Are you thinking of developing a mobile app for your
business?
Perhaps you have a great idea for a tool that can be sold as
a stand-alone solution. Or, you might be thinking (like so many other business owners
and executives) that a mobile app could be a good companion for your website.
Perhaps you want to encourage e-commerce transactions by letting buyers make
purchases from you directly without having to log in to your website. You might
even want several of these benefits.
Whatever the specific reason, mobile app development is more
popular than ever before. But, while more businesses are building apps and more
creative teams are providing them, it’s easy to make costly mistakes or
overlook details that can make or break the finished product.
With that in mind, today we want to give you a step-by-step
look at what’s needed to create and release something your customers can use on
their phones and tablets. Let’s dig into our advanced guide to mobile app
development…
The First Step
Towards Creating a Mobile App is Coming Up With a Winning Concept
What will your app do? This is an important question, and
one that speaks to both function and profitability. You should know what you
want your app to accomplish for users or customers, but also how it can
contribute to your company or bottom line.
Coming up with an idea for an app isn’t necessarily
difficult, but refining it to the point that it’s workable, unique, and
marketable can be a challenge. Believe it or not, this is an area where an
experienced creative team can be a huge help. While you might think of mobile
app development as revolving around design and programming, brainstorming and
finding answers before work begins is just as important.
You’ll Have to Decide
Which Features Are Going to Go Into Your Mobile App
Even after you have a sense of the purpose of your app, and
how you will fit it into your business, you’ll have to develop a list of
features. Again, this is an area where enthusiasm can come into direct conflict
with reality. Budgets, timing, and available technology can all be real
constraints when you’re trying to decide which features will make it into your
mobile app development project.
Keep in mind that not everything on your mobile app wish
list has to be incorporated right away. Some features can be added post-launch,
or following testing and reviews by real-world users. This can be a good
solution, particularly if you want to generate revenue from your app before
devoting too much to its development.
Mobile App Design
Helps You Find the Right Look and Feel
When you know what your mobile app development project is
all about, and which features you'll need in the initial launch, your creative
team can go about designing the interface. This is all about aesthetics and
usability, so it should fit your existing branding and make the app feel like a
pleasure (rather than a chore) to actually open and interact with.
This also tends to be a part of the process where owners and
executives are most involved. Don’t be afraid to let your designers know how
you want your mobile app to look and feel so they can draw layouts to meet your
preferences. People will notice the look of your app, so the way you package
the underlying features matters.
Next, a Programming
Team Has to Code Your Mobile App Into a Workable Piece of Software
After you have a set of working layouts for the different
screens and prompts on your mobile app, coders will get to work behind the
scenes to add all the features and functions you specify. In some cases, this
could mean pulling from existing software; in other situations, they may have
to work from scratch.
This is often the longest part of the process, and the point
where clients are least involved. What’s important is that your development
team knows exactly what you want to accomplish and has the skills to deliver
it. If so, they should be able to deliver a working version of your app on time
and within the budget range quoted.
Testing Your Mobile
App Is Critical for Its Stability and Usability
Many business people tend to think that after an app is and
programmed it can be launched immediately. However, there are still a couple of
steps that need to be taken before it’s ready to go out to the public.
The first is a round of rigorous testing that ensures your
app is usable, stable, and adaptable. In other words, it should work exactly
the way it’s supposed to, and for a variety of users who might have their own
distinct hardware and software. For instance, it’s likely that some of your
customers will have iPhones, while others prefer Galaxy or Android.
Additionally, they might be using different versions of the underlying
operating systems. Testing lets you ensure your app will load, display, and
function correctly in each of these environments without crashing.
Every Mobile App
Development Team Should Prioritize Security
The other part of testing you should pay particular
attention to has to do with online security. You don���t want to roll out an
otherwise perfect app and then find out it has flaws that can be exploited by
hackers, or that can leave sensitive information exposed.
In this day and age, the security of your mobile web app is
almost as important as its functionality. Users want to know their information
is safe and protected, particularly if they will be sharing email addresses,
financial data, or other sensitive information through your software.
The Rollout and
Launch of Your Mobile App Are Important to Profitability
You could simply put your mobile app online and hope buyers
will find it and download it, but that’s not a good strategy if you want to
make the most of your investment. A better idea is to treat the launch of your
mobile app like you would the rollout of a new website or marketing strategy. Don’t
just promote it heavily, but plan ahead to ensure your most important customers
and prospects will hear about it multiple times.
A successful mobile app launch might include website
announcements, social media ads, email newsletter updates, and press releases.
You might also want industry thought leaders to review your app, or to get
reviews from actual users. All of these can help you ensure you get attention
from your market quickly after it launches, so your app can gain those
all-important early users, who will in turn help share it with others in their
personal and professional lives.
You Can Keep
Improving Your Mobile App With Updates and Compatibility Checks
Even after you launch your app and see it being used by
customers, your work isn’t done. You should keep improving your mobile app over
time. Some of your updates might be driven by necessity (changes to operating
systems and so on), or to fix bugs that are discovered by customers. In other
cases, customers may ask you for features you didn’t originally think of.
However you go about it, remember that the best apps usually
improve and develop over time. You don’t have to spend a lot of time and money
on your app to keep it fresh, but you shouldn’t simply think of it as a
finished product immediately after launch, either. Maximize your long-term ROI,
and keep users engaged, by continually looking for ways to make your software
better. Don’t worry – your creative team can help you manage this process.
Ready to Bring Your
Mobile App Idea to Life?
If you’re tired of wondering what your business could do
with a mobile app, or letting your idea pass you by, then why not take the
first step towards bringing the concept to reality? When you have a strong
creative team on your side, developing and promoting a mobile app is a lot
easier and more affordable than most people tend to think.
The experienced team at Kinetik IT can help you bring your
mobile app concept into focus, and then turn your idea into something customers
can start using right away. We have helped dozens of businesses across Phoenix
make the most of the internet, and you’ll be amazed at what we can do for your
company, too.
Contact us today to setup a free consultation and see how we
can help!