Top 10 Tips for Developing a New App
The world is shrinking with mobile connectivity, but the app market is expanding by the day. Only app development is not enough, in fact, it is the easiest part. The major challenge is in garnering attention to your app and keeping the app visible in the highly complex and competitive scenario. The app has to be a cut above the rest. So, let’s put our app development act together; the following are ten tips for creating an app.
- Know the reason behind your desire to create an app. Do you just want to join the bandwagon or do you think your app is a solution to some problem you have come across? Identify the core factors and define a clear goal before you start with app development.
- To get a better tab on your idea or solution, you will need to confirm that there is a demand for your app in the market. You could create a landing page and ask users to profess interest through email sign up. You can check online whether there are similar apps doing your kind of thing. Keep in mind the end users of the app and start with a clear image. Since there are more than one million apps out there, creating something which has never been made before is nearly impossible. But the difference lies in creating a different look, unique design, and a great user interaction. Find your niche and then start creating an app.
- To make the app development team understand your thought process, it becomes imperative that you have your plan on paper in as much detail as possible. Highlight the navigation and features that the app will possess. Visual presentation, sketches, features to be incorporated, layout, and the structure will help the developer to build an app. It will also help the developing team to choose an appropriate source for generating revenue. Revenue can be generated by using techniques such as advertisements, pay per download, in-app paid features, and paid apps.
- Focus on design as well because it is not only about the looks, but also about user experience and graphics which will make the user make repeat visits and also unwittingly market it by way of mouth. User experience can be enhanced by the UI design, multi-touch gestures, easy navigation, and other such features.
- Choose a solid app development company with a great design team. Check their credibility online and see the kind of apps they have created to determine whether you like their kind of work. They will create the foundation of your app, which means a great storyboard and wireframing to get a clear idea about the app. Wireframing means generating a prototype of the app. Storyboard is a roadmap to show the connecting points between each screen of the app and how the end user will navigate through it.
- Ask your friends, colleagues, and family members for feedback by giving them access to your wireframe and giving it a test run. Let them try out the prototype and then flatten out the roadblocks before bringing it out for a run in the marketplace. Check and monitor that your non-technical testing group is comfortable with the app. The sole aim should be to make the life easier for the end user.
- Make sure to register with app stores to be able to sell through their platforms. They need to be chosen keeping in view specific factors like coverage, device support, performance and other peripherals. Google charges $25 per year and Apple charges $99 a year approximately. You need to create the design to match the operating system you are planning to use and also keep finances in view.
- Be sure to use tools, either paid or free, to assist you in tracking downloads, and user retention for your app. Initial user behavior by customers will guide you about the enhancement and improvement of the app. It becomes imperative to keep track of the user feedback as the satisfaction of the end users will determine the success of your app development dreams.
- For the first version of the app, try to include only the core features. This helps to keep the costs low and bring the product to the market faster. Other features that you want to add can be added later for an updated version. You can go for an updated version depending on the analytics and feedback.
- Ensure that the app is able to function well on multiple platforms and devices like desktops, tablets, and smartphones. Remember that your end users may use various devices in a day; so the app should also move as seamlessly as possible.