Guest Blog post by Mudassir Azeemi , Founder of Qurtaba, developer of Urdu language apps.  Mudassir was also a mentor at Startup Weekend Bay Area Mobile, and can be reached through Twitter @mmudassir.  Co-Author: Ahmed Siddiqui, founder of Go Go Mongo! and Bay Area Startup Weekend Organizer.

With over a half a million apps now available on the Apple iTunes App Store and the growing library on Android and Windows Phone, finding truly great apps has been a bit of a challenge.  So many times, I would download an app based on a friend’s recommendation and I delete it immediately because of a frustrating user experience.

Kids are even worse critics, they need to get to their app right away, and based on my experience in building apps for kids and adults, I feel like you need to build apps that just work in three taps or less.  The “Three Tap Rule” basically states that if you can’t engage the user in three taps or less, you’ve lost them.

Here is how an ideal app should operate:

1. Tap 1: Launch the app
2. Tap 2: Press the play button
3. Tap 3: Engage in the content, or in a game, make your superhero jump around

If the user is not engaged by then, their next tap will be the Home button and you’ve lost them.

What make them tap?
Mobile devices users don’t have the luxury of a desk and chair to leisurely navigate around a page.  You have to think about what are the basic necessities for a user on the go.  Strip out all the fluff and get right to the meat of your app.  Give them big buttons that makes them want to tap.  Here are a few examples of great mobile apps that people love to tap:

• Instagram: You see one big button, to share the pic, that’s it!  That’s why this app is so successful, because it does this core thing really well.

• Zaarly: 2 big green buttons at the bottom ask the user “Ask for it” or “Provide it”, so simple, and you’ll be itching to tap it!

What keeps them tapping?
Great apps guide the user through the taps by providing a clear and simple path.  No hover over options or places that give lengthy explanation, the taps are doing the guiding.  Have a look at the LivingSocial App, you open the app; you see the path, that’s it. No more “hovering” tips, no need to explain anything.

How to lose a potential user in one tap? The dreaded app crash!
If your app crashes, most times, Apple will reject it during the submission process, but sometimes they can miss this.  You must really try to break your app before you release it to the public or you WILL get negative reviews.  So what is the best way to try to break your app?  Use the Gorilla usability testing method introduced by Steve Kurg in his book “Rocket Surgery Made Easy”.  Just grab someone at Starbucks and ask them to test your app, and buy them a coffee if they just spend five minutes with you.

Give Your Users a Safe Return
When a user is deep in to your app, make sure you give them an easy way to get back to “Screen One”.  The best way to do this is to put a back or home button that is consistent on each screen of your app.  Make sure that data is automatically saved during each step so the user can easily move back and forward without having to re-enter everything.  Whatever you do, don’t trap your users in your app!

Draw, Draw, Draw!

Every great user experience starts off on paper.  Brainstorm a lot, and draw on paper a lot even if your drawing skills suck.  Ask people what they think throughout the process so when you actually put it in to code, you will have a pretty decent interface!  Even after your interface has been built, make sure that you carry paper alternatives with you when you are doing your user testing.  Let your users doodle for you too!

Keep it Simple and Rock the App Charts!

To make your app rise to the top of the app charts, just keep it simple and make sure that you engage your users in three taps or less!