Such a smart planning can help with effective app development and for this you need to carry out good planning in advance.
Some of the things that you need to do are:
Do A Thorough Research
The foremost thing to do is to carry out a thorough research in the market and look for apps that are similar to yours. You should look for the features and design to get a better idea about what you can expect. You will get to know the features which the users are using more and the ones which are not at all put into use by the mobile app users.
To get an idea of customer expectations, you can go through customer reviews too and see the features that the customers are expecting out of such apps. You can also identify the areas in the app which needs improvement in terms of look or feel.
Agree on Your App Goals
You should define the goals of the project for the organization first. Are you trying to beat the competition or come out as an innovator? Just by looking into the future roadmap and showing some initial momentum, will help you with the competition. Then, are you looking for ways to build revenue or working towards offering better customer experience while building brand loyalty? Once you are clear about your goals you can prioritize them and plan yourself about when to get started with it.
Bring in Together Your IT Team
The greatest technical challenge the businesses and developers face is to combine the business processes present on the back end to kiosks or smart phones. Apart from choosing the platform for frontend development the technology infrastructure for multichannel solution is way beyond. It is important for businesses to think about data delivery and API management along with things like scalability, security, device optimization, API translation, content aggregation, etc. to be successful. It is very important that you bring your development team on the same platform for discussion before you move ahead with planning.
Make Sure It Does Not Take Up More Data
Internet data is expensive and the service provider charge high for the packages. If you want to make your app more popular in the market then you need to work towards improving the efficiency. Some of the apps need constant internet connection to work while there are others which can work offline. So now you have a choice to decide which one you prefer to develop.
Offer Customers Something Unique
If we look at the market share you will find more than 1.5 million iOS apps and more than 1.6 million android apps.
This means if you want your app to reach users and satisfy their wants, you need to have some features that are unique and is not offered by other apps in the app store. If you fail to have some, it will not take much time for your app to get lost in the crowd.
Whether it is about downloading an app or using it then, it needs a decent amount of data usage and storage space. So you need to add in special features which can let the user take up the decision to whether download and install the app or not.
Different Functions of The App Indicated with Animation
The apps with high-end and large amount of graphics take longer time to load. Users will take it in a negative way and think that the app is not working properly. So as app developers you can work on to avoid such misunderstanding by placing in some animations which suggest that the app is undergoing a loading process. No doubt such animation adds in some fun part but, it plays a crucial role in increasing the overall experience of the app.
Work Towards Monetizing The App
If you are looking up to your app to make money then it is time you set the price of your app properly. Companies of today are hiring mobile app developers for the job and they are charged based on time or project completion. So based on your expenses, you can set the price of the project.
Identify The App Users – The Target Audience
Before the app launch it is important for you to have an idea about the section of the people who will be actually using your app. Finding your target audience is crucial but once you have found them, you will be able to dig in deep to know the areas of their interest. You should try to know the most common app platform among your users. As devices are different, users will have different needs too. By knowing your target audience you will be able to know the features that interest them and include it in the app rather than beating the bushes.
Concentrate on One Platform
If you plan to go for a developer who has the knowledge of all platforms for mobile app development, you may end up finding one who may offer you expensive service. So better concentrate on choosing mobile app developer who has the expertise on particular platform. Go through the past projects of the developer and read client reviews too. Developer who is popular among the people will be able to offer better results.
Come Up with Minimum Viable Solution
There is no need to put in all efforts at once. It would be better for the companies to know their minimum viable product and begin from there. Build a basic functional app and release it. You can then come up with upgrade which can be given away regularly. This way you will be able to reach the market swiftly and keep changing when and as needed. Again, by offering new updates and upgrades to the users, your enterprise will be able to stay on the top.
Plan Multiple Releases
For any business, the release of initial version is all about starting new relation with users. Whenever there is some new feature added to the app, you will notice change in user re-engagement. During the initial few releases, make sure you only release important features so that users will stay engaged with the app. Just be sure you keep a wait of couple of months between the releases so that the users don’t feel bombarded with releases.
Think About Better Marketing Strategy
It has been seen that due to poor marketing strategy many businesses with unique and good products fail to attract the target audience. For effective and good marketing result it is recommended to start with the marketing steps a few weeks before the app launch. By doing this, the business will get a better chance to build up an image for the app in the market before it actually hits. This will create curiosity among the users and they will be waiting to try it as soon as it is out there.
Before Launching The App, Test It Vigorously
It is always important to keep your customers pleased and one of the best ways to achieve it is by having an app build for the users without any kind of bugs. As a part of the app testing process look for bugs and glitches carefully. Once you have found any you should work on to resolve them quickly before the app is actually launched.
Build A Focus Group For Testing
The only way to know what your users actually want from a mobile application is by spending time with your target audience. You can keep on discussing the app idea with the users on regular basis and go on with the process of discovery.
Come Up With A Catchy Description
Whenever there is a new visitor on the app market he or she will have a hard time understanding what the app functions are, what it is all about. To help the users out and let them know what the app is all about, developers are allowed to add in description which helps the users to choose what they want. This is done for both android and iOS app market. So, app developers should take some time to write catchy app description containing of two or three lines, which will be then noticed and looked by the visitors.
Balance Business and Users
Balancing business with the users can never be an easy thing. For the same you need to have the right kind of information to get started. You can look for expert opinions, user studies, technical feasibility and business viability studies. You can then make use of the information to build the right balance between business-value gains and user-centrist solutions.
Based on Your Budget Make The Plan
Developing an app is not a free thing. In order to give your app idea some form, you will have to spend time on hiring mobile app developer.
App development goes through different stages and you should have an idea about the same if you wish to build a successful one. Based on the different stages of app development, you should plan your budget accordingly. You need to make sure you stay within the said budget limits.
If you fail to take care of the budget for your app development then you may lose more money and the project will not end in the cost effective manner.
Plan To Analyse
We have planned things, we have put them into practice and then we need to get results, right? In better words, you should be able to measure success. With the availability of great features, technologies and platforms, devices, etc. it can be challenging to measure success. So you can just ask few questions to get started:
- Can it help with customer retention and adoption?
- Can it help to increase revenue through transaction volume?
- Can it help with brand loyalty and brand recognition?
- How can the app be integrated into social media platforms?
- How is it possible to decrease costs?
- How can we reach the target audience and how many people will be using the app?
- Is it possible to integrate the app with the existing analytics tools?
Wrapping It Up
For any business getting a mobile app developed is no more a luxury rather it is the way to reach more and more number of people who can help you increase business revenue. So it is equally important that you have some planning before you get into developing the app actually. Knowing the target audience, understanding and choosing the right app platform, discussing project with development team and all, helps you to build an app which is capable to add value to your business. Again, you need to ensure the app is updated regularly with new features and free of all bugs to ensure it becomes popular among the users. Small but effective efforts and steps will help you have an app build to satisfy the business needs.
