Best Types of Notifications for Maximum App Engagement
For a user, notifications may be the simplest element of an app. There isn’t much to do with them (usually), other than just read and remove. Even for highly complex apps with a million features, notifications are probably the easiest to use from a user perspective.
However, for business owners, notifications can be the difference between a successful and a failed app. Well-designed notifications can drive people to use the app more and engage with them. A poor notification experience can annoy users and drive them away.
So how do you pick the best notification type for your app? Let’s explore.
What is a notification?
Notification is any piece of information that an app wants to share with the user. It may be for offering users updates about a process, for instance, that the food delivery person has reached your door, or it may be a prompt for the user to do something, for instance, to complete the payment for the food delivery.
App developers have a lot of options for sending notifications to the user. It can be within the app, through the notification banner, or as an email or an SMS.
The anatomy of a notification
Different types of notification designs have different structures. Typically, a banner notification has four parts: Title, description, action area, and an optional icon. In iOS, the entire notification is limited to 178 characters, whereas in Android you can use 65 characters for the title and 240 characters for the description.
Title: This is the most prominent and attention-catching part of your notification. For best results, keep the text short but convey enough information for the user to either open or discard the notification.
Description: The description or the body area is where you share the rest of the information or more context for the notification.
Action Area: This is where you can use an action button. Clicking it can open a dialogue box or a set of options, or it can take you to the relevant app page.
Icon: An icon can make the notification aesthetically pleasing and quickly let the user know which app sent the notification.
What are the different types of notification design?
When we think of notifications, the first thing that comes to our mind is probably the ones that come up on the status bar. These notifications are called Push notifications and are commonly used to drive users to the app.
For instance, a ride-sharing app or a food delivery app may use push notifications to let you know your driver has arrived or your food was delivered.
These are some of the other types of notifications that apps use:
Push notifications:
The notifications that appear in the notification area or on the lock screen are called push notifications. They may be accompanied by an alert sound, depending on the settings. There are different types of push notifications; some are just informative, some allow the user to take an action from the notification, and some push notifications especially from messaging apps allow you to type a response from the notifications panel.
Pros:
- Quickly get the attention of the user
- The user is unlikely to miss the notification
Cons
- Notifications can be distracting from other tasks
- Platforms have rules on when you can use them
- The user may switch off notifications for the app if they find it too distracting.
When to use
Push notifications are great when you want to convey important pieces of information quickly. For instance if a travel booking app can use push notifications to let the user know if their flight is canceled or delayed.
When not to use:
Don’t use push notifications to convey information that provides no value to the user. Besides this, different platforms have rules limiting their usage when the device is in “Do Not Disturb” mode or other similar states.
Expert tip:
Limit the use of push notifications to the absolute minimum. If you’re sending sales or marketing notification, limit their frequency and tailor it to the specific user.
It’s also important to use the right type of push notification; don’t add action buttons unnecessarily, but if a user can take the required action from the notification, allow them to do so.
Icon with a badge:
Apps use this type of notification design to indicate that there is new information or updates within the app. For instance, messaging apps use a number next to their icon to indicate unread messages. Depending on the settings and the operating system you’re on, the app may just show a simple badge indicating that you have notifications, or it may show the number of notifications waiting for you.
Pros:
- Doesn’t distract the user but also easily communicates the information
Cons
- Can carry very limited information
- The user won’t see it until they unlock the screen.
When to use:
This type of notification design is best used when there is no urgency, for instance by social media apps for passing information of less priority.
When not to use:
Users may not notice this type of notification, so to pass on urgent information, its best to use a push notification.
Expert tip:
The notification design should accommodate large numbers of people who have a tendency to leave notifications unread. It may also be a good idea to send other types of notifications if there are a lot of unread ones.
Toast:
Toast is a small rectangular block that appears on top of everything on screen — whether you’re using an app or going through your phone — and displays a small piece of information about an update or a system process.
Pros:
- Gets the attention very quickly
Cons
- Can carry only very limited information
When to use
Toasts are best limited to short status updates for instance when an app is uploading a file. They are also sometimes used to prompt users to take action, such as when a file upload fails due to connectivity problems.
When not to use:
Best not to use toasts for lengthy notifications. They are also not suitable for notifications the user cannot miss.
Expert tip:
Limit toasts for notifications that are happening in the context of what the user is doing at the moment or when the user is on the app screen.
Email:
The app sends notifications to the users’ emails. The major advantage of an email notification is that the sender can determine the length of text within the notification. Another difference is that it gives users the option to ignore a notification.
Pros:
- Users are less likely to miss email notifications.
- It can carry a lot of information.
- It can direct users to app pages or websites.
Cons
- Users won’t notice them until they check their inboxes
When to use
Email notifications are great when you have a lot of information for the user but not any that needs immediate attention.
