Web Apps

Web apps creation success depends on ten principles.
-Useful Apps- Give the users value by giving them a useful app. The value of your app will depend on your service: managing travel plans like TripIt does, connecting people like Facebook or finding the best seat on a plane like Seatguru. It will be the driving force to bring users to come back to your app and maybe pay for it.

-Fast Apps- Your app must be lightning fast. Users are accustomed to getting immediate responses with zero latency. One of the main reasons that native iPhone apps are so popular is because the response is immediate.
If you have heavy content or functionality that slows your app, at least give the illusion that your app is fast by displaying something on screen as soon as possible. Entertain users at each step. If you can enable some of the functionality while the rest loads in the background, even better.

-Modern and Sleek Apps-How many successful Web
apps do you know that looked exactly the same five years ago as they
do today? You could have the best application in the world but if the
graphics look old, users will think that it’s out of date. Look at similar
apps in your space and see what design styles they are using; it could
be small things like adding shading or rounded corners to buttons
and text boxes or complete, frequent redesigns. Simple elements can
make a big difference, if used correctly. Notice how many iPhone
apps change their icon, just a bit, when they release a new version.
The updated icon gives users a feeling that they’re getting something
shiny and new, even if the new version is just some minor bug fixes.

-Surprise / Overdeliver- Even my new Canon digital camera has a smile detection
setting that I would have never imagined (it takes a picture only when
the people in the frame are smiling). By giving users more than they expect,
you create a positive overall experience with your service and give
users the feeling that you are thinking about them and working hard to
give them whatever they need — and maybe what they don’t yet know
they need.

-Easy to Use- Your app should be as easy to use
as possible. Conversely, if you are providing something
the user cannot live without, you can get away with making them
jump through some hoops.”
Users are bombarded by information and don’t have the patience to
read a lot of content, go through a long sign-up process or learn how
your system works. If your app is not easy to use and requires a steep
learning curve, users will quickly lose interest and move on. Make
sure your users are able to experience the value of your app with
as few clicks as possible. Advanced functionality can come later for
those users motivated to dive in and get more.

-Notifications- It doesn’t matter whether it’s an
email, a Chrome extension that displays a badge or an iPhone app
with push notifications — your app should reach out to users and
remind them, Hey, cool stuff is going on here, don’t forget about me.
Quora, for example, lets users “follow” a question and pings them
when somebody adds an answer. The Groupon Browser App notifies
users when a new deal is available in their area. These notifications
ensure that users don’t miss interesting items and further engages
them with the service. The trick is in finding the right mechanism
and frequency to make notifications valuable, not intrusive.

-Fun- Businesses of all types recognize that fun equals engagement.
Flickr is a great example of taking a simple photo-sharing
service and making it fun. MailChimp is in the boring email business
but when you use their service you find email fun to use. Adding
even a little fun or whimsy to your app can add greatly to the overall
experience. Fun can be communicated in many ways — from
the voice of your application (the text and tone used throughout the
app), to cartoons, hidden items, fun colors or anything that adds an
element of surprise to the experience.

-Great service/experience- We all
have stories about great service we received from a clerk in a store or
phone representatives who went out of their way to help us. Those
experiences always reflect positively on the brand. Giving users great
service makes them happy; which drives them back to your app and
gets them to tell their friends about it. Zappos is the best at this and
it’s an integral part of their company DNA. Great service is especially
important when you want users to pay for your service.

-Listen to Users and Constantly Update-The beauty of the Web is that you don’t have to wait
for long release cycles and deployment. You can release updates, collect
feedback and pivot accordingly. Make changes, and the next time
users open your app they get the latest version. Just keep listening and
updating. Once you have more resources, you can even deploy A/B
testing to optimize and customize certain experiences in your service
for different segments.
Some of the tools you can use to monitor what people are saying
about your brand are Google Alerts, Tweet- Beep.com and
TweetDeck. You might also consider adding a feedback/comment
feature to your app that allows users to make suggestions

-Monetize your App-Even though Web
apps are usually free, you still need to make a living. If your app is
costing you money, you won’t be able to continue giving great service
to your users. There are numerous established and emerging
models for generating revenue that can work for your business.
Consider a freemium subscription model (like Flickr’s model),
advertising, donations, SMS, market intelligence, affiliate marketing,
selling virtual goods/currency, a combination of any of those
or any crazy idea you may come up with. Whatever works for
your users is legit.
Whether your Web app is a game played by millions or a
niche service intended for a small audience, keeping the 10 golden
principles in mind can help you create an app that is valuable
and successful.