Interaction design and the implementation of push notifications

What is interaction design?

Interaction design refers to how users interact with a mobile application. A good interaction design is essential to ensure that users can browse the app easily and perform any tasks they want to effectively.

There are many aspects to consider in the interaction design of a mobile app, some of the most important of which are:

1. Intuitive design: Browsing in a mobile app should be intuitive and easy to understand, meaning users shouldn't have to think too much to find the information or feature they are looking for. Few steps for each action, applications consistent with the operating system, communication during waiting situations, microcopy, instant feedback, and usage mini-tutorials are some good practices that will help achieve an intuitive design.
2. Attractive visual design: The visual design of a mobile application should be appealing and consistent across every screen, and adhere to the style guide, brand image and colour palette of the organisation in question.
3. Responsive design: Mobile applications should be responsive and function well with different devices, screen sizes and orientations.
4. Minimal learning curve: Mobile applications should be easy for users to learn. In other words, applications shouldn't require too much thought or effort for the user to perform a task. The browsing process should be simple, and all the features should be easily accessible.

Satisfying these aspects requires a good app design methodology. In this other article, we explain what ours is.

How does the implementation of push notifications help interaction design?

A push notification is a short message that is shown in a pop-up window on the mobile phone's home screen or in the device's notifications centre. These are usually confirmation alerts (opt-in) that show enriched text and media, such as images or buttons, and let the user take a specific action.

Push notifications are among the most effective strategies to improve a mobile app's interaction design, since they let users receive real-time updates even when they are not interacting directly with your app.

This opens up a huge range of possibilities, like the ones discussed below:

• Reminders and updates received at the right time: important events, new features, delivery dates, appointments or meetings, payment reminders, pending tasks, etc.
• Customisation: depending on the user's preferences and behaviour, the application can send specific notifications based on location, search history, previous purchases...
• Increased user retention: users who receive push notifications tend to open the app more frequently and spend more time in it.
• Re-engaging dormant customers: to recover users who haven't used your app in a while.
• Improved communications: the application can send notifications on technical problems, policy changes, new features, etc.
• Important alerts: security alerts can be sent to users, guaranteeing that they will be read quickly. For example, a banking app can send push notifications to alert a user of suspicious activity in their account.
• Limited-time offers and incentives, for example, a travel app can send push notifications to offer special discounts or promotions to users.
• Use as an identity authentication factor

To make your push notification strategy work, you have to take into account a number of important factors. To the extent possible, notifications should be:

• Customised, or look that way
• Useful and relevant to the user, not merely spam.
• Informative and attractive, and prompt the user to interact with the application.
• They must not saturate the user
• They should not be too frequent
• They should be sent at appropriate times
• They must not disrupt rest periods

Conclusion: The importance of creating a good interaction design and a good notification strategy from the start

In short, optimising the user experience in mobile applications is essential to ensure the success of the application. A good interaction design and an effective push notification strategy are two key aspects of achieving a satisfactory user experience. With a carefully designed app, users feel comfortable and committed, which can lead to greater user loyalty and satisfaction.

At SEIDOR, we have been creating mobile applications that take into account these and many other factors that are crucial to success, such as scalability, regulatory compliance, and more. If you're planning a project of this type and you're looking for advice and the guarantee that comes with working with a team of professionals, don't hesitate to contact us.