To retain users through their design is something every website or app designer wants to achieve. But often, designers don't get to explore the intricacies of user retention because of time or resource constraints. Identifying the fundamentals of user retention does require some research and observation. And the aim of this article is to simplify and present it in a concise manner.
To understand how to achieve user retention better through designs, we can divide the whole process into five points. They are- trigger, motivation, action, reward, and investment. An effective design will guide the user through these points in an intuitive and enjoyable way. So, let us delve into more detail about these points.
Trigger
Triggers are motivations that create a spark in the user to perform some action. For a trigger to engage a user, it must initiate an emotional connection with them. A designer can use both UX design principles as well as UI strategies to fabricate this connection. Although visuals are not at the top of the priority list here, the power of good visuals cannot be undermined. The designer must first focus on the emotion (or concept), then move to the UX part, and finally, add the UI aspects to complete the trigger.
Some examples of UX triggers are building curiosity, providing social proof, creating a mass appeal or an exclusive approach, emphasizing necessity, and engaging with storytelling. The visible shell of these UX triggers is the UI triggers, which can be achieved through any kind of motion, colours, lighting, etc.
Motivation
Once a trigger has been successfully executed, and the user's attention is gained, it must be kept intact. With every second, the chances of the user losing interest increases, so some motivation should be given to the user to keep them engaged. This can be done by providing some micro-interaction or giving additional information like why or how. Another strategy is to give users some control to customize settings or do some selections.
Action
This is a crucial point in the user journey where most users stop their move forward. It is also an important point that marks the real interest of a user to convert from a curious visitor to a potential user. If you have set the trigger and motivation aptly, you need not worry about losing the users' interest at this point. The right trigger and potential will have the user prepared to take the next step, that is, action.
Here, as a designer, what you need to do is ensure that taking action is simple and straightforward for the users. Check if there are any obstacles, there is a shortcut or any doubts that may hinder the user from taking action. Solve any pain points that may be present and see that the path is as simplified as possible. In short, hold on to the user's motivation and compel them to take action!
Reward
If your aim is to attain user retention, rewards are crucial. It is so essential that a wrong reward can demotivate the users to interact with your product again, while the right reward can create a memorable impression on their minds. What kind of reward to offer depends on various factors like the objective of the website/app, the preference of users, the willingness of the company to allocate resources for rewards, etc.
To identify what may be the right reward for your purpose, you can ask yourself questions like what user needs can I meet with the reward, how the reward will influence the product interaction in the present and future, will the user want to share the reward on social media, how will users be able to get some value from the reward, etc.
Investment
Investments help to deepen bonds. When a user invests something meaningful in your website/app, they subconsciously form a connection with it. It makes them want to foster a longer relationship with your product. Investments can mean the effort they extend to acquire some skill or accumulate value. For example, a user creating a personal profile in social media is an investment they make, which will develop a bond between them and the said platform.
The designer will have to figure out the type of investment the users will have to make, how it will assist user retention, ways in which investments can be integrated into the product usage cycle, etc.
By working on these five stages and iterating them, you will get more ideas that you can implement into the design. Don't leave out any idea as insignificant as even small things may have massive results when applied properly. Taking the assistance of a UI UX design agency will help to plan a clear mapping of the user retention strategy.
