Apple is facing a dilemma at the moment. Many apps and features have become too difficult for users to navigate. This largely contradicts with their simplistic and user friendly goals.
Last year, Apple displayed some of its new features at its developer conference. Craig Federighi, the top software executive for Apple, demonstrated the new features of the Messages app, the most popular app on the iPhone. Apple made it so users could now order food, scribble doodles, and send stickers in chats in an attempt to create an all purpose messaging tool similar to the popular messaging app in China known as WeChat.
However, users either found it too difficult to find and install apps that can be used in Messages or were not aware that such apps even existed. The food-delivery app that was demonstrated by Mr. Federighi, DoorDash, dropped its Messages app because of the lack of interest the app drew.
This lack of interest has been present in the iPhone’s 3-D Touch feature which offers options to users without the hassle of opening up an app. This includes options such as viewing the weather by holding down the app rather than opening the weather app or quickly sharing a post to Instagram. Randy Nelson, head of mobile insights at Sensor Tower, an analytics firm, states that “only about 3,600 of the 2.5 million apps in the iOS app store promote their compatibility with 3-D touch” because users have not shown interest in it.
Nelson also reported that many users were confused on how to use stickers in the Messages app and that a company example of a review of the app in the app store will say, “I downloaded these Disney stickers. How do I use them?” However, some updates have been popular with users such as the feature that transcribes voicemail messages.
Apple displayed its new iPhone features this week at its developer conference. They have introduced software updates and a voice-activated speaker that they hope will be able to compete with the popular Amazon Echo. However, with fewer major features being added to the iPhone, people have been holding on to their old versions of the phone for longer. Customers are not as eager to trade in their iPhones for a newer very costly version when they are essentially the same because users cannot navigate or unaware of the additional features added.
App developers have also slowed in introducing new apps as they find that people are disinterested in the new technology being introduced. According to Eliran Sapir, chief executive of Apptopia, an analytics firm, “new apps were being introduced at half the rate they were a year ago. Apple TV apps are hot, but developers are feeling Apple Watch” which has proven to be difficult to use and has seen a decrease in sales. Several parts of the watch must be meddled with and there is an iPhone app attached to the usage of the watch.
Companies like Facebook have also struggled with balancing innovation and ease of use. The social media company has had to reevaluate several times on its approach to its Messenger app and the features of its New Feed. Google tried to tie multiple services together in Google Plus social network and saw that that was too difficult for users to navigate.
Featured Image Via Apple
