Best fitness apps are everywhere, but not all of them are good. Some will be purely recreational, and others will lack the features you need for an effective fitness regimen. That’s why before you download your next app, check to make sure it has these essential features:

A Well-Organized Interface

Although this may seem like common sense, many people look past the user interface to get directly into the meat of the app. However, a well-organized interface will make your experience more enjoyable and efficient; if you’re struggling to find what you want or accidentally click on something because it was hidden in an odd location or menu, then that’s time wasted that could have been better spent exercising. It may seem basic, but poorly-organized apps still get downloaded and used, so make sure yours breaks the mold by putting your most popular features front and center.

Useful Pictures or Videos

You won’t always have a ton of space to put all the details in a workout plan, but whatever you can fit in should be clear enough that someone who is just starting out would know how to follow it. If there are pictures or videos of people performing each step with the correct form, then even better! You’ll likely have more advanced users looking at your app too, so they may appreciate having this feature as well since it can help increase their motivation.

Clear Program Details & Guidelines

The best fitness apps will give you very clear information about how your program is to be used, what type of equipment it needs, and the types of results to expect. You may not need all this information upfront (or ever), but if there’s no guidance on how the app should be followed or played with, then you’re stuck trying to figure out everything on your own, which can lead to confusion and discouragement first, mistakes second, and an uninspiring workout plan that won’t get much use third. Make sure yours doesn’t miss anything by keeping track of these details for each step or phase in your planning process, so nothing falls through the cracks.

Quality Workouts

You could have the best interface and guidelines ever, but if your workouts aren’t up to par, then you’re not going to see good results. If your app offers a variety of exercises (bodyweight, weights, flexibility training), then that’s great; don’t neglect it by using subpar routines or giving bad instructions that could lead to injury. Make sure you check out each page of how-to videos or exercise lists so that everything is being done before you release it to the public.

Comfortable Workout Lengths & Scheduling

It won’t matter how well-designed your app is if people don’t use it because they’re not comfortable with the length of a session or how often they can do them in a week. Not everyone has the time or energy to go hard on a daily basis, so your workouts should provide options that fit different schedules and workout preferences. If you’re not sure what those might be, then talk with beginner and intermediate users about how long they want their sessions to last and how many times they’d like to perform them each week; you can adjust accordingly afterward or just ask for feedback on what goals they have in mind as well.

Include these five features in your app, and it will be more useful, efficient, and effective for its intended audience!