Go-To App Redesign Guide: Key Steps and Our Best Practices

UI/UX Design

May 12, 2025

Go-To App Redesign Guide: Key Steps and Our Best Practices

Artkai is an expert in digital product development, modernization and UX redesign. We help diverse businesses (starting with fintech and real estate, and ending with healthtech and e-commerce) to build and improve their products to generate more revenue, improve productivity and convert users into loyal customers. UX redesign is one of the most popular services among our clients and this article is based on our expertise.

We gathered this guide to help businesses understand how to perform a successful UX redesign of their digital products, where to start, what resources to prepare, and what to expect after the redesign. Based on our case studies with Pharma company and International bank, we will show all the practical methods and approaches to effective UX app redesign.

1. Signs that your product requires a UX redesign

2. Outdated UX is a business risk

3. Business benefits of app redesign

4. How to perform a UX redesign in 5 Steps

5. What's the cost of the UX redesign in 2025?

6. How long does it usually take to perform a UX redesign?

7. UX Redesign: Final Thoughts

Signs that your product requires a UX redesign

From companies with existing digital products, we often hear that their support faces waves of negative feedback and customer complaints. In most cases, this is due to the target audience not being engaged due to poor UX. Here's what your company can face if it neglects UX improvements:

Low Conversions

A confusing user journey can be a major turnoff. Because if a user can’t quickly complete a simple action like signing up or making a purchase, they’ll abandon the product.

This negative user experience is likely to result in low conversion rates. Here’s key indicators:

Low efficiency with high traffic occurs when user behavior is characterized by entering the program without registering and unsubscribing.
Failures in the funnel occur when user behavior changes negatively at critical stages, such as leaving the payment page or abandoning the cart.
Low click-through rate in the main elements, such as when buttons do not attract attention and are placed in an unsuitable place from the UX side.
Navigation issues, where users have difficulty finding what they are looking for and quickly lose interest.
Weak CTAs are characterized by vague and unclear wording, and the result is when the user does not take further steps, such as registrations and purchases.
Mobile inefficiency, which will be accompanied by a decrease in conversion from mobile channels due to the product's inability to adapt.
Inefficient checkout flows, which manifest themselves in long forms, mandatory registrations, and unclear error messages. The more obstacles the user has in critical processes, the higher the bounce rate.
Lack of visual clarity. For example, when users cannot immediately understand what they can get, they are more likely to leave the page.

UX problems can make even a promising product unprofitable. If users are uncomfortable interacting with your product due to a too confusing design, they are more likely to go to competitors. The result will be a decrease in user engagement and loss of revenue for your company.

It is worth identifying critical shortcomings on time and correcting them using application redesign to avoid this. Here are solutions that will significantly increase the conversion rate:

CTA optimization with the help of texts and placement of the main components.
Reducing the number of steps to the main action in the program, such as registration, purchase, etc.
Building a logical and simple user journey.
Forms optimization.
Simplifying navigation and minimizing distractions.

Poor Onboarding

You may already be losing your target audience if your product has poor onboarding:

There are long and mandatory tutorials, in which users don't read the on-screen text and don't perform any interactions.
Too much requested information at the start, such as geolocation permissions, push notifications, and accesses, are unnecessary until you show the actual value of your product.
Lack of adaptation to the type of user. If you have the same scenario for both experienced and novice users of the app, then the result will be low engagement after onboarding.

The mobile app redesign process can fix ineffective onboarding with some approaches that we work with our clients. Here is what we usually do:

Create personalized onboarding with adaptive scenarios for several user groups.
Implement interactive contextual tips in app redesign interfaces.
Build a visual hierarchy with an accessible CTA using improved readability and logical button placement, which helps to increase the first-click rate.
Analyze and test heatmap and flow analytics data.
Design a comprehensive and simple onboarding process by breaking it down into stages and adding gamification and engagement elements to increase customer retention in the redesigned product.

