When is the Best Time to Optimize UX of Your Application?

It's nearly impossible to be interested in IT solutions without hearing about how beneficial UX optimization can be. A good user experience relates to a clear, convenient interface and a simple workflow. It's about changing a system that annoys us into one we enjoy using and that saves us time. Unsurprisingly, changes that make apps more user-friendly can bring in more customers. Yet, not everyone prioritizes UX.

Have you considered that now might be the right time to optimize your app's UX? Perhaps you just have an idea for an app, or maybe you already have a product ready to use. Sometimes there are so many things you could do to make your app more user-friendly that it becomes a task you plan to do someday but never get around to. So when exactly is the right time to start thinking about improving UX?

Before Development Begins

The best time to consider UX is before any coding starts. When you have an app idea, it's natural to first think about how it should work from the user's perspective. The same applies when adding new features to an existing app. You might think it's faster to start with a vague idea of what the app could look like and make changes later, but that's often not the case. When developers have a precise view of how each screen should be built, it saves them time because the team doesn't have to repeatedly redo the same things.

Planning is especially important if your app is complex. Seeing all possible user behavior scenarios prepares you for cases you didn't expect to encounter. It also helps eliminate concepts that won't work. Having a "blank slate" allows the team to think without being constrained by what they've worked on before, and everyone can look at the prototype with fresh eyes.

The process of creating and analyzing mockups is time-consuming, but it helps you and your team learn a lot about the app. Recently, while working on new features for Catalyst, a clinical communication and collaboration app, my team and I very carefully planned how each scenario should look. I created pixel-perfect mockups for every screen related to the new features we wanted to build. Of course, wireframes can work, but a more detailed prototype provides better feedback during testing. With the prototype, we were able to test what users could do at each step of their workflow.

For us, having continuous feedback was crucial. We held regular meetings to discuss each screen. Frequent brainstorming sessions work well because when you have smaller chunks of new development, your team has more time to discuss every detail. Now that we're implementing our ideas, we have precise instructions on how the final product should look. Mockups and prototypes also make excellent material for presentations to stakeholders and the sales department. This design process proved so effective that we now use it for building even more solutions.

During Development

What if you don't have enough time for precise planning and need a working product quickly? Does it still make sense to think about improving user experience? Yes, it does, and it's still possible. The development team can use frameworks to quickly create an app skeleton. The team can test it, and there will certainly be things to improve. You'll see which tasks take users longer than they should and which might cause confusion.

Always pay attention to testers' comments. Some information you provide to users may be unnecessary. For example, at Selleo, while building the Parkero app—which helped users find and book parking spots—we managed to remove several unnecessary input fields on one screen. It might seem trivial, but it made the form much clearer and more user-friendly.

After Collecting User Feedback

When the app already exists, you can gather the most meaningful feedback. Your app can finally be used by those who were meant to use it in the first place: your users. The most significant insights come from testing with a group that matches your target customers. Observing how users interact with your app can give you a lot to think about. Watch what your testers click, and check if the data they're looking for is where they expect to find it. What your team thought was obvious might be quite challenging for those unfamiliar with the app. If you can't arrange testing, you can always conduct a survey to learn how users feel about your product.

Sometimes you don't even need to seek feedback that far. You can check ratings and read comments in the app store. Find out if the app matches what users were looking for and if they encountered any issues. Sometimes you might even find requests for features that already exist! Some features might have seemed minor to you but ended up buried under less important ones for users.

Users may also contact your support team with problems they've encountered. Team members should create a ticket for each issue. They should note not only bugs but also parts of the app that aren't easy enough to use.

During Other Changes

Another great time to think about UX is when the app needs code refactoring. While investing time in improving code quality, your team can often spot areas that need adjustment for better usability. Sometimes really small changes can make users' lives much easier. If someone is already working on a particular screen, why not kill two birds with one stone and give it some extra attention?

The topic of UX should also come up during a redesign. You should focus not only on making the app look good but also on making it simpler to use. Many users dislike change because they have to get used to it. But if the changes are good and speed up work, customers will understand why these improvements were necessary and will appreciate them.

Conclusion

So, as we've discovered, thinking about UX optimization is relevant regardless of the app development stage. Is there a time when we shouldn't think about improving usability? Not really. We should always strive to enhance our users' experience. Competition in the market only intensifies over time, and we shouldn't be surprised when someone decides to switch to a more convenient tool. Of course, budget constraints may prevent us from making necessary changes. But ultimately, we must remember that UX also saves money by keeping users happier.