Online casinos and news apps are superficially quite different, with one setting out to provide slick web-based gambling experiences while the other focuses on disseminating information. But in terms of winning and retaining users in the long term, both have similar goals. And on the face of it, iGaming sites and apps do this a lot better than their media-peddling counterparts.
To understand how the user experience (UX) of online casinos can assist news apps in attracting and keeping users, here’s an overview of what operators in this market get right and why it applies elsewhere.
Prioritizing Visuals
The most conspicuous part of any online casino is its appearance, with visual identity and eye-catching aesthetics taking top billing in its approach to UX design. They want visitors to immediately feel connected with the brand, drawn in by everything from head-turning image carousels to intriguing thumbnails for individual games.
This is undoubtedly true for Impressario online, as new visitors to this reputable casino are greeted with visuals that establish the brand without relying on in-depth descriptions to convey it. Setting expectations immediately in this way shows how important it is to cut to the chase in UX, as the rest of the experience becomes much easier to manage when users are all on the same page.
Adopting Interface Simplicity
Lots of news apps are guilty of overloading users with a cluttered interface. They have so much content to offer that, in the race to present their latest stories and longer-form think pieces to people, they can overlook usability.
Once again, taking cues from casinos makes a difference. These sites stick to straightforward UI elements, with clearly labelled subcategories in headers or sidebars. Paring down the homescreen experience provides space for the platform’s services to breathe. These strategies for simplicity are well-established and apply not only to UI but also to elements such as colour choice and typography.
Emphasizing Incentives
User offers are a lynchpin of online casinos and significantly enhance retention rates in a highly competitive market. So, when visitors land on gambling sites or launch associated apps, they’re frequently presented with the latest and greatest incentives designed to reward them for their custom. This might be in the form of free spins, a deposit matching bonus, access to a tournament, or any other perk a platform might cook up.
News apps can adopt a similar approach if they’re keen to increase subscriber numbers, whether for their mailing list or for the paid version of their service. Greeting users with deals and discounts for a service they’ve already shown interest in helps keep them onboard. So long as you don’t overdo it with pop-ups throughout, this can be beneficial for UX and retention.
Building Trust
Trust signals need to be brought to the attention of online casino customers, as there’s a natural degree of skepticism associated with this industry that needs to be broken down before newcomers are converted and existing players are retained. Showcasing securing measures as part of the UX, while still making aspects like the login process seamless, is just one example of what works.
A similar conundrum complicates retention rates for news apps. And while trust signals might take different forms, such as focusing on journalistic integrity and neutrality in reporting, going above and beyond to draw attention to this in UX design has the same upsides.
The Last Word
The ultimate takeaway is that, despite their divergences, casinos and news apps are linked by a few fundamental goals, each of which can be achieved more easily through effective UX design. Repeated testing and revision are required to ensure retention rates increase and remain high, so don’t rest on your laurels, whichever industry you occupy.