Bad Reviews

If your visually appealing app has a low rating, the chances of new installations can drop significantly. And this is also related to poor UX, and we'll explain what the signs are:

The program is not adapted to the fundamental tasks of the target audience when it is impossible to see the result after actions.
There is no logic in navigation when it is impossible to find the main functions without a hint.
The interface is displayed incorrectly on different devices.

App redesign process can solve problems using proven methods:

Optimization for mobile devices.
Unification of interaction logic in the application.
Handling errors through UX messages rather than system messages.

As a result, a successful redesign process will be characterized by a higher ranking in the App Store or Google Play, higher retention, and a reduced share of negative reviews.

Irrelevance to your target audience

The visually appealing product will not succeed if it does not meet real user needs. In this context, if the redesign is based only on "making it beautiful," there is a high probability of failure. The mismatch between the design and the target audience needs and requirements is manifested through:

A superficial audience understanding is achieved when an imaginary portrait of the user is used instead of real data.
Incorrect prioritization of functions when the user cannot find the main actions.
Unclear terminology and interface patterns, for example, when technical things are presented to a non-technical audience.

In many of our projects, we have successfully resolved such situations with the help of a UX audit that implies the following:

In-depth UX research of users with real user personas built.
Prioritized app redesign features with recommendations for placement.
Built scenarios for the context of use.

Outdated branding

If you decide not to change your outdated UX at this stage when rebranding the company, it can cause dissonance among users. You need to consider performing a UX redesign when there are:

Discrepancies between the website and the app.
Outdated visual patterns with non-compliance with brand guidelines.
Different styles of fonts, icons, and buttons.

It should be noted that at the rebranding stage, it is crucial to update the redesign strategy using certain practices:

Visually unify the UI components in the application's design system.
Synchronize the interface with the tone of voice.

Outdated UX is a business risk

No matter how well your app works, if the interfaces and user journeys have not been updated for several years, you can assume that it has already lost its relevance, even if it is not fully visible now for several reasons:

Users do not use visual patterns and UI elements.
Mobile adaptation takes a long time to load.
There is no WCAG support.

App redesign can solve this problem:

By implementing modern patterns without losing functionality.
Optimize adaptations.
Harmonize accessibility standards.

An intuitive and user-friendly interface is the market standard. A systematic UX redesign of the app allows you to ensure compliance with these expectations.

To remain competitive, it is essential to constantly invest in systematic app redesign and be ready for change and scaling. There may be a gap between what the company gives and what the user gets.
How it can look like:

New features are hidden in the remote menu and remain invisible.
The number of support requests on how to use new services is increasing.
The UX structure does not support scaling the functionality.

The app redesign process can solve problems by rebuilding the information architecture and integrating new user journey scenarios and contextual instructions.

Business benefits of app redesign

Effective UX redesign often brings tangible business results that contribute to overall efficiency and revenue growth. Therefore, in addition to increasing conversion rates and retaining users, let's take a closer look at what companies can gain after they perform UX redesign:

Future-proof product, as app redesign allows the product to remain relevant for longer while maintaining investment in development and integrations.
Revenue growth, as improved user experience, increases revenue and reduces indirect support costs.
Optimization of internal team processes. A successful redesign strategy often includes developing a design system and standardized components, which will further reduce development costs and speed up the time to market for new features.
Faster adoption of new features and changes, as investments are made in the redesign process, brings more rapid results and strengthens user loyalty to new product features.
Brand credibility and competitiveness. Your UX should always contribute to the product's brand value, which is confirmed by a higher share of positive feedback, improved market rankings, and high NPS.

To ensure that app redesign contributes to a smooth user experience and performance, a strategic process must be followed to restore your growth and realize your app's full potential. Next, let's examine how to conduct app design based on real cases, UX methodologies, and the experience of Artkai experts.