When not to use:
Email notifications are fairly harmless and you can use them in most scenarios. But its important to combine them with other types of notification when you’re passing on information that the user cannot afford to miss.
Expert tip:
Email offers a lot of design possibilities. It can convey a lot of information to the user and is a powerful tool for sales and marketing. But if notifications fill a user’s inbox, they may unsubscribe from your mailing list.
Four steps to pick the right notification type
Notifications may appear to be the easiest thing to figure out when you’re building an app. But the wrong type can literally drive away your users. So how do you choose the right one? Let’s have a look.
1. Determine why you are using notifications
Before configuring the notifications, decide why you need to send a notification. You need different types of notifications for different reasons.
For instance, e-commerce apps may use notifications to let people know about an upcoming sale. Dating apps may use notifications to let their users know about a match. Social media apps may use notifications to inform users about an activity on their profile or one of their friends.
Each of them needs different approaches.
Timing also matters. If you’re notifying users about a sale, you need to send it out when they’re most relaxed and ready to learn more about it. Monday mornings are not a great time to send a sales notification. On the other hand, people would want to know immediately if they have a match on a dating app or if someone started following them on social media.
The reason behind a notification will also play a role in the type of notification the app should use. Sales notifications are often best sent through email. Even if the user doesn’t have the time to read it then, it will be in their inbox and they may read it when they’re not busy.
On the other hand, push notifications work best when the expected action won’t take much time from the user. For instance, even if you’re busy, it won’t take much time to check a comment on your Instagram post or a DM from a friend.
Text notifications work best when you want to make sure the user won’t miss it. Even if they’re not online, even if they’ve uninstalled the app, they’ll still get the notification. But keep in mind that users won’t like it if your app keeps sending them texts.
2. What kind of information are you notifying the users about?
What information do you want to share with your user? If it’s an e-commerce app, you may be sending sales information, but you’ll also have to send updates about delivery and shipment. If it’s a food delivery app, you may have to send notifications for every stage of delivery.
You cannot use the same approach to different types of information. Customers can afford to miss sales notifications, but if they miss information about their orders, it will have an impact on their experience. More time-sensitive notifications should be sent as push notifications and through text and email, while for the rest it can be through just one channel.
Order-related information should also be delivered in real-time, while sales notifications need specific timing to get the best results.
The size of the information will also play a role in selecting the type of notification. For example, if a payment didn’t go through for an order, the app can let the user know about it through an alert or push notification. But it may be better to share all of the information through an email. It won’t look good (and it may not be visible) if you send too much information through a push notification.
With advances in Android and iOS systems, users can now take action directly through push notifications. Apps can use this to let users take simple actions without opening the app.
At the same time, keep in mind that there’s limited space on push notifications and there’s a high chance that users may accidentally hit an option. So don’t let users make high-impact decisions through notifications and always provide an option to cancel the decision.
3. Determine how often you’re notifying your users
When it comes to notifications, the fewer the better. Notifications take the attention of users and unless they serve them value, it will be seen as an annoyance. Keep in mind that your app is not the only one sending them notifications. If you send too many notifications, users may get notification fatigue and miss important ones.
Ideally, an app shouldn’t be sending more than two notifications in a day and five in a week. If you have to, send the less important ones through email and reserve push notifications for the important ones.
Besides the frequency, the timing of notifications is also important. Users won’t mind receiving notifications from messaging or social media apps at any time of the day. But they don’t want their phones buzzing with ads or promos when they’re asleep at night.
If you have to send notifications when your users are busy, stick to email notifications, unless they’re super important.
Timing can also play a role in how successful your notifications are. Sales notifications are best sent during the evening at the end or beginning of the month (right when they have received their paycheck!). For gaming apps, notifications are best sent during weekends.
Of course, for best results, apps should look at the user data and find out when their audience is most receptive, then optimize the timing.
4. Decide the type of notification you want to use
Now that you’ve considered the reasons and the timing, you can choose the type of notification to send.
Push notifications: For the most important ones or the ones that require the users to take an action. If it’s not very important, choose another type of notification or make sure you’re not disturbing the user. Push notifications are great for letting users know about purchases and deliveries, messages, and social media updates.
Email notifications: For the notifications that don’t require immediate action. Use email notifications when the user can afford to miss or ignore the information. They’re great when you want to let users know something but you don’t want to disturb them. You can also use email notifications when you have to share a lot of information with them.
Text notifications: They’re perfect when you have to ensure the users get the information. But users don’t generally like being reached through their phone numbers, so limit their use to the minimum.
In-app notifications: Use them when you want to let users know about something or want them to take any action. Limit notifications that disturb the users when they’re doing something on the app. Avoid popups unless you’re sure it adds value to the user.
