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Top 5 Content Annoyances to Avoid

Posted Feb 20, 2018

As mobile publishers continually seek to engage their users, so one old adage rings true: first do no harm. Best laid engagement plans are hindered if the experience features elements that actively disengage users.

So what are common content offenses, what reactions do users take to them, and what can publishers do? To answer these questions, an analysis of a few stats from the 2018 Adobe Consumer Content Survey may be helpful.

Top 5 Content Issues
When asked which content issues were the most troublesome, 5 annoyances arose as the most likely to cause a user to give up on the content:

  • Long load times. Nearly half (47%) of survey participants stated that they will completely give up on a piece of content if it is taking too long to load. A smaller group (31%) will attempt to view the content on a different device. Only 22% will sit through the long loading times.
  • Overly lengthy content. Just as users don’t want to wait for the content to load, they don’t want to wait too long to consume it. Nearly half (47%) of users will bail on content that’s too long, versus only 30% who will stick around.
  • Difficult interactivity. If users aren’t able to easily interact with a piece of content, many (45%) will give up entirely. If they are persistent about engaging, some (38%) will attempt to use another device.
  • Loading Failures. If some of the content — such as an image — fails to load, 44% of users will give up. Meanwhile, 21% of users will continue on with only a partial experience.
  • Poorly displayed content. If content isn’t optimized to display properly on a given device, only 18% of users will put up with it, and over a third (34%) will give up.

Top 4 Fixes
In order to avoid the pitfalls of the content annoyances noted in the Adobe study, there are three key things publishers can do:

  • Improve load times & reliability. When content loads quickly and reliably, publishers avoid scenarios where half of their users would otherwise give up.
  • Consider the setting. Content should be digestible for the device on which it is consumed. As mobile users are often on the go or engaging in their in-between moments of their day, so the content should be easily consumed in a short session.
  • Optimize for the device. As mobile content is being consumed on a relatively petite screen, so UI elements should be optimized accordingly such that interactivity is easy and the display is optimal. Interactivity should be intuitive and responsive.
  • Remember all content sources. While it may easy for a publisher to audit their owned content for common pitfalls, it is equally important that any content from outside sources that appears within their app is evaluated on the same parameters for quality. This includes any ad placements: do they load instantly, are they a sensible duration for their surroundings, and are they easy to both engage with as well as exit out of or swipe past?

About the Study
Over the course of 1 week in December 2017, Adobe surveyed over 1000 adults to learn their content habits. Participants were evenly distributed by gender (50% men and 50% women) and were relatively well-distributed by generation (35% Millennials, 27% Generation X, and 32% Baby Boomers).

Join the Conversation
Which content frustrations make you most likely to close out of an app, and how do you avoid the same pitfalls in the content you produce? Tweet your thoughts to @AdColony. For the latest AdColony mobile news and updates, follow @AdColony on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or connect on Linkedin.

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