How to perform a UX redesign in 5 Steps

Our approach starts with a deep understanding of your product’s current state—a UX audit. We first conduct a thorough assessment to identify usability issues, pain points, and areas of lost opportunity. This audit forms the basis for a focused, strategic redesign that moves the needle.

Step 1: Perform UX audit

Our app redesign UX audit process consists of three main stages:

Discovery launch & preliminary research, which includes:

Assessment of the business, its goals, and challenges.
Market and trend analysis.
Preparation for interview sessions.

Target audience research:

Interviews with stakeholders and customers.
Conducting usability tests.
Competitor analysis.

Analytics and hypothesis formation and delivery of deliverables:

User journey and personas mapping.
UX audit report.
UX recommendations and action plan.
User journey map.
Summary deck for stakeholders.

Based on our experience, we always suggest starting with a UX audit when working with our clients. This allows us to focus on the application's real problems, not just its visual elements. We also prioritize further investment in design system components, help reduce risks, and provide a complete overlay of evidence for the decision-maker.

One of our client companies, ProCredit Bank, faced the problem of a fragmented and outdated platform that caused confusion and dissatisfaction among users and caused a high workload for the support team. At the beginning of our cooperation, our team proposed to conduct a UX audit, which revealed several problems:

50% of calls to the call center were related to navigation issues.
30% of users were unaware of basic functions (e.g., applying for an online loan).
According to the interviews, the interface was compared to Windows 98 systems.
Three different applications were used for various needs instead of one coherent platform, which created chaos for all user groups.

How we worked:

Our team held a 2-day workshop with the client's team.
We conducted 21 user interviews and nine usability tests.
We recorded that 70% of the target audience wanted to use templates but didn't know how.
65% of business clients did not know that they could manage their loans online.

All gained insights guided our team in implementing comprehensive solutions, including a new architecture, onboarding, personalized dashboards, navigation tips, etc.

In the process of obtaining user feedback and redesigning the strategy, we focused on the main points:

Create a design that is flexible, informative, and understandable.
Ensure adaptability of web and mobile platforms.
Develop a unified dashboard with customizable navigation.
Create a My Finance module to track expenses and income.
Provide context-aware UI with helpful prompts.
Develop contactless onboarding via video ID.
Set up quick transfers and auto-payment setup.

Our approach has yielded excellent results:

Accuracy, transparency, and strategy have become proven tools in our work with clients in app redesign to create exceptional products and update them. It should be noted that the foundation of successful cooperation is also the creation of a redesign checklist that will support the strategic approach.

In cooperation with our other client, Roche Switzerland, we didn't do a classic UX audit; instead, we did an alternative discovery phase that gave us real user insights.

This step aimed to understand why healthcare professionals were not using the portal, what needs it did not address, and how to transform it to increase value, usability, and traffic, as their existing HCP platform was hardly used.

More about our approach
The primary focus was, based on real-world statements, to identify what the portal was missing and what barriers it created. Then, we identified the main problems of the platform:

Technical navigation, interfaces, and logging difficulties led to a failure to use the platform.
Patients lacked advanced information about medicines.
Doctors had no appropriate interface with information about new products, consultations, and medical records.

Discovery results and essential deliverables:

A shared vision of the portal was created for all groups of platform users and stakeholders.
We created a clustering of insights on visual Miro boards that contained the initial hypotheses of the portal architecture. We grouped and described answers to users' main questions, pains, barriers, and motivations.
We created a patient journey with an analysis of problems and expectations.
Prototyping guidelines included recommendations for building navigation, a single knowledge center, personalization, and access to relevant materials.
Miro board with clustering of the entire process.
Persona drafts with characteristics of user groups.
Journey map with interaction options.
Prioritized backlog with built-in functionality by degree of importance.
Roadmap, which was presented as a general vision of product development for the next steps.

Our methodology was confirmed to have significant business value for the client's company, providing a practical vision of user problems and sound strategies for the redesign process.

