Were you ever annoyed by an apps messaging or couldn’t determine any value so uninstalled it?  Make sure users don’t uninstall your application by asking the following questions putting yourself in their shoes:

Think about how to get the user to take action and what screens/messages top include in your app to get them to do so.

• Frequency/Timing
• Are you prompting action screens immediately, before the user starts using the app or are you delaying the action screen until an appropriate time during use?  You don’t want to overwhelm the user.
• Are you messaging the user subtly or are you overwhelming them with different messages? Don’t bombard the user, but make sure you are engaging them.
• Think about the purpose
• Is the action screen necessary? Can you combine two action screens into one if you are now using multiple screens? Can you minimize the messaging so it isn’t overwhelming, but still communicate to the user that you want them to take action?
• Location
• Do the action screens pop from the taskbar, in the browser or within the application?  Wherever the messages are popping, make sure that they make sense and feel integrated with the application.

• Functionality
• Does the application function correctly when installed with other applications?
• Does the application require additional software to be installed for the user to be able to use it?
• Does it do what it says it will do?
• Does the application work in all browsers and browser versions (if it is a browser add-on)?
• Does the application play nice with direct competitors’ applications or does the user suffer due to conflicting technologies?

Give the user Options

• Give users the option to put specific features of the application on snooze if the app pops during certain actions.  This can decrease attrition so be careful that it doesn’t decrease the use of the application too much.
• Give users the option to customize the application if possible. This allows users to make it fit their needs better and increases engagement making it less likely for them to uninstall.

Target

• Find ways to target users that are more likely to use your application. Many distribution channels will allow you to target different criteria.

When creating an application, it is important to keep all of these things in mind.  Usability should always be top of mind; you don’t want to spend resources creating something users will not value and uninstall.  Around W3i we have a saying:  “We did it that way yesterday but is it the right way today?”  Continual optimization gets the best results.

Have you learned any messaging tricks?  If so, please post in the comments.

Nicole Virnig, Account Development Manager, W3i, LLC
Nicole focuses on growing W3i business relationships, making sure the  client has what they need to make them successful. If they aren’t  happy, she isn’t happy.

Often times, marketers focus solely on getting their product installed by as many users as possible. Although high numbers of product installs are important, retaining users may be more valuable in the long run. W3i understands the importance of user retention and has a few different ways of finding the right user for your product using InstallIQ℠, the installation manager for smart software distribution.

One way W3i assists their clients with finding valuable users is through the Affiliate Feedback System (AFS). AFS is an optimization tool that gathers information on users’ computers compatibility that would show preponderance for an advertiser’s application. To implement AFS, W3i provides the advertiser with a unique ID for each install. The advertiser then relays performance data back to W3i for each ID. W3i uses this data to find common characteristics (similar traffic sources, browser versions, operating systems, etc.) among users and then recommends users for the advertiser’s application based on where the application performs the best.  Now that’s smart software distribution.

Another source that W3i uses to gain insight on users is the InstallIQ Updater (IQU). IQU is a resident application that provides users with an enhanced download and software usage experience. The benefit of IQU is that it tracks statistics for both installs and uninstalls, which can then be used to understand attrition, create a better user experience, and add insight into issues with installs/uninstalls.

W3i also allows full customization with the thank you page. The thank you page is the first experience users have with your product and W3i sees the value in giving clients the ability to customize it so as to see the most impact. A few ways a thank you page can be used is for remarketing, additional product information, or confirmation that the product has been installed.

How great would it be to make more money from each install? W3i has spent considerable time finding solutions to help clients make the most out of each install using InstallIQ.  When are you going to start capitalizing on smart software distribution by becoming part of the W3i Application Network?

Jessie Golombiecki, Marketing Specialist, W3i, LLC
Jessie uses her experience in internet marketing, graphic design, and testing to lead the charge in marketing management optimizing all touch points with consumers.

The Challenge
Going live with an advertiser’s offer is only the beginning when distributing through the W3i Application Network.  As with landing pages, the challenge is to optimize the critical elements so that ROI is optimized.      

The Solution
W3i provides consultative and testing services for advertisers to increase acceptance rates.  One of the first things we look at is the disclosure screen itself.  The disclosure screen is the screen shown to the user within the installation manager, InstallIQ, that discloses the required information about the application.  Ultimately the goal is to improve acceptance rates.  It works like this, W3i mocks up multiple disclosure screens based on the findings of previous tests.  W3i runs tests on the disclosure screen mocks showing the various screens to users to determine which one has the highest acceptance rate.  W3i replaces the original disclosure screen with the one that performs the best. 

The Results
An example of a disclosure screen test that W3i recently ran was for a security application.  There was a 6.45% gain in acceptance rate with one of the versions tested. Needless to say, that version was rolled out.

Here are some things that W3i found to perform better in terms of improved acceptance rates with disclosure screens, but ultimately testing can only determine what works best for each particular application:

• Illustrating what the software does instead of having multiple useless graphics
• Having the copy left aligned
• Showing the functionality of the applications simply
• Trying to limit the amount of information on the screen to avoid crowding

Following is an example of these tips at work on an internal W3i product disclosure screen:

The top image is a control disclosure screen for one of W3i’s internal products.  The bottom image is a test version that had a 2.48% improved acceptance rate.

Find Out More
To learn more about optimizing within the W3i Application Network, contact Nicole Przybilla at nicole.przybilla@w3i.com or call 320-257-7500 ext. 1020.

Nicole Przybilla, Account Executive, W3i, LLC
Nicole focuses on growing W3i business relationships, making sure the client has what they need to help them be successful. If they aren’t happy, she isn’t happy. 

Do not underestimate the value of help and support related features in your application or service. Properly supporting your users can be a key differentiator in today’s market. It can help ease the learning curve users must traverse when adopting your service and facilitate continued product-usage. To not support or clumsily support your users is like dropping someone in the middle of a jungle without a survival kit. If you don’t give your users the tools and education needed to survive: they won’t, plain and simple. Here are three guidelines I’ve followed in products I’ve managed that provide a common sense approach for properly supporting your users:

1. Help should be Accessible: Access to a Help/FAQ section should be in the same “physical” spot throughout the application or service experience. Users should always know where to access Help or an FAQ. Don’t confuse them by moving it around or making it accessible in some areas and not others. These sections should be neatly indexed and searchable.
2. Avoid Technical or Industry Jargon: Speak your user’s language. Don’t confuse them by using jargon that’s over-technical or industry-speak. Just because you understand it doesn’t mean your users will.
3. Provide Multiple Support Methods: Hopefully your support documents are so brilliant that no user needs to contact you. But let’s face it, some do want to contact you, and that’s OK. There is no better way to build relationships and gather invaluable user feedback than providing human support via multiple contact methods. A support email address and online support form are musts. Make them easy to find. Hiding them or making them difficult to access means you don’t want to talk to your users and, for this; your users will repay you by not using your service. Phone and chat support are great ways to engage your users and provide them exceptional customer service – consider these methods as well.

One more thing; your Customer Support Team is critical to developing strong user relationships. Do not underestimate the value they bring to your product.

Following these three common sense guidelines to providing world-class support will ensure your users have the tools they need to succeed when using your application or service. Do not send your users into the jungle without giving them the tools to survive, hoping they’ll find their way through on their own.

Eric Montag, Product Manager, W3i Holdings, LLC
Eric uses his experience in graphic design, mobile, and internet marketing to lead the charge in product research, planning, and execution, from both a consumer and business standpoint.