We’ve all been there, tapping a button that doesn’t work, waiting too long for a screen to load, then quitting right out of the app and deleting it. These aren’t just minor annoyances; they’re moments where users lose trust, patience, and ultimately interest.
A recent survey revealed that 65% of global consumers tend to leave a website or app without completing their transaction, and 55% are unlikely to give those businesses a second chance. In other words, every bit of friction is a potential exit sign.
Whether your call-to-action is a checkout, a subscription, or something else entirely, the effect of these app pain points isn’t great news.
Solving customer app pain points starts with clarity
To reduce churn and optimise conversions, you need a deep understanding of the user journey, not just assumptions. That means getting clear on the what, when, where, and why behind every moment of friction. You can’t fix what you don’t fully understand. (To learn more about combating churn, download our guide)
Start by asking the right questions:
- What are the exact customer pain points?
- When are customers experiencing them?
- Where are they encountering them, and at what stage of the customer journey?
- Why are they encountering these issues in the first place?
1. Track drop-offs with data funnels and analytics tools
User journeys aren’t always as smooth as you’d hope. That’s why data funnels are a go-to method for uncovering where things go wrong. Funnels track how users flow or fail to flow through your app’s key paths, from onboarding to checkout, each step offers clues. And drop-offs are the flashing neon signs telling you exactly where users are losing interest, getting stuck, or just giving up.
Tools like Mixpanel and Google Analytics help you visualise this behaviour in real time. Let’s say you notice a significant number of users dropping off just before completing a sign-up form. The field might be too long, the copy might be unclear, or perhaps the ‘Next’ button is too small to tap easily. Funnels help you isolate these app pain points by showing where the journey gets disrupted.
But why bother digging into user funnels in the first place? A common mindset among app developers is to double down on acquisition. What happens when users bounce immediately, ignore your notifications, or can’t find what they’re looking for?
Funnels reveal the truth that marketing alone won’t fix: your growth efforts are only as strong as the experience you’re driving users into. If there’s a disconnect between product, tech, and marketing, it’ll show up in your funnel data, whether that’s through poor navigation, broken tracking, or missing insights entirely.
The key here isn’t just spotting a drop; it’s acting on it. Pair funnel data with session replays or event-based tracking to understand what’s really happening behind the scenes. Once you see the story the numbers are telling, you can iterate and remove those hidden barriers.
Funnels aren’t just for conversion tracking, they’re for empathy. They provide a structured way to listen to your users without requiring them to speak a word.
2. Dig into user feedback and review sentiment
User reviews are often seen as noise, star ratings, the occasional rant, maybe a glowing testimonial. But buried in that feedback is a goldmine of insight into what’s really frustrating your users.
Start by looking at your app store reviews. Filter by most recent, lowest rating, and even specific keywords to uncover recurring issues. Are users struggling with logins? Is a recent update causing crashes? These aren’t just complaints, they’re app pain points waving for your attention.
Tools like AppTweak, AppFollow or even AI-driven sentiment analysis can supercharge your efforts by allowing you to read feedback and even reply. These platforms help you sift through thousands of reviews and group them by topic, sentiment, and urgency. Suddenly, it’s not just one person frustrated with load time, it’s a trend you can act on.
This kind of feedback analysis isn’t just a support task; it’s strategic. When mapped against your funnel data, it can validate (or challenge) what you think the issue is. For example, if you see users dropping off during onboarding and also complaining about confusing login flows in reviews, you’ve got a clear signal to act.
3. Step into your users’ shoes and validate with data
Sometimes the best way to uncover what’s broken is to experience it yourself no dashboards, no filters, just you and the app. We’re talking about the good old-fashioned user journey walkthrough.
- Download your app fresh
- Don’t log in with pre-saved credentials
- Don’t skip steps
Instead, go through the entire process as if you were someone who just discovered it for the first time. Where do you hesitate? What feels clunky? Are you intuitively guided to value, or are you fumbling around for it?
This method might sound simple, but it’s one of the most overlooked techniques. When you know your app inside out, you stop seeing what’s confusing for new users. That’s why taking a step back and ideally, having someone unfamiliar with the app do the same can open your eyes to frustrations hiding in plain sight.
Your personal experience should be layered with real user feedback. Use sentiment analysis tools to comb through app store reviews, support tickets, and even social media mentions. These tools surface common themes and emotional tones that give you broader context. Maybe what felt like a “minor inconvenience” during your walkthrough is actually a major complaint among users. Or perhaps an issue you didn’t notice is driving negative sentiment at scale.
This combination of qualitative experience and quantified sentiment helps you build a more accurate picture of user pain points. From there, you can iterate and improve on what feels off. Monitor how those changes affect both user satisfaction and your key metrics.
App optimisation isn’t a one-and-done task. It’s a cycle of observing, listening, fixing and repeating. And sometimes, it all starts with just opening your own app and seeing it through fresh eyes.
Where to go from here
Uncovering mobile app pain points isn’t just about fixing what’s broken; it’s about creating a smoother, smarter path to long-term growth. Whether you’re tracking funnel drop-offs, decoding user sentiment, or walking through the app yourself, each method helps you gain a clearer understanding of the experience. The key is to combine these insights, take action, and keep iterating. Because the more you reduce friction, the more you unlock your app’s full potential.
Looking for help identifying and tackling your app’s biggest blockers? Get in touch with our team of app growth experts.
