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Marek Szmyt

<Blockquote author="Oxford Languages ">"User Experience is the overall experience of a person using a product such as a website or computer application, especially in terms of how easy or pleasing it is to use."</Blockquote>


The basic definition of UX is how users interact with a product or service. Although it is a concept that is used in every area of ​​our life, in this article we will focus on why UX is so important in the application development process. Solutions beneficial for the user affect the satisfaction of using a given product, which later translates into user loyalty. The whole process consists of two parts - UX research and UX design. First of them is about checking what the users' expectations and motivations are, and how the designed way of interaction will be the best choice. This is the time to research the market, get feedback and test our solutions. The second - design, includes creating the usage architecture by understanding the client's needs. Here a roadmap or motion design as well as prototypes, are created, which will later be reproduced in the selected version in your product. It is with these elements that your client will come into contact.

![image.png](https://strapi-appunite.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/image_e93740d60f.png) 
## UX is an investment
 
Since the UX approach is focused on research and testing ideas it makes the final product much more adequate to user needs. It helps avoid mistakes and lowers the risk of failure due to bad experiences and faulty features. With tools like prototypes, it is possible to validate ideas without investing precious time in development. According to IBM, it is [30 times as expensive](ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/software/rational/info/do-more/RAW14109USEN.pdf) to correct code defects as to use the right information at the first time. UX design eliminates the chances of such a problem. An authority in the field of business - [Jeff Bezos, decided to put 100 times as much money in UX as in advertisement when opening Amazon](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2015/11/19/good-ux-is-good-business-how-to-reap-its-benefits/?sh=2bffb3374e51). With good user experience, users will more easily complete tasks when interacting with the product. That means there will be fewer people that close a website or an app just because the experience was too complicated. The better experience, the better conversion and more journey paths finished. Studies show that companies which focus on design gain more sales. The companies which have high user experience investment saw their [sales increase by 75%](https://www.nea.com/blog/the-future-of-design-in-start-ups-survey-2016-results). Forrester (research and advisory company) created a report in which it was calculated that [1$ spent on UX can bring 100 $ to the company](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2017/01/23/how-ux-is-transforming-business-whether-you-want-it-to-or-not/?sh=783426e1580e). 
 
## The prototype allows you to understand the product

A prototype is a primitive version of a product or service. It helps in checking the design solution flow. It gives an opportunity to validate ideas before sharing them with stakeholders and choosing the final design. 
 
There are many different versions of prototyping from which the most common are:
- paper (it allows UX team to fastly check many ideas)
- digital (versions made with tools like Figma, Adobe XD)
- HTML and JavaScript (code-based solutions)

To get the full experience of the future product, you'll need a prototype. The complexity here may vary but being able to grab your phone or open your laptop and interact with the screen is a big difference when making crucial decisions. It helps with user testing and finding bugs that would otherwise be hard to predict when only looking at a static image.


<Image src="https://strapi-appunite.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/Screenshot_2021_12_08_at_16_03_58_b0dc7233be.png" source="Interaction Design" sourceLink="www.interaction-design.org" />


## Methods - where is UX in your product?

You are most likely wondering what UX has to do with your product. Below, we have described some of the most important issues where ux is a very important determinant of the success of your application development process.


**Personas**

This is one of many tools that helps understand who the users are and what their needs are. It is a crucial part that has to be defined to complete business goals and build loyalty by providing smooth interaction with your product.
 
**User Flow**

This is the way to visualize how the potential user will get from point A to B when interacting with the product. It gives a sense of the complexity of the journey which helps improve the experience and makes more people complete each task.
 
**Wireframes**

This is the part when we dive deep into the details of each individual screen. On low-fidelity screens, we focus on the structure and hierarchy of all the elements. It is an important step before we refine discussed ideas when creating high-fidelity screens that are as close to the final view as possible.
 
**Prototypes**

Prototypes let you interact with your product before the actual development. It is an important tool to see small interactions and flows in real-time so we can be certain that the delivered solution is perfect for the users.
 
**Testing**

At any stage, some of the decisions may not feel convincing. Luckily we have many tools to test these ideas on real users. By combining wireframes with prototypes or using existing products, we can run sophisticated tests to find the best solutions.
 
 
 
## How does good design affect the success of your application?


If we look at the number of UX professionals, we will see that their work became an integral part of the product development process. From an additional, alternative solution, it has become the basis for introducing a service or product to the market. Companies dealing with a market research in this field, predict that this is not the end, but the beginning of a revolution in the approach to create products (including mobile applications). It is estimated that [by 2050 there will have already been 100 million UX professionals](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/100-years-ux/).

<Image src="https://strapi-appunite.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/C7_A6_AE_00_6_FC_9_4106_86_A8_D916_FB_118614_4_5005_c_b445abd287.jpeg" source="nngroup" sourceLink="nngroup.com" />


The most important goal of any application is its success and user satisfaction, which will translate into their loyalty and profit. User experience is what creates a relationship between the company and people. UX is not only able to perfectly understand your customers and meet their expectations, but is also an excellent tool that will allow you to save money. 
 


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This article explains why UX is so important in the application development process.

What is User Experience (UX) and why should it be important to you? 

Maintenance is an important part of ensuring security, efficiency and reliability of your application: no less than providing a good UX and other end user-facing features. In a few words, to make your app successful, you can’t stop at simply putting it on the market. It’s only the first step to the application’s success, and the next one is constant watch over its performance.

