Loading...
Answers
MenuHow can I get my mobile app's user experience improved?
I have a mobile app that is doing decent now with couple of million installs.
I am now planning to get few people who are good with product design, user experience design, etc. to get some fresh eyes to make the app better.
How would you recommend looking for people with the required skill sets?
Answers
Hello! This is a good question because it embodies several areas of consideration.
I have experience in UXUI not as a designer but as startup founder and QA Consultant for many brands and startups. Not to mention working directly with UXUI designers for the past 10 years or so.
If you are getting somewhere around million installs what that would tell me is that your design right now is not bad, it might need to be updated and modernized but consider that subtle difference in reasoning because some designers may have certain styles they prefer or may not be up to par on trending styles or schemas.
Assuming that all downloads were organic and with minimal promotion to your app - you need to also consider that the flow and usability of it may be good as it is and maybe only minor changes need to take effect. What is your retention rate? Referral rate? (i would expect both to be high)
If you are looking for quick fix on something you already know that needs to get done you can consider going to the typical freelancing sites and hiring someone there, but be weary because most freelancers are just that and will not necessarily (realistically) prioritize your app over another specially if they happen to also have a large client they're currently working with as well.
If you lack engineering support consider looking for a programmer/UX designer as well.
If all you need is UXUI and need someone who works with you, is somewhat dedicated to your growth and prioritize your needs as much as you can expect an employee or team member doing then I would look for referrals and through non traditional channels. For example in Arizona we have a growing hefty community of startup entrepreneurs who are driving Silicon Valley into the desert - this community for example can be a good source to ask some of the members for a referral with portfolio. Maybe someone looking for a dedicated contract job with no other jobs on the side.
Go to facebook and look for associated facebook groups on UXUI. Do the same on linkedin and Instagram.
With that said, I do have an amazing resource for you. his name is Caleb Barclay check out his work here https://dribbble.com/CalebBarclay and his direct email is calebjbarclay@gmail.com
My first question is Why do you *think* your UI/UX needs updating? Now, I am not suggesting it doesn't, but wanting something and needing something are two separate things. So hopefully you are taking a holistic approach, looking at your user behavior patterns, and identifying possible issues to improve upon.
As far as finding the right people. I would recommend either looking at small agencies (a google search is a good place to start) or using LinkedIn to find individuals to talk/interview.
Start with the obvious... App reviews are chock full of relevant info. Listen to what your users are saying!
Check out UserTesting.com
It is simple. Think like a user. Try to answer the questions like Is it a one-time purchase or are subscriptions involved? Do you have to pay for additional storage on a cloud service? How much space does the app take up on the device?
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath
Related Questions
-
Can my experience with building "no code" applications be translated into something that will impress hard core coders?
Your skills would be most useful if you were starting your own startup and needed to make an early prototype to show to investors or potential cofounder developers. Your experience in debugging, testing, and agile, could help you get a job as a product manager, and the fact that you have a background in some sort of 'coding' will help too. It's very unlikely that it would help you get an actual dev job though, since you wouldn't be able to translate your programs into actual code that could be taken over/continued by other devs. Even if the programs you mentioned do allow you to export as code, it's unlikely that it would be exported in a way that's very usable by other devs.LV
-
How do I become a mentor at 500 Startups?
As a 500 Startup mentor I would suggest the following 1) Blog about distribution, design and data. Those are the things that 500 values most and usually the fastest way to get on their radar. 2) Interact with @davemcclure (and all other partners) on Twitter 3) Attend geeks on a plane or other events they host. It's all about relationships and perception, so create opportunities to increase the probability of showing them that you have skills that are relevant to the companies they invest in. Hope that helps.DM
-
What are the pros/ cons of outsourcing app development vs. building an internal development team? Would this affect the value of the company?
Don't Outsource. Period. While there are big drawbacks with outsourcing related to building internal expertise the real reason I would never outsource at your stage is the need for speed and flexibility. Per your description, you are an early stage start-up with a MVP that is gathering data. Congratulations as that is a big accomplishment! However, you inevitably have a ton to learn about what your prospective customers need most and what customers deserve your attention most. The means you will be tweaking your product constantly for the foreseeable future and having to submit ideas to an outsourced team, make sure they understand what you want, wait for the new feature to be scheduled, etc is just too slow and too expensive. You should have your developers literally sitting next to you and (if you have one besides yourself) your product person so you can quickly and constantly share information. Good luck! You are in for a fun ride...GH
-
What is the best way to get a physical product to market in 2014?
