Sharpen Your Ax with Marvin Liao: The Right Way to Ask Users for iOS Permissions

Sharpen Your Ax with Marvin Liao: The Right Way to Ask Users for iOS Permissions

In today's fast-paced world, it's crucial to constantly improve and sharpen our skills in order to stay ahead. One person who understands the importance of this is Marvin Liao, a renowned investor and former partner at 500 Startups. Liao believes that having a daily routine is key to success. By sticking to a set schedule, we can maximize our productivity and make the most of our limited time.

Another aspect of Liao's routine is his meditation practice. Many successful people, including Liao, swear by meditation as a way to clear the mind and enhance focus. Liao spends 10 minutes in the morning and sometimes at night meditating, allowing him to start each day with a calm and centered mindset.

Liao also emphasizes the importance of giving our best effort in everything we do. He believes that if we try our best, that's all anyone can ask of us. In the startup world, failure is often seen as the default outcome. However, by putting in our best effort and constantly striving to improve, we can increase our chances of success.

One area where Liao believes we can make a significant impact is in our creativity. According to him, we only have about 4 hours of peak creativity each day. By recognizing this, we can structure our day to prioritize tasks that require creative thinking during these peak hours. This allows us to make the most of our limited creative energy and produce our best work.

While Liao provides valuable insights on personal development, it's also important to consider practical strategies for success in specific fields. One such field is app development, particularly when it comes to asking users for iOS permissions. In this regard, there are several approaches that have proven to be effective.

The initial blitzkrieg approach, where users are bombarded with permission requests upfront, is not recommended. This can overwhelm users and lead to a high rate of rejection. Instead, it's better to ask for access only when it is absolutely necessary and clearly communicate the benefits users will receive in return.

For example, the app Cluster initially asked for permission upfront, resulting in only 30-40% of users accepting. However, when the benefit of granting permission was clearly explained, acceptance increased to 66%. This shows that users are more likely to grant access when they understand what they will gain from it.

Another effective strategy is to use double system-style dialogs. This means presenting users with two options - "Give Access" and "Don't Allow" - and analyzing their behavior. Surprisingly, only 3% of users who clicked "Give Access" ended up clicking "Don't Allow". This indicates that the majority of users are willing to grant access when given the option.

Educational pre-permission overlays can also be successful in obtaining user consent. By providing users with information about the permission request before they are prompted to grant access, acceptance rates can be significantly increased. User-triggered dialogs, where permission requests are made after users have taken a specific action, have also proven to be highly effective.

For instance, asking users for photo access after they have tapped on the camera and chosen photos increased acceptance rates from 67% to 89%. Similarly, when users are clearly trying to access their own address book, 100% of them accept the contacts access when prompted. These examples demonstrate the power of timing and context in obtaining permissions.

In conclusion, whether we are focusing on personal development or app development, there are valuable lessons to be learned. Marvin Liao reminds us of the importance of having a daily routine and meditation practice, while also emphasizing the need to give our best effort and make the most of our limited creativity. When it comes to asking users for iOS permissions, it's crucial to be strategic and consider different approaches. By implementing the right strategies, we can increase acceptance rates and create a more user-friendly experience.

Actionable advice:

1. Establish a daily routine and stick to it. By structuring your day, you can maximize productivity and make the most of your time.
2. Incorporate a meditation practice into your daily routine. Meditation can help clear the mind and enhance focus, leading to increased productivity.
3. When asking users for permissions in your app, consider the timing and context. By presenting permission requests at the right moment and clearly communicating the benefits, you can increase acceptance rates and create a more user-friendly experience.