According to Comscore, 80% of people prefer to use their smartphones for various internet purposes. This opens the need for more new and advanced applications.
With the digital world expanding around us, mobile apps have become an important part of our daily lives. We use apps to talk to friends and family and get information and entertainment. Mobile apps that provide a smooth user experience are the most successful.
Creating a mobile app is similar to establishing a new company. And like many industries, the mobile application market is also highly competitive. So, you need to make your app stands out from the rest.
Here are six tips for developing your first mobile app:
1. Research
Before you begin working on the application, you need to carry out thorough research of the market. Your market research should be focused on understanding and locating the gap in the market. Many apps offer similar features, so if you develop something that is already out there, you have a lesser chance of success. Therefore, finding a gap or need in the market is important. You can then design the application according to the demand.
Furthermore, research can also help you find useful tools and techniques that will make your development process more effective and efficient. For example, learning react can greatly benefit you, as React offers a wealth of capabilities for quick, simple, and adaptable development.
Research offers you the ground to play around on; you can gain detailed information about consumer and market behavior, which will help you form a strategy for developing your application.
2. Plan for Something Unique
As discussed above, the mobile application market is extremely competitive, with over 2.2 million apps in the App Store and 2.7 million in the Play Store. Therefore, if you want your app to stand out and be successful, you must come up with an idea that is not out there yet. When the market is so saturated, you need to put up some attraction to draw the audience towards your app.
No business can be a success without proper planning. Planning involves setting up a strategy to follow. You need to form a plan by keeping in mind all the different factors, like:
- The purpose of the app
- Your intended audience
- Who your competitors are
- The features the app will offer
It doesn’t just stop there; you also need to consider that once the app is live, how will you make money from it? There are many different ways to monetize your app. You can use strategies like embedded ads, eCommerce stores, etc.
Therefore, planning is essential as it provides you with the framework for your app. It will help you stay focused on your goals and avoid getting sidetracked.
3. Build the Right Team
If you are a developer, you can design the whole application yourself. However, it is advised to work with a team. There will be too much pressure on a person, so working alone is not practical. Working with a team makes the process more efficient. Furthermore, you can gain valuable input from highly experienced professionals.
Your app development team’s skills, abilities, and efforts define your project’s quality. The app development process will be made much simpler by assembling a team that shares your vision and attitude and is willing to put in hard work and effort.
4. Use the Right Technology
When it comes to technology, there are many different options available for developers to choose from. The type of technology to be used depends on what type of app you are planning to produce. The most common options are:
- Platform-Specific Apps: Native mobile apps are designed specifically for a particular platform, for example, iOS or Android.
- Cross-Platform Apps: This method uses shared SDKs to create apps; it is the most cost-effective approach.
It’s up to the developer or the team of developers to decide what approach they want to opt for. However, keep in mind that a successful application requires the right technology.
5. Keep It Simple
The application’s design is a key element that plays a part in whether the app is a hit or a miss. The app should not contain densely packed information; it can lead to the user becoming overwhelmed. Furthermore, you should avoid providing too many options in the app. This can make the user confused and kill the purpose of the app.
It is important to keep the design as simple and elegant as possible while providing all the necessary features. Moreover, when choosing the color palette for the app, you need to make sure the color scheme goes with the theme of the app. For example, if you develop a vegan diet app, a green-dominant color palette is the way to go.
6. Beta Test
Once you have designed and developed your application, it’s time to launch it for testing. You can either choose to present the prototype version of the app to your family and friends only or launch it in the market as a beta version.
Testing is perhaps one of the most important steps in app development. No app is perfect as soon as it is developed. There need to be regular and frequent changes to ensure top quality.
One form of testing you can use is A/B testing. In this, two or more prototypes or betas of the app are produced. The difference between the betas can be the font of the text or maybe a slight change in color gradient. How each version performs is observed and recorded, and the one that performs the best can be launched as the official application.
Conclusion
Even after the launch, the app development process does not stop. As the app grows, you gain feedback and complaints from users, and as the developer, it’s your responsibility to ensure that user problems are dealt with.
Furthermore, it is significantly important to remember that app development is a proper business model. Therefore, it does not only cover its design and development. Sales, operations, management, and marketing are all part of the app development business. If you want your endeavor to prosper, you must consider all aspects.