Step 2: Perform User Research and Create User Personas

Creating generalized portraits of the primary user segments is not just an archetype for us but a product tool for each niche we work in, which significantly helps us build a holistic interaction. At this stage, let's focus on the healthcare niche and how we conducted user and personas research using the example of our client, Roche.

After the discovery, it was found that the portal did not attract and support the audience, as the company did not have high-quality analytics and an accurate picture of how users could interact with the platform. Our strategic step was to conduct in-depth user research with personas development.

What we did:

We conducted a series of workshops and 15+ interviews to monitor user behavior. These were practicing doctors, nurses, pharmaceutical representatives, and internal Roche employees.
We clustered the main technical barriers, complex navigation, and centralized information.
We built a part of customer expectations, such as access to medicines and consultations.
We identified the main behavioral patterns.
We formed the primary user personas, which were divided into "practitioner," "patient," and "pharmaceutical representative."

After that, we created documentation:

The Miro insight board contained clusters of insights from interviews and workshops, users' expectations, problems, and pains, and answers to basic queries. Leading roles also grouped it.
User personas in the form of presentation cards for each persona with the main use cases.
User journey maps with step-by-step user routes from the entrance to a specific goal and identified points of frustration.
Pain points summary with segmented user problems.
Table of user segment requests and expectations.
One-on-one interviews and workshop sessions for validation and analysis.

The main factor for Artkai is adaptation to our client's business, so for healthcare, the basis is the depth of qualitative analytics, for our other fintech project, ProCredit, the stage of user research and creation of user personas was different.

ProCredit's old app design "was as outdated as Windows 98," as a user quoted. Therefore, our primary goal of the app redesign was to understand the depth of this problem and find a solution.

What we did:

We conducted 21 user interviews with the main user groups: private clients and business clients.
Private customers were mainly users who actively maintained accounts, and business customers were small and medium-sized business owners who managed payroll projects and many transactions.
A series of interviews helped us identify the most needed functions and the causes of navigation problems and build expectations and irrelevant actions.
In creating personas, we also conducted nine usability tests to analyze the main scenarios. These included money transfers, viewing account balances, managing templates, and applying for an online loan.

The results confirmed the hypotheses about the problems, namely:

70% of users wanted templates but did not know how to find them.
65% of business customers did not think they could manage their loans online.
77% used Internet banking daily, but only for basic activities - the potential was much higher.

It also allowed us to build relevant user personas with behavioral patterns:

Persona 1: Frequent transaction user who needs speed, security, and simplicity.
Persona 2. They want to analyze their financial situation in one convenient place and appreciate fast login, but they also wish their login and data security were better. It isn't easy to navigate, so they postpone payments.
Persona 3: This person carries out only basic operations, often calls support to avoid mistakes, and needs a simple interface.

This gave us a solid foundation to prepare critical deliverables:

Interview insights
Personas
User journey snippets
Interface recommendations

User research became the point where we started updating the design and transforming the banking experience at ProCredit. This brought significant business value in terms of app redesign for real, not hypothetical, users, identifying real problems, creating new space for expanding functionality, and optimizing support costs.

Step 3: Start UX redesign

After the audit, when we created user personas, the focus became clearer: the direct app redesign step. Continuing our clients' stories, we take a closer look at the approaches and practical implementation of products in more detail.

Roche focused on ease of access to critical information and checking solutions for compliance with specific requests, such as "find," "share," "consult," etc.

That's why the UX redesign process was built according to this algorithm:

Create an information architecture based on behavioral patterns.
Reduced the number of steps to the goal for users.
Developed personalized use cases for different groups.
We prepared a clickable concept with a homepage and personalized blocks, enabled quick search, and various navigation options by role or action.

As a result, our client received:

A UX concept with documented prototypes of navigation, architecture, and example screens.
Wireframes of the main blocks and pages.
Flow map with diagrams of transitions and scenarios between screens.
Artifacts by role.

