Blog
3 common mobile issues and their solutions
September 18, 2013 by Dan Kramer — Senior Vice President, Marketing & Merchant Servic, SHAZAM
A hassle-free user experience can make all the difference when introducing mobile apps. However, with new technology comes new problems.
Financial institutions are now in the mobile web and mobile app development game. In this relatively new role, many are experiencing a number of technological ups and downs.
Below are three common, recurring app performance issues that FIs find themselves up against:
1) Slow downloads
According to Keynote Systems, consumers expect apps to download in four seconds on their mobile device and between two and three seconds on their computers.
In light of this, the 15-second average download speed Keystone found while tracking a number of sites seems downright sluggish. Aaron Rudger, Keynote performance analyst, points out that the specifics of an app's design have a direct effect on how long it takes to download.
Rudger said creating an app with fewer "page elements" can increase download speeds, but acknowledges there is a tradeoff. A simpler page design equals fewer features.
Rudger also recommends that developers keep the number of "redirects and lookups" to a minimum in an effort to decrease download times.
2) Crashes
According to Bill Shipley of Accenture Mobility Services, mobile banking apps and websites have a 5 percent crash rate.
Once again, an app's design is often the culprit. If a specific new feature is added but not properly tested, that single feature's failure can cause the entire app to crash.
Shipley advises "comprehensive app and mobile web performance testing" as a way to cut down on crashes. It's also important to include testing in every phase of the app's development.
3) Incompatibility
With an increasingly wide array of mobile devices on the market with varying operating systems, some FIs are running into issues trying to develop apps and sites that offering broad compatibility.
Rachel Obstler, senior director of product management at Keynote, advises developers to deal with this issue in the testing phase, by using the app or site on different devices with different operating systems. Obstler also recommends writing a script with multi-device compatibility in order to speed up the process of "testing across devices."
Staying competitive and relevant in a world of ever-evolving technology by offering the latest and greatest is a challenge FIs are facing — and rising to meet. Taking it one step further to design, create, and market mobile apps and websites with fewer glitches can give your FI an edge.
And that can make a significant difference when it comes to attracting and maintaining your customer base.
Read more about mobile banking.