Fortunately, there are a few options for mobile application maintenance that will help you to keep it in line with your business needs. Let's take a look at different types of long-term app maintenance, as well as the importance of outsourcing this service.

## Why is mobile application maintenance important? 
Despite dynamic development of web and mobile apps, it seems that only a few organizations have understood the importance of investing in long-term app maintenance. But they should and let this trivia be a wake-up call: in the first half of 2021, over 813 000 of apps were deleted from the Google Play the iOS Store ([Pixalate report](https://www.pixalate.com/delisted-apps-report-h1-2021), 2021). 

And why is that? Mostly because they didn’t comply with policy and privacy changes but also design and functionality requirements. And how to make sure that your app fulfills them? Mainly by maintenance, of course.

Many small and medium-sized businesses don’t know the repercussions of neglecting maintenance during application development. To name just a few of them, the most important are decreased user appeal and, as a result, limited profits.

However, the advantages of mobile application maintenance are numerous. To name just a few of them, thanks to good maintenance you can:

- Avoid rebuilding your app due to insufficient functionality
- Reduce technical debt
- Prevent hacking and security breaches 
- Prevent computer breakdowns and, as a result, loss of revenue 
- Save time: updates are scheduled and done when needed
- Reduce version numbers of the same component to improve productivity 
- Make the application evolve at the same pace as the users' needs. 

Moreover, by performing maintenance operations, you guarantee a higher level of expertise for your products, since you can count on a team entirely dedicated to this specific task.  

## What is the cost of mobile application maintenance?
According to data provided by [AppInventive](https://appinventiv.com/blog/what-is-the-cost-to-maintain-an-app/), it is estimated that a company should invest between 12 and 25% of its budget to ensure proper maintenance. However, there are obviously no stiff rules for this matter. The percentage of the budget that should be spent on maintenance and upgrades varies depending on the size and complexity of your application. 

When providing estimation for our clients, we always consider the following aspects:
- Applied technologies
- App’s complexity
- Integration between the application and other systems
- Presence of open source components
- Type and frequency of cyber threats

and more. This is why it’s difficult to estimate the budget right away, as it needs to be preceded with careful business and technical analysis. However, mobile application maintenance is an investment that will certainly pay off. After all, as the team that has delivered dozens of successful mobile applications, we assure you that it’s always better to pay for prevention than for the cure.

## 4 types of mobile application maintenance 
Even before investing in these operations, it’s beneficial to know different types of maintenance.  There are 4 main ones that can ensure an optimal and safe experience for your users. 

Corrective maintenance 
Corrective mobile application maintenance is used throughout the life of your software or application. It is used when your product malfunctions and affects your users' experience. Thus, this type of maintenance is used in reaction to a problem encountered after the delivery of your software or application. 

Corrective maintenance includes:  

- The analysis of the reported anomalies 
- Application of the necessary changes to fix the error   
- Extensive testing to verify that the problem is successfully resolved. 

Preventive maintenance
Preventive maintenance covers all actions that ensure easier maintenance on an ongoing basis through active monitoring.  

This includes:

- Continuous monitoring of the system to ensure a better level of security, stability and performance for your users 
- Infrastructure monitoring 
- Automated testing of your system's regression level 

Adaptive maintenance
Adaptive mobile application maintenance can as well be interpreted as preventive. However, it differs from this typology as it requires modifications to the system and its components. These modifications are made in order to comply with a major change in the application or software environment.  
 
By adopting this type of maintenance, you are being proactive. It is indeed a good way to avoid future complications (and massive calls to the technical department!). The objective is that your application or software remains agile and usable, even in an environment that is bound to change.  

This includes:  

- Software updates that respect your license limits  
- Modifications that ensure your constant compatibility with the new versions of mobiles, computers, tablets or browsers. 
  
Evolutionary maintenance 
Evolutionary maintenance is also a way to prevent long-term problems. You can add additional modules to make your application or software more agile, ergonomic and efficient. This type of maintenance can be performed by the service desk or by the project office, depending on the scope and complexity of the update to be performed. 

 In short, it is a necessary evolution that allows you to avoid several long-term maintenance operations. 

Evolutionary maintenance allows you to:  

- Improve existing functions in the application or software 
- Develop features to meet new uses or new requirements of users, customers or administrators.

Good mobile application maintenance should be holistic and include a few specific steps, such as automation, technical support, security testing and advanced monitoring. If you’d love to learn more about how to provide maintenance to a successful mobile application, read our best tips for long-term app maintenance.

## Boost your business with mobile application maintenance 
Here, at AppUnite we believe that the performance of an app is strictly related to monitoring it after the first couple of weeks on the market. 

One of the solutions is to outsource your app maintenance so:

- You don’t need to worry that you don’t have the expertise or time to address the matter correctly
- You can prevent most maintenance issues
- You can get help to recover from the issues in case they appear, and provide your business with invaluable know-how for the future.

Our dedicated teams are here to provide you with high-quality app development and long-term app maintenance after the release. With the experience of many delivered projects, we will do our best to provide you with all benefits of app maintenance.

Contact our team now, and we will be happy to provide you with any additional information customized specifically for your project’s needs.




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Maintenance is a crucial part of ensuring security, efficiency and reliability of an application. Check if you know all types of app maintenance.

What is mobile application maintenance? | AppUnite

What is mobile application maintenance? 4 types of mobile application maintenance

Szymon Janowski

Data Science in application development