Do you really need that data?
If you had to guess, how many apps would you say you’ve signed up for in your life?
Probably over a hundred, right? At this point, you might not even think about it. But in light of today’s concerns around data privacy, it’s kind of crazy how much information apps typically require before you even see what you’re getting.
Why does a running app need your phone number?
Why does a meditation app need to know your location?
What happens to your information if you try the app and don’t like it?
Frankly, giving your users the third degree is bad UX. It feels invasive and pointless, and it makes a terrible first impression that frustrates users at best and puts them on guard at worst.
Asking for information the right way
At the end of the day, maybe about 40% of users will fork over whatever information you ask for (depending on your market position, pre-download marketing, etc. etc.). They’re used to it, after all. But the best apps think more deeply. There’s a right way, a right time, and a right why to asking for your user’s information.
At WLCM, here are some questions we’ve been asking ourselves around collecting data, questions which have led to some real breakthroughs for us and our clients. Maybe they’ll help you, too.
What can you give away for nothing?
Sometimes apps feel like those secret hideouts in a gangster movie. You knock on an alleyway door and a little slot slides open. A mysterious set of eyes asks for your name, a secret password, and what your business is, before you can see inside enough to even know if you’re at the right place.
Offering some access to the app before hitting the user up for information (or money) builds trust with the user. It helps inform their decision to give you their data or withhold it. This positions you and your app as being on the user’s side.
We recently launched the Exhale meditation app with virtually zero onboarding. As soon as the app opens, a pulsing orb appears and prompts the user to inhale and exhale as it expands and contracts. A timer starts at the bottom with the text “Sit here and breathe, or tap anywhere to enter.”
I love this app because if you open it at all, you’ll take a deep breath. It achieves its goal for you instantaneously. And if you want to complete a guided meditation or mindfulness experience, you can do that, too.
And sure, you have the option of creating an account to save your progress and personalize your experience. But it’s a big ask to request personal data up front, in exchange for something a user doesn’t even know they want yet, so Exhale doesn’t.
Is this data necessary?
Of course, you want to know as much about your users as possible. Gathering and mapping user data can help inform future features, marketing efforts, and business planning.
But think about it from the user’s side. Even if they’re aware of the data’s usefulness to you, it isn’t useful to them.
As is so often with mobile app development, requesting data is a matter of restraint. How little can you ask of your user to grant them access to the experience they want?
When does this data become necessary?
If you give users some degree of access for free — with no account creation or divulging of data — they will reach the point of posting or saving something. At this point in the user journey, it’s obvious why creating an account would be necessary.
One of our projects, MindKit, is a mental health tracker that assesses your mood and energy on a given day and assigns that day a color. Over time, you wind up with a unique color matrix for your feelings.
You could use this app forever without creating an account, but it suggests creating an account when you save your first data point. The app takes the extra step of explaining why creating an account would be beneficial. This helps the user understand why they’re handing over their data and what they’re going to get back.
However you choose to design the account creation experience, the ask has to make sense, and timing is relevant here.
Why is giving this data helpful to the user?
The data you request should enhance the experience and value of your app. This preserves trust and prevents users from ending up in a place of “Why do you need this?”
It makes sense for a scheduling app to ask for my phone number. It makes sense for a running app to ask my age.
Our app pumpspotting provides a constellation of support for breastfeeding and pumping moms. This app asks for the baby’s birthday because it’s highly relevant to the type of support a mom needs, and the app will create a customized experience to cater to this.
If it’s not totally obvious how the data you request will add to the experience, take the time to explain it.
WLCM every user
We try to honor the fact that personal data is indeed personal to the user. They may be used to giving it away, but that doesn’t mean they like it.
Plus, the more you ask for, the higher the hurdle for actually gaining access to the app. Though a lot of our focus lies in making the app valuable, it’s equally important to make it easy — easy to access, easy to trust, and easy to navigate.
Instead of asking “What can we get?” a better question is, “What do we and the user need?” In this way, the ask is easier to swallow. When it’s really done right, it extends good faith to the user and enriches the entire experience.
