In this day and age, mobile apps have become a key component of any business. The smartphone boom has contributed to this trend as it now presents mobile apps with over 2.5 billion potential users. That is why, in a bid to increase the audience of their products, many companies are offering this kind of software to their users.
Today, we will give an overview of the app development process for beginners so that one day, your application can also be featured on the various "best of" lists available on appPicker.
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Step 1: Get an idea or a problem. This serves as the foundation of your app. Look around you and observe. Most ideas for apps are born out of the need to solve everyday problems. Start shortlisting and create a possible list of app ideas along with the problems they intend to solve.
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Step 2: Identify the need. After identifying the problem, you need to determine the demand for its solution. Niche apps certainly have a lucrative market but it is limited in size. It is best to start off with an app that covers a broad problem. Tools such as Google Keyword Planner can help you in determining the degree of interest for the solution to a particular problem online.
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Step 3: Lay out the flow and features. After confirming that the app is indeed viable in terms of widespread demand, it is time to document your idea. It is a good practice to be as detailed as possible by establishing a clear flow for the app's functionality.
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Step 4: Remove non-core features. The next step is to extract the MVP or the Minimum Viable Product from the layout and features documentation. This is a basic version of the app that only keeps the core functionality. The benefit of MVP is that you don't need to spend much to develop it and, at the same time, it can already be presented to investors and the general public. Thus you'll have more room to update your product based on their feedback and more resources to fuel these updates.
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Step 5: Put design first. A common mistake among young entrepreneurs is that they sometimes overlook the design of the app and focus on developing functionality. This can be a fatal mistake since user-friendliness is sometimes a bigger success factor compared to stacked features. It is imperative that the principles of UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience) are followed to produce an intuitive and easy to use product.
Step 6: Hire a designer/developer. Now getting to the part of getting the app made, it is wise to survey the market in order to hire the best developer or even a mobile app development company. Making use of online review platforms, studying the company's portfolio and discussions with shortlisted companies are just some of the ways that can help you get connected to the right expertise.
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Step 7: Create developer accounts. Once the app is ready to go, it is time to put it out in the market. This can be done by creating developer accounts that allow you to upload your app on app stores. There are certain fees in place for creating these accounts. (Apple charges 99$ annually while Google's Android charges 25$ annually for their services)
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Step 8: Integrate analytics. Analytics is an important indicator for the app's success. A number of downloads and retention of the app are examples of the data that needs to be tracked. This can be achieved through tools like Flurry and Localytics.
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Step 9: Get feedback quickly and improvise. Once people start downloading and using the app from the store, user reviews start to flow in. It is best to keep a keen eye on them as they highlight areas of improvement. Consequently, updates can be released to enhance those areas and improve the user experience
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Step 10: Introduce features. To keep things fresh, it is best to gradually introduce new features that were not present in the initial release. Unused features from the documentation can be revisited. After studying the analytics and feedback, it can be decided what new features would make the most sense.
