9 Things you should know before developing an app

With the number of mobile applications skyrocketing higher every day, it is becoming increasingly more possible your app may never be found. Constructing a mobile application is not as simple as grabbing a quick plan from your designers. Mobile apps, much like any other service process should be arranged, strategized, as well as made to address the objective of the end-users.

Before you decide to delve into developing a mobile application, it is critical to assess the results you desire in advance. To do that, it is best to take into consideration these points before beginning the process of mobile app development.

1) Picking the right platform

Having a discussion about the right platform to use can be confusing. If you have decided to use iPhone and Android, think about a native user interface that you can create that is specific to the platform. If you decide to create a dynamic website, think about how that can adapt to as many device models as possible while still looking great on a computer browser. This decision will not simply affect the developers. The choice you make will affect the extent and also flexibility of an app. The coding that will be required in making the mobile application can also help you decide on the flexibility of your application's offerings.

2) Conduct marketing research

Prior to doing any type of task, it is always recommended to do some Research & Development. Putting together an app is not any different, performing in-depth marketing research assists you in obtaining an important understanding of the present market as well as competitors that may exist.

It is worthwhile to learn the tricks of the industry as well as what your potential rivals do well and what they could improve on. You can learn from these opportunities and create a better design plan. Ensure that you include customer reviews in your research. Ask your target audience what they want, examine the actual need, and modify your plans and designs to accommodate them.

3) Recognize your individuals

Developing an app without knowing your target audience is like shooting at something with the lights off. It is important to understand what your users want and need, as your app's success will depend on it. You won’t find users downloading your app if it doesn't solve a problem or add value.

Find places to research your ideal customer. Learn what they really want or the problem they really have and address that. If you have aligned your goals to what people are really looking for, there is no reason why people would ever stop using your app.

4) Choose the right application development business

What you want the app to do, the app concept is entirely your own, but its implementation hinges on the App Development Partner you choose. Your development partner will play an integral role in how the concept is carried out and translates to how user-friendly the app is, how responsive it is, how intuitive it is to use, and more.

You will want to review these important points when selecting a development partner:

• Look at what technologies they use to develop with
• Read any testimonials or case studies they may have
• Contact companies they have recently worked with
• Consider what time-zone they operate in for efficient communication

It is important that you select a development partner that has a good grasp on user interface and user experience design to provide a solid user experience. The app should be designed in such a way that the customer can perform its functions without any assistance.

5) Justify your reason for creating an app

At first, this does not seem like something that needs to be done, but as you begin the development process, being specific about what the app does and why it does become increasingly important as design stages progress.

Source: Forrester Research, February 2013 "2013 Mobile Trends For eBusiness Professionals".

Defining differences between the website and an app are critical. An app should not be a glorified website. It should have moving parts, take advantage of the native capabilities of the device and provide a richer user experience than a website can provide. The app should also remain in alignment with business strategy and vision while maintaining a uniqueness to your offering.

6) Build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

Creating the simplest version of your app first is critical to success. Making something that always seems incomplete will create scope creep and prevent you from releasing it on time. Create an MVP first!

In considering a minimum viable product, ask yourself these questions below:

• What problem does your app resolve?
• What process will users follow to solve the problem?
• What's the one thing that makes your app a must-have?
• What is the most important feature of your app?
• What other features must the app have to survive?
• Which features are the highest priority?

Making an MVP of your app creates a deep internal view of what makes your app tick. It will also allow you to understand the app better to be able to explain it to others easier.

7) Identify how the app will be monetized

Before constructing a mobile application, you should learn ways to monetize it. One approach is to offer in-app ads that may pay you per click or per view. This approach works well if you are also offering a premium version of your app that is ad-free and there is a small upgrade fee to remove the ads.

Additionally, you should also decide whether you will charge a fixed price per download of the app or integrate an in-app purchase strategy. In-app purchases can be single non-recurring charges or they can be subscription purchase that generates monthly revenue. You can always opt for a “freemium” alternative to begin with.

8) Identifying the expense of creating an application

Several factors must be considered when calculating the cost of developing a mobile app. These factors all play a part in the budgetary analysis.

Apart from developing the mobile application itself, there are many additional features to consider and whether they align with your company strategy for growth on the mobile platform. 

• Decide if user logins are required or not. This decision can be simple, but adding login features to an app can increase costs.
• Determine whether a user will need to create a personal profile within the app. If so, a privacy policy will need to be created as well.
• If you plan on exposing data from your website to your app, an API will need to be made available. An API, application programming interface, is a friendly way for your website to share data with your app. This will need to be made by your website developer and shared with your app developer.
• Determining the design standards and architecture of your app is as critical as the app itself. Good design practices determine how easy it is for other developers to work on your app or how easy it is to maintain the code.

Your apps can range from being simple to very complex, and customized. The more custom, the more enjoyable the UX can be for your users. 

These steps in the process can be broken down into phases and a cost associated with each phase. The data below is meant as a guideline but is a good accurate representation of costs.

Technically, the expense of app development is based on hourly rates. These rates differ amongst development partners, and even geographical location plays a part in determine the overall of the price of developing a mobile app.

The typical development costs for a few common geographical locations are listed here:

• The United States, as well as Canadian-based companies, range from $50 to $250/hr USD
• Australian app development companies provide their services for $50-$150/hr USD
• Western European and UK-based application developers are charging rates between $35 up to as much as $170/hr USD
• Eastern Europeans are around $20 to $150/hr USD
• Indian rates of $10 to $80/hr USD

The final cost is dependent on the features chosen, the complexity of the project, as well as platform(s) that are targeted for deployment.

Another point to consider that can add expense is a back-end server. Most apps require a server to store data and provide quicker costly processing that an app cannot. These servers cost money and must be factored in.

Typically, the expense of creating a basic app from scratch can range from $8,000USD to $12000USD to completion. With apps, as with most things, you get what you pay for. As the saying goes, “Cheap is most definitely expensive in the long run”.

Also, it is advisable to keep a little budget for app updates, marketing, and maintenance.

A team of mobile application developers will commonly include:

• UX/UI designer who is in charge of creating the visual content to be coded
• A Project Manager ensures that the project is staying within scope, communicates with the development team and client and ensures that the project milestones are on time
• A Business Developer/Agile Team Lead who is responsible for interacting with the Project Manager to execute features in the correct order and ensuring the needs of the developer are met in a timely manner as well.

9) Marketing an application

It is just as essential to market an app to your target customers. This has two purposes:

1. Reach organic growth within the App Store itself
2. To reach customers within environments that your reach does not normally extend. When you do this, be sure to carry out proper A/B testing for reliable conversions from ad to app download.

N.B: Marketing experts commonly fall prey to frequently utilized techniques like SEO optimization for application marketing and social media advertising. Rather, it is a better idea to understand the art of mobile advertising in other less obvious ways to reach your audience.

Conclusion

Remember these points as you make the decision for your business to build a mobile app. Following these guidelines will put you on the right track and will save you a lot of time in the long-run. Making a mobile app is a strategic decision that may not be right for every business. You can always reach out to an expert to be sure you are making the right decision.