Having just a great app idea may not be enough to start a new venture: the mobile app market is very competitive as more businesses than ever are looking for ways of incorporating this technology into their process. It can be hard to stand out, considering the resources involved in terms of time and funds. Diving straight into the development process unprepared can result in pricey and discouraging mistakes.
Asking yourself the right questions, though, can ensure making a good intuition into a successful reality. In this guide we’re going to cover the key topics you should examine, let’s get started.
What will be the purpose of the app ?
The fundamental question: what will your app do exactly?
Be sure to have a clear picture of what you want to achieve for your app functionality-wise and know all the features you want to include in your design: your developer can help make suggestions and streamline the process for you, but you need to approach them with the full picture from your perspective.
What is your target market?
What problem will your app solve? Who will be interested in this app? Take a look at the market you’re about to enter, know which are the businesses you are competing against and what are their strategy, strengths and weaknesses: it will be easier to avoid their mistakes and focus on the strategies that work. Studying your competitors’ best practices is not a crime, it can actually inspire your final developing approach. Then, browse the app stores and see what else is out there, you can either find a void in the market to fill, or there might not be a market at all.
Do you want to make money from the app?
An app can play many different roles for your business, generating revenue directly off it as well as just serving as a resource for your audience, or indirectly assisting other phases of your sales funnel and increasing your brand’s reach. If you’re looking to create an app that people will have to pay to download, it should have a unique value point. Otherwise, a free app can make a profit through in-app purchases – selling digital or physical products, locking certain features and making them available only through purchase – subscriptions, or in-app ads.
Which technology should you use?
At this stage, choosing the right technology to build your app carries many implications for later development and maintenance. The technology selected will determine how your app is developed and how users will interact with it.
Should it be a native app, a web app, or a hybrid app? And what is the difference between them, exactly?
Web apps are not hosted on Apps markets and they don’t need to be installed as they can be accessed from any browser, they are created to make the most of the mobile user experience. Web apps have short development cycles and they are usually low-cost: if you are looking for an (almost) effortless way to improve your business, web apps can be the right choice.
Native apps are platform-specific, meaning they’re built and optimized for Android or iOS. Usually, native apps are more complicated, as they are developed using platform core programming languages, therefore costing more and taking longer to build. In order to reach both platforms, two different apps need to be developed. Although the initial cost may be higher, offering a great user experience, better performance, and leveraging the device feature will be rewarding in the long run.
Hybrid apps take the best of both worlds: they use the same code base for both platforms, they can take advantage of device-specific resources by using internal APIs and they are available on app stores, providing the benefits of exposure on both markets. They can be an ideal choice for most app goals and purposes, including productivity, utility, and enterprise apps.
What are your resources?
Choosing to create a mobile app may not be as easy as just clicking a button: developing a new app and ensuring its proper operation takes time, manpower and a fair amount of money. Many factors affect the entire process, including complexity, infrastructure, functionality, design, the number of people allocated on the project, hence a clear idea of the budget you’re going to dedicate to the venture will determine the perfect approach for the app development. Another cost-influencing factor is the ongoing support for the app as it requires regular monitoring, crash logs review, optimizing for user experience, and staying up to date with the system updates.
Great products require good planning and execution that are not possible with a tight timeline, and knowing ahead of time what resources you’re working on will prevent any emergencies or delays in the long run.
Conclusions
So, how to get started with your app? Even if the app idea alone is not sufficient, answering these points will give you a clear, initial idea about what it takes to turn your idea into a successfully developed app. You should also consider how you are going to make the app: do you have the skills to properly complete the process? You can easily find softwares that allow you to build basic apps on your own – a good chance to test your ability to create personal, simple apps for a small range of users.
On the other hand, if you have a creative, well-detailed app idea, or you’re going to market your app in order to profit, it will be better to entrust a professional team for a seamless result.
Approaching a software development company is the easiest way to build a mobile app: drop us a note and let’s talk about your project.