When designed correctly, push notifications provide relevant information to users, encouraging them to engage with the app. However, most users associate push notifications with annoying, distracting messages that are better to be muted as soon as they start using an app.

Ideally, push notifications are time-sensitive and deliver information that is beneficial for users. However, when notifications appear on a screen without a valid reason, users feel like they've wasted their time by looking at the screen.

Make sure to send notifications at appropriate times and don't send non-critical push notifications at 3 in the morning. Use users' locations and rely on their preferences and behavior to send relevant messages.

Additionally, push notifications should be personal — demonstrating to users that the app cares about them. For example, if an individual goes to sleep every day at a certain time, a sleep tracker app can send a push notification reminding users that bedtime is approaching.