Quick Thought: The new user

New users are a unique specimen with unique interface design requirements (existing active users are a whole difference ball game). They have no idea how to use your app, have no idea what it does, and are asking themselves “is this worth it?” every step of the way.

This presents a big problem for interface design.

Every app has a series of steps the user has to take to get to a point where they can get the most out of the experience. But each step taken to get to that point gives a new user a chance to hate your app. A chance to quit and say it’s a waste of time.

So as an interface designer you have two options: make the learning curve a great experience in itself (good), or make the learning curve very efficient and quick (better).

A new user isn’t here to go through tutorials. They’re here to cash in on the offer that your app will solve a small nuisance in their lives. So the faster we can get a new user taking advantage of an app’s main function, the better.