To survive a competitive environment, one needs to stand out. And providing a meaningful and unique user experience is the way to do it. However, there are many misconceptions surrounding UX design that keeps companies from achieving their end goals. 

A rather concerning one among these is the confusion between user interface (UI) design and user experience (UX) design.  It often leads companies to make poor investments that don't bring them any closer to their goals. 

Therefore, to help businesses avoid costly UX design blunders, here we've listed the 5 most common UX mistakes companies make when building an app:

1. Considering UX and UI to be the same

As we mentioned above, this is a rather common misconception. To that end, often companies have the same development team working in both processes. Even though UX and UI require the same skill sets and development tools, there is a vast difference between the two disciplines.

UX design is indicative of the experience of an app; it's subtle, effortless, and imperceptible to the end-user. UI design is built on the vision of the UX designer. It involves building an intuitive, and seamless interface that compels users to interact with the app. However, it wouldn't be wrong to say that one cannot exist without the other. 

Treating both disciplines as independent items and facilitating productive coordination between both UI and UX designers can help an app grow manifolds. 

2. Overloading your app with features

Most companies don't realize that loading an application with features significantly reduces its efficiency and performance capacity. This also disrupts the user experience. In their zeal to target all types of demographics, businesses end up overstuffing their apps with a variety of unnecessary features. 

A good example of this is Real Player — the multimedia player of choice of the early 2000s. As the application started gaining traction, the company thought it is necessary to include a ton of functionalities to please its customers. But the result was far from it; users got overwhelmed and frustrated by its complexity, and not long after that, the app was featured in the "25 Worst Tech Products of All Time” list by PC World. Though hiring any experienced mobile app development company will test your app with respect to user-friendliness, you may also test by using the app from a user’s perspective.

Find out what your strengths are and use them to gain a competitive edge in the market. This will help you establish a loyal user base and also improve operational efficiency.

3. Not giving due importance to UX

UX design is not a one-time execution process, nor is it a one-person job. It involves the developing teams to coordinate with the UX department to guide the front-end development of an app. With all hands on-board, a developing team is better positioned to provide a stellar user experience. 

From ideation to quality testing, a UX designer's presence is imperative. Even after a product is launched, UX designers are required to interact with users to determine their likes and dislikes and update their software accordingly. It is important to ensure that an app is well-received by consumers. So, the idea is to start small, and integrate features and interactive technicalities with time, based on the response by users. This provides meaning to a product and results in making effective connections with users. Also staying up-to-date with the current mobile app development trends will allow you to build a competitive advantage.

A few questions to ask yourself while conceptualizing an app's UX is:

• "Does this mobile UX design help me connect better with users?"
• "What impression does this leave on the user?"
• "Does this help users achieve what they came for?"
• "Will this provide a meaningful experience?"
• "Is this a user-friendly app design? 

4. Following your competition too closely 

Successful business ideas and models inspire a lot of people to pursue a business. While it is a good idea to research your competition, keep tabs on their UX apps, and promotional strategies, it doesn't do well to blatantly imitate their methods. 

If your app isn't offering a unique, more innovative, and improved experience to your customers, there is no reason for them to come to you.

The idea is to take a great idea and customize it in a meaningful manner that attracts users for the value it offers. It's important to establish your USP and use it to gain a competitive advantage in the market. 

5. Ignoring user feedback

Building UX upon the feedback received from your users is possibly the most effective strategy for a user-friendly app design. The most successful apps belong to companies who listen to the needs of their customers and incorporate valuable insights from their opinions in improving user experience.

Adopt a User-Centered Design (UCD) approach to create a mobile UX design that resonates with your users. Always remember, application development is an iterative process; this is how you ensure customer retention and App Store Optimization (ASO). 

Seamless UX in app development

It is common for UX designers to miss the mark in their first attempt at building an interactive user experience. However, UX design is an ongoing and iterative process. It requires continual effort and improvements to finally develop an app that resonates with users. 

The key factor to keep in mind is the value you aim to provide users and the problems you hope to solve. This user-centric approach will help your mobile app to evolve and better fulfill your customer's requirements.