The business value of this process was aimed at eliminating the reasons for refusing to use the portal, building each action for a separate role to increase relevance and user satisfaction, and a clear concept for the client.

In the case of ProCredit, the main challenge was retaining the functionality while presenting it logically and user-friendly. In the process of app redesign, we worked on:

New UX with adaptations for the role of a private or business client.
We are adding the new blocks "Templates," "Quick transfer," "News," and "My finances."
Designing a new navigation structure
Creating contextual actions on each screen.
Creating a login via PIN or biometrics.

In the end, we provided the client with the following documentation:

UX flow diagrams with scenarios for each type of operation
Interactive wireframes.
Unified dashboard.
Contextual tips.

This helped to:

Reduced the call center workload by 50%.
Increase the speed of user actions by up to 60%.

Therefore, it became a comfortable routine for users, contributing to faster and better work with the product.

Step 4: Test the redesigned product with users

We considered budget and timing constraints for Roche, so we focused on internal approval of the clickable prototype with Roche's main stakeholders at this step. We also discussed scenarios for each role and agreed on the main features that formed the basis of the product for further implementation. This became a strong, high-end tool for internal communication and strategic planning of further steps.

In the case of ProCredit, the testing phase was based on a series of usability tests with private and business clients, checking login scenarios and templates and measuring the timing of key actions. This confirmed a 2-fold reduction in the time required to perform basic actions, quick user orientation in the dashboard, and a reduced need for support.

Step 5: Conduct an in-depth analysis

For Roche, in this step, we prepared a complete set of analytical benchmarks that helped evaluate the effectiveness of solutions during the process and after the platform launch. These were:

A user goal map with validation of whether the goals were achieved for each role.
UX roadmap with functional analysis and technical recommendations.
Analysis of the frequency of use of the functionality and the level of involvement of doctors and patients.

At the final stage of work with ProCredit Georgia, post-project analysis helped determine the real impact of app redesign on important business indicators:

We analyzed the speed of logging into the system.
The number of support calls made.
The level of growth of user NPS.
We also prepared documentation with the ROI of investments, insights for further improvements, and a roadmap for the subsequent releases.

We emphasize that the above steps should not be skipped, as they are complementary and have a holistic foundation. User involvement is also a requirement for a successful redesign process, which will help avoid mistakes with the fundamental impact assessment.

Once you see how the above steps work in practice, it's time to understand app redesign budgets, what they depend on, how to calculate them, and how to optimize them.

What's the cost of the UX redesign in 2025?

Businesses are thinking about redesigning their product, but the question often remains: how much will it cost? We know all the pricing factors that affect the cost of a UX/UI redesign, and we’ve broken down all the details below on how to figure out the rough cost of your redesign project.

The cost is typically shaped by the roles involved, their responsibilities and experience, the type of engagement, and the internal pricing model of your design partner. It looks like this:

Product Designer (UX/UI) $45–$60/hour. Their responsibilities include analyzing old interfaces, building UX flows, and creating wireframes and UI components for an interactive prototype.
Business Analyst / Project Manager $35–$50/hour. May be responsible for collecting requirements, translating the client's business goals, managing functional tasks, and communicating with stakeholders.
Solution Architect / Head of Design $75/hour - $100/hour. Defines system logic and controls the product or platform's concept approval processes and strategic vision.

Therefore, the average cost of app redesign can vary within the following limits:

Let's now look at what the cost of a redesign depends on.

Complexity of the application

The app design cost is affected by the project's complexity, as advanced projects can require significantly more time, effort, and resources than a basic product.

