Planning to Develop an App: Take These Vital Factors into Consideration
- Mobile
- February 22, 2018
Today mobile applications have become a necessity and not being an item of luxury. You don’t have to be an entrepreneur of a large business entity to develop a mobile app; according to a survey, about 67% of small businesses have built mobile apps by the year 2017.
And even the startups are taking keen interest in getting an app. However, don’t just run behind the crowd; first, define your goal and then go ahead to execute the plan successfully.
You might have an extraordinary idea but at the same, it is important that it remains unique and exclusive. Thus, you have to secure your app idea.
But the question is how? You must have heard about Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). You can also ask the client to share his ideas under the Non-Proprietary Information where the details discussed regarding the launching of the app is kept utterly confidential.
Writing Down the App Specification is Must
So, when you are framing a plan on how to develop an app, it is crucial to take the first proper step; write an exceptional app specification that helps in encountering the tough competition. In fact, businesses that don’t have proper app specifications, fail to make their mark on the first attempt.
Having app specifications offers a bunch of benefits. Firstly, you get a clear vision of who your target are, what kind of platform you want to choose for the app development. In addition, you also define your goals in a better way apart from adding the specific features in the app.
Next, the app developers will give a near about estimate regarding the budget. The app specification is not an essay type long answer but it describes an outline of your app. It also reduces the risk factors if any involved during the development process. Lastly, it brings your concepts and ideas into life.
Choosing the Appropriate Platform and Budget Decision
Well, if you ask most of the clients often have to tackle with this tricky choice; whether they should opt for Google Play Store or Apple Store.
Going by the statistical numbers, the number of Android apps still exceeds over iOS, so, speaking from that perspective, of course opting for the Android launching platform will be fruitful. Also releasing an app in the Google Play Store is relatively easy in comparison to the Apple.
However, we should also look at the other side of the picture as well. If you are planning to develop an app for a startup business, it is recommended to choose iOS as it will help them to venture into the new world better. And it has also been seen that iOS users spend more time on their devices in comparison to Android users.
Now let’s talk about the budget estimate of developing an app. Since it is an important part of the planning session and therefore, needs to be discussed briefly.
There are a number of factors taken into account when calculating the cost of app development. First, the costing will depend on what app are you developing, the choice of operating system, the selection of the platform and charges of the app development company.
The App Needs to Address User Issues
When you sit down to chalk out a plan for your app, remember that primarily the aim of your app is to solve the user issues. Thus, your approach should also be in that direction.
But you have to first identify the problems before you can sort it out. Therefore, an effective tool at this juncture is brainstorming the ideas; an exercise that you can do jointly with the other team members.
In this way, you can frame a much better plan proving more than useful for the client’s business. Moreover, it will also assist in taking quick and apt decisions without any second thoughts in the mind.
Collect Information on User Demand
When you are planning to add some unique and exciting features into your app, make sure you are aware of what the consumer is looking for.
Well, this is important if you want your app to sustain in the competition. You can opt for the use case diagrams to decide how users are interacting with your app and what features of the app needs more attention.
You can also create a user testing focus group, which will find out what users are specifically looking in an app. You can have a regular discussion on this based on the valuable inputs of the group.
The Planning on App Designing
When you are planning to develop your app, equal attention needs to be paid towards the designing as well.
Upon reaching this stage you need to take decisions on how many screens you want, the UI and UX designs, the selection of the color, the content of the app and much more.
The user interface mainly concentrates on the page including the app icon. User Experience on the other hand, deals the personal experiences and creating the brand awareness.
For bettering the functionality of the app focus on the wireframes. The architecture diagrams can be used to describe the function of the app especially to the stakeholders.
Read also: Importance of UI/UX Design in Mobile App Development
Strategy for Marketing the App
Well, frankly speaking promoting your app is as important as developing it. It is through the promotional strategy or the marketing campaign that you can get more traffic building into your app.
Now first things first, you need to face the reality and get comprehensive knowledge on who your real competitors are and what their market response is. Emphasize on the online marketing campaigning tools such as using the social media tools for better result.
Earning Money through App
This should also be a part of your planning process. Here you have to think of innovative ideas on how to get more investors on the board.
However, before approaching the investors, make sure you are prepared with all the details including the purpose of the app, your target customers, landing page etc.
Put in more finance into your project to show your dedication towards your work. Investors don’t get impressed easily, so you have to work hard to get their attention.
Plan on App Maintenance and Security Check
When you are planning how to maintain your app and basically keep monitoring the security, it will include all the significant aspects such as designing and enhancement of features, app audits on yearly basis, maintaining of codes and updates on security, regular monitoring of app performance and so on.
Deciding the Time Interval for App Updates
This is a vital question that you have to answer. Updating your app at a specific time interval is important if you want to enhance its performance and keep it bug free.
The updates are also essential to remove any security concern if any. But at what time should an app be updated; it has to be planned wisely.
The developer has to stay updated with the latest OS releases and any changes that take place.
Time Frame for Developing the App
Well, to precise it is difficult to plan a time frame for the completion of developing an app as each of the app are created on different patterns and methods. But still you should keep a time limit when you are planning on the development and try to stick to it.
To learn more about every aspect of mobile app development, explore our mobile app development guide. It provides insights into the latest trends, benefits, development phases, mistakes to avoid, best practices, and more.
Conclusion
So, when you are commencing with a plan or strategy to develop a mobile app, you have to take into account a number variable factors. But the most important part of the task is how you execute your plan or idea when you get down together with the project.
Your plan will be successful and show a positive result only when you work together as a team and take one step after the other categorically.
