How to Enhance User Engagement with Push Notifications in Your App

Introduction

One of the most effective ways to boost user engagement in any app is through timely and relevant notifications. If your app currently lacks this feature, it's time to consider introducing push notifications that will keep your users informed and engaged. This guide will walk you through the steps to implement this new functionality and enhance the user experience in your app.

Types of Notifications

Identifying the types of notifications that will be valuable for your users is crucial. These notifications should aim to keep users updated about their interactions and new content on the platform. Here's a list of example notifications you could implement:

• Friend Requests: Notify users when they receive a friend request or when their friend request is accepted.
• Followers: Alert users when someone starts following them.
• Opinion Likes: Notify users when someone likes their opinion.
• Book of the Year Votes: Update users when someone votes in the Book of the Year poll.
• New Books: Alert users when a new book by their favorite author is added to the platform, with a prompt to add it to their "Want to Read" shelf.
• Private Messages: Notify users of new private messages.

Implementation with Firebase Cloud Messaging

To deliver these notifications, you can use Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM). Here’s a look at the technical implementation:

1. Event Triggering: When a user interacts with the app, such as liking an opinion, an event will be created.
2. Event Queue: This event is then added to an SQS queue integrated with your API.
3. Processing: AWS Lambda will process these events from the queue.
4. Sending Notifications: Lambda will use the FCM API to send the push notifications to the user's device.

Each event should contain crucial information, including the event title, content, link (if applicable), and the FCM token of the recipient.

App-side Requirements

On the app side, you need to integrate the Firebase SDK (if it’s not already added). Here’s what else needs to be done:

• User Token Management: The app will retrieve the user’s FCM token and send it to your server.
• User Permissions: Ensure you have the necessary permissions to send notifications via Firebase.
• Token Handling: Ideally, the token should be sent in a non-intrusive way, such as when the user accesses the app settings. You might also add a "Enable Notifications" switch in the account settings, defaulted to on, with the token sent automatically.

Technical Workflow

Here’s a simplified flowchart of how notifications will work:

User                   Your API               SQS Queue               AWS Lambda              FCM API              Mobile App
   |                      |                          |                          |                          |                       |
   |---Interaction--->|                          |                          |                          |                       |
   |                      |---Event Created----->|                          |                          |                       |
   |                      |                          |---Event Received--->|                          |                       |
   |                      |                          |                          |---Prepare Notification->|                       |
   |                      |                          |                          |---Send to FCM API----->|                       |
   |                      |                          |                          |                          |---Deliver Notification|
   |                      |                          |                          |                          |<---Display Notification|
    

Conclusion

By implementing push notifications in your app, you can create a more interactive and engaging experience for your users. These notifications will not only keep users updated but also encourage them to participate more actively in the community. Follow these steps to introduce push notifications and enjoy a more connected and lively user base!