Providing users with content tailored to their exact needs and their location is crucial for reaping the full benefits of mobile technology. By tailoring an app or software, you are also customising it. This can take a while to get it the way you want it. Personalisation, on the other hand, is when the app or software adapts itself according to the knowledge it has acquired about you, without much effort on your part. Effectively, it just happens.

The purpose of ux personalisation is to tailor the experience right from the start and mobile technology has brought personalisation to the fore. When UX customisation started on the desktop, customisation was limited, but things improved when technologies like Flash arrived on the scene, along with web interfaces that mirrored Graphical User Interface (GUI) APIs of client-based software.

Customisation became more difficult with mobile devices, mainly due to screen size. Concepts in interface design such as sliding screens and scrollers were a challenge as far as customisation efforts were concerned. Doing anything much more than colours in the context of web design, buttons and fonts doesn’t leave much else left that you can do. In comparison with desktop web interfaces, there is little flexibility for creating custom designed interfaces for every user on a small mobile screen.

Thought patterns have also been driving the trend toward personalisation. Although this type of tailoring has been apparent in desktop web interfaces for a while, it has only recently become important on mobile devices.

For example, on-line retailer, Amazon learns all about their customers from their purchase history so they can personalise and offer their customers customised special offers, This not only brings value to customers but increases their loyalty.

B2Core, a CRM solution for brokerages and exchange, is another product that has utilized personalisation on a multi-platform basis, including its mobile app, allowing users to select different functions according to their preferences.

Personalisation goes a step beyond customisation. It delivers the content users want based on their past use, their preferences, or their location. All this is of paramount importance in creating a user experience that is consolidated and pleasing at the same time.

Some of the barriers that developers and app designers may come up against during the course of creating personalised mobile experiences are related to standards. Establishing these standards is not easy due to the various platforms — especially with the many Android platforms in existence. Additionally, mobile users expect a smooth, mobile user experience to the point that they often overlook issues of privacy that many of those using desktops do not.

Brands can utilise their data to personalise the mobile experience in a number of ways:

— Personalised Content: Separate your visitors into groups so that the app will present users with content that is highly relevant.

— Personalised Recommendations: Offer your visitors appropriate content in accordance with their interests and tastes.

— Push Notifications: Give your users the option to opt-in to receive push notifications to their mobile such as discounts.

— Location-Based Personalisation: Utilise your user’s location to personalise the experience. For example, offer them a special deal on an associated product.

Monitoring the user experience using a mobile app analytics solution is also highly recommended in order to further refine personalisation. This will enable you to look deeply into your users’ behaviour so you can understand exactly how they interact with your app and gain insights into how to optimise your app personalisation.

One of the key features of app analytic tools is the ability to aggregate all user interactions such as swipes and taps into reports. For example, you can place recommended products based on previous purchasing history or analyse which recommendations your users engaged with.

A further example of how mobile analytics can help increase personalisation is push notification campaigns. This allows you to see how users are engaged with different push notifications by analysing push notification CTRs (click-through rates) and the user flow and then selecting the push notification that provides the user with most value.

In summary, personalising mobile experience requires action on many fronts. It is important to plan your mobile app personalisation with your users in mind which will help them obtain the ultimate mobile user experience and keep them coming back to your app again and again.