they provide something they do not. They provide something unique, meaning that whatever the application delivers can’t exactly be found elsewhere or replicated elsewhere. The idea or premise behind it may be nothing new, but its angle or slant is fresh and engaging. It’s a good idea to spend some time considering some of the best practices associated with web application privacy. You may also want to consider hiring an attorney or someone who can help you navigate through this process.
Adaptability
Even the most top-notch web apps may have bugs or issues. Nothing is perfect, but a truly great app is designed for easy updating and tweaking. As the wants or needs of an app’s users shift, so should the app. So, a great web app must have a great development team, too.
