One of the most interesting jobs I was a part of working was as a retail associate at Cumberland Farms. I had the pleasure of meeting all sorts of people! But one of the things you see in big retail is how your stores app works and how people react to it. From this experience, I learned one major thing. A complex app doesn’t always lead to good. But why?

What Makes an App Good?

To know what makes a good app, lets get a definition to what design components exist to make an app fun. There are two major areas: the User Interface and the User Experience. What are they? Well, Figma defines the two as the following:

In digital design, user interface (UI) refers to the interactivity, look, and feel of a product screen or web page, while user experience (UX) covers a user’s overall experience with the product or website

But what does that exactly mean? Well, a user interface includes buttons, colors, fonts, hierarchy and overall feel of a page. User experience meanwhile focuses on how user goes through said interface. Can you get from Point A to Point B. Both are needed.

UX and UI are Required to Make an App Successful

Both hold their challenge. UI has to be good. Things must feel complete, all while finding that great medium of simple and complex. UX meanwhile makes a product worth it. You are having to make a user doesn’t get frustrated or lost. But there are many ways you can tell if you were successful.

Lets look at a good example of a good user interface and user experience through the Target Rewards App. For a user interface, notice the colors, the separation, the text fits, things have a place and it fits. For user experience, look at the bottom especially. See how the icons are colored? This indicates that you can tell what page you are on and how to get there.

Lets look at the bad side of the UX and UI. In the Apple Music screenshot, “weezer” is massive. While the actual UI may not seem that bad, this search definitely puts a sour taste. Because of how come often a user would use the search, the big stretch may interfere with other parts of the app.

And bad UX and UI does matter, as 88 out of 100 (88%) people visiting your digital product may not return. Especially in a field like retail, that harms the business, but also the consumers. As someone who was on the front lines, I watched many people get lost, sad, frustrated, and more because they couldn’t find what they were looking for or didn’t areas lead to where.

What an App Can Learn: Cumberland Farms

But how an app like the Cumberland Farms Rewards App do to improve? Well there’s actually a lot they can do! This is based on my own personal experience and from looking the app over front and back as a designer.