For small-scale business owners, apps like Snapchat can offer a huge source of inspiration for developing a successful mobile app. In the present time, mobile apps are becoming a very common aspect of business for almost all types of industrial sectors. The growing customer demand has raised this opportunity for businesses to give mobile app facilities to its customers. While we shall see this trend growing in the future, here are some of the important steps to consider for developing a successful mobile app:
1. Make Time for Internal Planning:
App development is a process of team-work and not just the individuals. The more team spirit you show, the more are the chances of your app becoming successful. This calls for sparing some time in internal planning and research work. Discuss it with your team. What do you want from an app? What are the objectives behind its development? The primary topics of discussion should include the following:
- A list of relevant successful apps for reference
- How and to what extent will your app support the business goals
- A rough sketch of the app to be developed
This discussion will help you set clear goals and give the basic idea of your future app.
2. Specify Short and Long Term Budget:
Before starting the development phase, it is important to consider its budget first. And it is equally important to have an idea of short as well as long-term expenditure on the development process. Chances are you may sketch out the short-term budget in a hurry and forget about the long-term goals. In order to avoid any kind of crisis, later on, it is fruitful for you to consider every risk at the beginning itself. Your budget plan should consider:
- Development costs
- Cost of Additional Features
- Marketing Costs
- Maintenance Costs
- Upgradation Costs
3. Consider Monetization Strategy for App Design:
It is important to consider your monetization strategy first for sketching out design accordingly. The best monetization strategy these days is a freemium app followed by a purchase for premium options. There is a reason behind this approach. Users stand a chance to try your app first and pay later on; driving more engagement and conversions in comparison to a paid app.
An in-app advertisement is also an option but that trend is no longer popular. Users find it annoying when they are bombarded with several advertisements while they are using your app. Only 8% of the developers recommend this option for monetization. The best option is to develop an unresisting design and features for your app so that users give in to opt for its premium version.
4. Determine the Software Requirements:
The next step for building a great app is to determine upon its software requirements. While determining this, consider future requirements in mind. At present, one may wish to build an app on Android platform but later need an iOS version of the app or vice versa. So, one must build an app that is flexible for future upgrades as well.
5. Market your App Consistently:
Marketing an app is equally important as its development process. What if your app is great to use and serve its required purpose on point but nobody knows about it? Continuous marketing efforts will help your business and app survive in the competition. Also, important is the App Store Optimization or ASO for making it discoverable in the app store.
6. Maintain your App:
A large number of apps fail due to the reason that they have not been maintained with the changing needs and trends. Have you ever noticed how frequently Facebook keeps on adding new features to its app? Changing security requirements, updates to operating systems and changing user needs are the factors to keep in mind.
Final thoughts:
A successful mobile app requires several efforts from a proper planning to its continuous maintenance.
What’s your take on these steps? Do you find them important for an app development process? Mention your thoughts in the comment section.