How many times have you downloaded an app, used it once, ignored it for weeks, then deleted it? More than once I’d guess..
Wanna know why? Because more often than not, the way apps are built focuses on functionality rather than real-life impact.
Whenever you are building an app or any online tool — no matter how simple or complex — you need to ask yourself and your users some key questions; “Would a customer use this? Would they find it helpful? Will it impact their life in a meaningful way?”
More than that, you need to consider what will make users remember you (or how will the app remember them).
Long story short, when you do ask these questions (and get meaningful insights), you can be sure you’re building something end-users actually want. Then, working with an understanding of your customers’ needs, you must figure out how to align them to the needs of your business. Because working the other way around guarantees you won’t attract any users in the first place.
Healthwave: what customer-centricity should be
At Dazlab we recently rebuilt a chiropractic app called Healthweave which perfectly exemplifies why and how you should build around your customer’s needs.
The initial app was only designed to schedule appointments for chiropractic patients.
We rethought and rebuilt the app into something people would actually use.
More than that, it needed to be something people would want to use.
Turns out it wasn’t just bookings, it was an entirely digital customer care center. To spare you the technical details, after consulting with existing customers and app users, we identified and validated exactly what customers actually wanted from the app. So when customers now use the app, rather than just making a booking, they are…
- encouraged and guided through their prescribed exercises between sessions
- Reminded to book future sessions.
- monitored for pain levels before and after sessions.
- measured for the effectiveness of their treatment.
- able to purchase equipment and tools to aid recovery.
- and offered nutritional planning to manage their diet.
The initial basic booking app has now become an entire health hub that actively aids customers’ recovery and prevents further injury or pain. Something they would use (and find useful) every day, not just when they needed an appointment or were in pain.
The difference between our first app and the professional product we have now is unrecognizable. We now have a product that I’m not only proud of but that our customers are happy to use.
– Brad
There was a huge upside for the business, too. Because now that customers can easily book their appointments in advance, they do, and this frees up staff to create a better customer experience.
So there you have it, my secret to building apps people will actually use is to understand and build around your users’ needs, not your businesses’. Need proof? Just ask Healthweave.