A basic app redesign for simple landing pages or informational websites can meet business needs. Therefore, such app design includes basic wireframing, limited user testing, and simple interface designs.
The standard app redesign package focuses on working with websites for small businesses and e-commerce sites. They implement user research and competitor analysis, basic usability testing with reporting, and a design system with interfaces and wireframes to do this.
Advanced app redesign is required for multi-functional applications and complex platforms. In this context, in-depth user research, high-quality clickable prototypes, testing with reporting, and in-depth wireframes with the possibility of iterations are required.
For enterprise-level applications and multi-platform solutions, we recommend choosing a comprehensive redesign that includes user research through various focus groups, extensive usability testing, high-fidelity interactive prototypes in the design system, and comprehensive wireframes.

Required specialists

The team's сomposition and allocation determines the quality and affects the cost of the redesign. It involves specialists such as a UX designer, UI designer, UX researcher, business analyst, project manager, and lead designer.

Their level of qualification (junior, middle, or senior) is determined by the quality of work on iterations, the speed of completed tasks, and the need for supervision.
Of course, the degree of involvement in the app redesign process for applications affects the cost, depending on whether it is full-time, part-time, or freelance, with point involvement.
The correct selection of roles will vary depending on the volume of work. Still, the main emphasis should be reducing the redesign time, minimizing the number of iterations, reducing risks, and ensuring a high-quality result without unnecessary resource expenditures.

Location of the contractor

For most companies, balancing the cost and quality of app redesign services is essential. Therefore, the approximate cost varies depending on the location. For example, in the USA or Canada, you must pay much more for the same services than in European countries.

Therefore, first, you should consider your budget since American companies may have higher hourly rates. Conversely, Eastern European teams with similar expertise may have much lower rates.

The quality of communication also affects this; for example, the level of English in European companies may be higher than in some regions of Asia. In most cases, the best option with high expertise and adaptability is to hire an outsourcing team from Eastern Europe. This will allow you to gain extensive experience in the most investment-friendly niches, such as fintech, health tech, and edtech. It will also allow you to work on flexible cooperation models with profitable financial investments.

Understanding the importance of effective communication despite time differences, we consider time zones to ensure both synchronous and asynchronous communication. Therefore, we distinguish the following zones for live communication:

Pacific Time Zone (PT) - available up to 3 hours of overlap — from 8:00 to 10:00 (PT) corresponds to 18:00–20:00 (UA).
Eastern Time Zone (ET) - available up to 6 hours of overlap — from 8:00 to 13:00 (ET) corresponds to 15:00–20:00 (UA).

This time is important for discussing progress, demos, and clarifying requirements. For routine interaction, we use asynchronous tools:

Video recordings of reports and demonstrations
Teamwork in Figma
Group chats (Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp)
Task trackers (JIRA)

This is necessary to maintain team productivity, ensure transparency of completed tasks, and guarantee customer convenience.

How long does it usually take to perform a UX redesign?

Consider the time required for an app redesign, but note that the timeline may vary depending on the results of the UX audit, business goals, and scope of work.

It is worth remembering that app design may depend on some factors and services that the provider company can provide you:

Depth of preliminary preparation - do you have a clear vision of the problems and expectations, or will this be an additional research focus for the design team?
Results of the UX audit or discovery phase - how much friction is uncovered, and how radical the redesign needs to be.
Scope of adaptability (mobile apps or desktop versions of applications) - are you redesigning a mobile version, a web interface, or both?
Planned iteration speed - given the resources and the client’s decision-making speed, how many iterations can be implemented?

Precise planning and preparation, focusing on quality, should be your primary tool in the redesign process. This will also facilitate communication with the team, which is especially important if you are not involved in the technical side of the implementation.

UX Redesign: Final Thoughts

A well-executed UX redesign can transform your digital product—enhancing user satisfaction, increasing engagement, and driving business growth. However, success requires a strategic approach: understanding user needs, setting clear goals, and following best practices throughout the process.

In this article, we’ve highlighted the key aspects of UX redesign, so you now have a better understanding of how to approach it and estimate the time and resources it may require. And if you’re already considering a UX redesign, our team is here to help. Get in touch with us to discuss your goals and explore how we can take your digital product to the next level.