Inconsistent User Design

Over the past week, I’ve had two experiences with applications implemented across a variety of platforms with completely different User Experiences – I can hold one up against the other and see the difference.

Different features, different access points, etc, etc.

Even worse, I can look at these experiences across a variety of devices and platforms and see how they are completely different in their implementation as well.

If you are building a solution across a variety of platforms and devices always remember;

• Consistency is key – don’t limit the user to their device/platform of choice, enable it.
• Feature parity is Paramount – If you are building all mobile, great, but then we know the back-end services are all the same, so keep it on par from device to device.
• It’s All On – don’t implement some on, some off functionality because you haven’t finished the feature, hold off on deployment until it can all be on, by making it an inconsistent on/off you are simply inviting negative feedback from users.

Nothing turns a user off more than thinking your application is amazing only to have to stop using it because it doesn’t work here and there when it states it should.

Eliminate those distracting issues so you can get to the core of what users want and start building valuable add-ons for them.