We have been talking about Heatmaps for quite some time now haven’t we?
But what about heatmaps for mobile apps? What about those?
Well, it’s not as common to find heatmaps for mobile as it’s on web pages.
But it’s quite rare having them on apps, why is that?
Well, that’s a simple answer, because of compatibility issues.
You see, the web runs of HTML, CSS, and Javascript basically.
Mobile apps run on a multitude of platforms (iOS, Android mainly)
Then it depends on the language on which the app is based on like Java, C#, and more!
Now you might ask why aren’t there a big selection of heatmaps for apps like they’re on the web.
It turns out, it’s really hard to do it, implementation-wise.
And it made me think, okay what about CRO for mobile apps?
I had that burning question so I decided to talk with Reza about it.
As you know Invesp has been doing really well when it comes to CRO which is one of the things marketers use heatmap for.
Here’s what he had to say about it.
Why don’t you CRO mobile apps?
That’s a tough question haha.
But It boils down to app store policies, be it Google’s or Apple’s; you see, CRO is all about constant testing.
We A/B test many things, and they usually need to be done quickly. With mobile apps, we can’t do that.
Every test would require an app update, and it’s not feasible to do it that way.
We do an average of 60 tests a month for our clients, that’s what 60 updates?
Also, the updates need to be reviewed so it would take us years to do the required tests to increase conversions.
That’s why we don’t do CRO for mobile apps.
What About Heatmapping for Mobile Apps?
With the explosion of mobile apps, there are more designers, developers, and marketers than ever before trying to figure out how to create a user-friendly app.
One tactic that has been widely used is heat mapping, which analyzes where your mouse hovers on screen.
Heat maps can be very effective in web design because people use their mice differently when they browse through pages versus scrolling through an app’s menu names or tapping on different sections of photos or text messages.
Heat maps work well for website navigation because people tend to follow a clear path from one page to another.
For websites, this means users gravitate towards the top left corner of the screen due to its association with clicking links and entering search terms.
Mobile phone screens don’t have this same top-left bias because people use their phones differently than they use computers.
When you’re using a computer, you might start at the top left of the screen and scroll down to read an article.
Once you’ve finished the article, you might then go to the top left of the screen and type in a new search query.
On a mobile phone, users are more likely to flick through screens (instead of scrolling) and tap on different sections of photos or text messages.
Because there is no clear path to follow when navigating an app, heat maps are ineffective for this purpose.
There are some exceptions to this rule; for example, if your app has a main menu that appears soon as users open it, then heat maps will be useful for understanding which links users go to first.
However, if your app has a home screen that people must swipe through before reaching the main menu then heat maps will not tell you anything about how people are navigating between these screens.
In general, heat maps are a valuable tool for understanding how users interact with your website, but they should not be relied upon for understanding app navigation.
Creating a user-friendly app using heatmaps
If you’re looking to create an app that is user-friendly and easy to navigate, focus on understanding how people use their phones and designing your app accordingly.
Heat maps can be a part of this process, but they should not be the only thing you rely on.
For a great mobile app, you need to understand the screen space and how people interact with it.
Once you’ve figured this out, you can start thinking about how your users will navigate through the different parts of your app.
At that point, heat maps might be useful for understanding the most popular sections of your app’s menu or home screen.
However, if you’re looking at where people are tapping then use Google Analytics instead because it’s more reliable than heat maps in mobile apps.
In general, it is better to design around how people use their phones rather than trying to fit your app into a model created for websites.
Heat mapping can help with some small aspects of this process but they don’t provide a complete picture of how your app should be designed.
Heat map software is used in web design to track where users click on a website.
It’s a great tool for understanding how users navigate through websites, but it cannot be used in mobile app design because of the differences in how people navigate their phones.
Instead of using heat maps, it is more important to understand how people use their mobile apps and design your app accordingly.
Once you have this information then you can start looking into heat mapping elements like menu bars or home screens so that you know what areas are popular among users.
This process will provide you with more information than heat maps could ever give you.
To ensure your mobile app is user-friendly and easy to navigate, focus on understanding how people interact with their phones and designing around that instead of trying to fit your app into a model created for websites.
Heat mapping can be used as part of this process but it should not be the only way you understand how people use their apps.
If you’re looking at where users are tapping then Google Analytics is better than heat maps because it’s more reliable in mobile apps.
It is better to design an app around how people use it rather than fitting everything into a model made for web pages; heat mapping can help with this small part of the process.
Overall, designing a mobile app should not rely solely on the information heat maps provide.
Conclusion
Heat maps are a valuable tool for understanding how users interact with your website, but they should not be relied upon for understanding app navigation.
In order to create a great mobile app, it is more important to understand how people use their phones and design your app accordingly.
This can be done by using heat mapping software to track where users click on a website, but this information should not be solely relied on when designing an app.
There are many other factors that must be considered when making an app that is user-friendly and easy to navigate.
When designing an app, it is important to think about how people use their phones and design your app around that rather than trying to fit it into a model for websites.
Heat mapping can be a part of this process, but it should not be the only way you understand how people interact with their phones.
In order to have a successful mobile app, focus on understanding how people use their devices and designing your app accordingly.