I've been in ecommerce for over a decade and have co-founded and helped start companies collectively driving over $10MM in ecommerce sales. I've consulted for Fortune 500 ecommerce stores. Here's my advice if you're just getting started without a big budget. Note: Some of this is copied from my answer to a similar question. #1) PROVE THE ASSUMPTION: Start with a dropshipper's existing products to figure out what sells best before you spend money on manufacturing and warehousing. Amazon is perfect for this - they will pay you 4%-10% to promote 253,000,000 products (http://bit.ly/1q2M85R) - you can sign up at https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/ Alternately, get very small amounts of the product (maybe even just buy some from a competitor) and try selling them on ebay and amazon. Nothing hurts more than having $50,000 of imported product gathering dust in your fulfillment warehouse while listening to a voicemail from a debt collector. #2) SOURCING There are several options here. Many people prefer Alibaba.com. Warning - if you use Alibaba, you are stepping into a tank of pirahnas. There are more scam "manufacturers" on Alibaba than real ones. Use Escrow or AliSecure Pay if you buy. If the supplier says they only take T/T, Western Union, Moneygram - just say no! I prefer American Made when possible. If you're like me, try Ariba's Discovery Service - http://bit.ly/1q2NFZu - which will allow you to find suppliers with a physical presence in the USA. Note: Many things can be made on demand (someone purchases, one gets made and shipped) instead of in 500+ manufacturing runs. Start there if you can - Books on CreateSpace.com, Clothes on CafePress.com, Playing Cards on MakePlayingCards.com, etc - to test out your exact product. If you decide to source by purchasing product in bulk, find a fulfillment company to store and fulfill (ship) your orders. Amazon does this - http://services.amazon.com/content/fulfillment-by-amazon.htm - but they might decide to crush you like a bug if you're successful (http://bit.ly/1q2V7DX). Other fulfillment companies for e-commerce include http://www.shipwire.com/ and http://www.webgistix.com/ #3) LAUNCH YOUR SITE This is an entire topic in itself. One of the fastest ways I know for newbies to start in e-commerce is with a SquareSpace.com store. Other options include GoDaddy.com and BigCommerce.com. If you can stand to use the templates they provide instead of trying to customize them, you'll save yourself a lot of hassle and expense - customization usually looks terrible unless a designer/coder was hired to do the work. If you do customize, find someone on odesk.com or elance.com. If you're not hard up for money, just build a custom store from the start. If you can't do that, save up some money and then go for it. Focus on increasing conversion rate - for every 100 visitors, get 1 to buy. Then 2. Then 4. Then 8 (8%). #4) MARKET Figure out where your competition is advertising. Are they getting free, "organic" SEO results on Google? Using social media to drive billions of dollars of sales? (NOTE: That was a joke - don't count on social media as the nucleus of your marketing campaign. Please!) Are they paying for Google ads ("PPC"), buying email lists, using strategic partnerships for promotion, relying on shopping portals, using banner advertising, or something else entirely? There's probably a good reason - figure out what it will take to play in those waters. At the same time, try to find a small enough niche that you can win in it. #5) BEWARE Be careful about artsy things. If someone is attracted to something artistic, it's usually because there is a story behind the art for them, or because it's cheap. If you're going to try to sell artistic things, you may want to consider doing some serious research first about who has been successful in that area. Look at etsy.com to see handmade artsy items (very cool). #6) WORTH A LOOK Worth checking out as you start your journey: Art.com, yessy.com, Artfire.com, ArtPal.com #7) DEEP FOUNDATION If you need help, reach out for a 15 minute call and we'll discuss a go-to-market strategy specific to your goals.RD
-
Is it better to have focus on one service offering or have many service offerings to gain more market share, faster?
I think there are great lessons to be learned from Exec. They started out wide, but have gone very deep on cleaning. It depends on the core thesis of your vision. Do you have a different product experience that could be competitive to existing marketplaces? Or are you just going for land-grab? The most important thing to understand about the services marketplace business is that it's a very localized business operation. I believe that if you're just looking to make money, the best way to do this is to go to "secondary markets" and build up marketplaces with a plan to sell to someone who has already raised great VC and has a presence in the major markets. If you are looking to compete in major market cities, then the safer bet is to find the very deep opportunity unless you really believe your customer experience can beat the established players. Happy to talk this through with you in more detail.TW
the startups.com platform
Copyright © 2025 Startups.com. All rights reserved.