Recently, we touched on the groundbreaking topic of App Clips and How Apple Plans to Redefine the App Industry with App Clips. Remember, Apple is setting in place this technology for app owners to display their core functionalities and features instantly, to help your app acquire more users fast! Regardless of the timing of when they plan to completely integrate app clips into their architecture, it is imperative that your current or future app is well-positioned for this feature.
1. Focus on Essential Features
Analogies are a great way to understand processes. App Clips are like appetizers, you order an appetizer when you are out for dinner to stimulate hunger and prepare your stomach for the main event, dinner. Your complete app, the one which users download, is equivalent to your dinner. You enjoy a full meal to satisfy your appetite. Desert is always the cherry on the cake, or a completed Call-to-Action (CTA) by your user.
Keeping this analogy in mind, your app clip should remain uncluttered to display the essential value your app is meant to provide.
- Save advanced functionalities and features for your full app
- Display your app’s core functionality on your app clip
2. Design a Pleasant User Interface
Simplicity, once more, is the key here. Focus on interface best practices by incorporating flat-designs, well designed visual cues, and clean layouts.
You should not include any of the following on your interface:
- Tab bars
- Complex navigation menus
- Long paragraphs and redundant information
You should include the following on your interface:
- Minimal entry fields (3 maximum)
- Minimal number of screens
3. Your App Clip Should be Immediately Usable
Everyone hates waiting for things they want. Thus, do not make prospective users of your app clips wait. Remember the golden rule of keeping your page load times within 2 seconds. How?
To make your app clip faster, you must keep it small, especially when bandwidth is limited to under 10 MB. Simply provide users all the required information and data that they need to take necessary actions on your app clip.
4. Utilize App Clip Discovery Methods to increase awareness
Remember, app clips can be shared via the Messages app on your iPhone. Thus, you must make it easy for users to open the app clip within their Messages.
Bonus tip: Use Subtle Marketing Principles to Promote your App
- Place sharing links at each AHA moment of your app clip. When a user is extremely satisfied with a functionality/feature of your app, they will have the ability to instantly share it DIRECTLY to their friend’s Messages.
5. Make it Easy for Users to Get your Product or Service Featured in the App Clips
Apple Pay is an ingenious functionality that most iPhone users have now installed into their smartphones. To be frank, nobody likes inputting their credit card information on an app. It is less of a security issue and more out of pure laziness.
The more time it takes to get the product or service, the less likely we are going to pursue that product. Thus, make it extremely easy for customers to acquire your product or service. Automatically enable Apple Pay on your app clip and offer users to ability to have express checkout and enter their shipping information. No typing is required for this – instant value!
6. Finishing Touches: Master Your App Clip’s Artwork for the App Clip Card
As mentioned, your app clip will certainly be users’ first interaction with your app so it is important to consider how you display images, your branding and copy. The following rules of thumb are meant to help optimize your app clip experience. You can find more information on Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines.
- Branding is Everything, Especially on Your App Clip Card
How you display your business or app on the clip card will directly influence users’ willingness to click on your Call to Action. Make sure the app clip logo accurately displays your app clip’s content, features and functionalities. Use vivid graphics and perfect photography for this very important element.
Avoid the following common mistakes
- Screenshots of your app’s interface
- Imagery that does not convey the benefits of your app
- Long texts with poor fonts
Incorporate the following best practices
- Image dimension requirements: 1800px X 1200px PNG or JPEG without transparency
- Limit text so a Title and Subtitle to communicate your app’s value proposition
- Pick an action verb that matches your app clip’s content
- If your app is media related, action verb = View
- If your app is informational related, action verb = Play
- For any other form of an app, such as services app, action verb = Open
- Your Clip Card should be consistent with your branding
Remember, your app clip is like an appetizer so give your users a reason for ordering (downloading your app) to drive your app’s user growth.
