Deep links: Protector of the user experience

In a world of short attention spans and long to-­do lists, high expectations, and little patience for sub­-par user experiences, there is need for a solution that can meet these demands when we use our mobile devices.

The problem is that simple links with “short­-term” memory often generate broken user experiences across the mobile ecosystem. The good news is that deep linking technology can make it right because of its “long­-term” memory capabilities. But alas, it’s not always used by app developers

The rise of mobile data use has made the integration of deep links crucial for everyone with a mobile device. Mobile users have grown accustomed to quick results and instant gratification, coupled with a certain level of connectivity. Unfortunately, the connectivity of the Internet as we know it is not mirrored to perfection in the mobile world since simple links often break.

This may be news to you, so let me explain what exactly simple links are actually forgetting. Simple links break the user experience because they can’t connect between traffic channels (i.e. websites, email, social media etc.), specific menus or screens within an app or connect between apps. Simple links forget where you came from or what device you have and can’t react properly. They also forget your final destination ­ the specific app landing screen you’re expecting to reach .

Have you ever clicked on a link in an email on your mobile device and have the browser open rather than the app? Or maybe you clicked a link in one app and the second app didn’t open?

Where we’re going, we don’t need roads

There are a few levels of memory when it comes to deep links. The most common experience that users encounter is a redirect to the app store’s download screen. This can happen even if the app is already installed on the user’s phone and that’s a terrible user experience. The deeplink can detect which apps are installed on a device and directly open the right screen of an installed app.

If the app is not installed, a download screen in the app store is the right place to be right? Well, yes but what happens after you download and install the app? You will not be redirected to the right screen ­assuming you want the user to reach a specific landing page and not the app’s home screen ­ because the process is then interrupted.

One can make a comparison to a mode of transportation; let’s say a taxi. You get in the taxi and give the driver your desired destination. The driver will get you to the entrance of the city but no farther than that. It will be up to you to wander around until you eventually find your coveted destination. Not a good mode of transportation is it?

Now think about how many times a day you use transportation in comparison to how many times a day you tap a link, ad or app.

Advanced solutions are able to maintain the right flow even when a stop is made in the appstore, an app is installed and a specific destination is reached when the app is launched for the first time (again, assuming the content the app developer wants to show the user is not the app’s home screen). This is possible by getting attribution data in real time, which tells the app that a user came from a specific campaign and promo and should therefore be presented with a specific landing screen to match it.

Creating a better Mobile Ecosystem

Contrary to the World Wide Web, the mobile platform has struggled to provide seamless and consistent transitions between the different environments. Facebook, as a “Cross­Platform Platform” is in a unique position to enhance the mobile ecosystem. While Google, Apple, and Microsoft have each developed their own platforms for mobile and desktop, Facebook has the unique challenge of creating another layer that can interact with any OS.