Survey: Poor User Experience Leading Cause of Enterprise App Failure

The continued reliance on traditional app design and development is increasingly leading to enterprise mobile app failure, according to a new survey sponsored by Kony. More specifically, frequent design change requests and project delays caused by friction between mobile app developers and designers were cited as the leading causes of poor user adoption upon the apps’ release.

In the study, “Bridging the Gap: Mobile App Design and Development,” Kony surveyed more than 340 respondents globally, and found that 50 percent of respondents said their projects failed to lock or get approved because of user interface issues. User interface issues also are one of the largest causes of app delays during the design process, according to Kony. 

“Today’s IT departments are struggling to keep pace with the demands of their business to mobilize their enterprise,” said Dave Shirk, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Kony, in a statement. “CIOs are faced with the challenge of rapidly delivering mobile applications for their businesses, and this survey sheds light on one of the biggest hurdles: business users, designers and developers don’t see eye to eye when it comes to user experience and interface design, which can cause costly delays and mobile app failures, leaving the business looking for a better answer.”

Here are some of the key findings from the survey, as outlined by Kony:

So what can developers do to improve their chances of success in the mobile app arena? The answer, it seems, is to place more emphasis on design in the first place. While this seems obvious upon first glance, many design elements are often overlooked during the development process, according to Shirk.

“To ensure mobile app success, businesses should take a holistic approach to mobile app development,” said Shirk. “Enterprises should design their app with a mobile perspective when it comes to look and feel of the app. Doing this in a collaborative way and leveraging cloud technology is far better than the classic design tools, which have zero functionality or relevance to support the rich and varied user experience requirements of mobile technology.”