Design

Depending on where you are in the world, the importance of design may be the highest priority, or it may be slightly lower. As an example, when I have worked with organizations in Western Europe, the key focus has always been on functionality first and design second. So, as long as it works, making it look shiny is secondary. Here in the UK, we are very quick to judge something based on its appearance, so if the app doesn’t look good, then immediately there’s a negative impression generated. These are very sweeping statements and there will be exceptions to those rules, but the key thing is to be aware of what your users are expecting.

Regardless of whether design is a priority or not, we should never underestimate what a good design can do to our app. If we have something that looks and performs well, then we will build engagement, and a nice-looking app can keep users coming back. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to start going out and...