With the emergence of smartphones, the
world as we know it has changed, bringing the World Wide Web right at our
fingertips. No longer do we need to sit in front of a screen and be connected
to the world. All you need is a Wi-Fi and the world is your oyster. But the
biggest impact of smartphones has been upon businesses. Companies have realized
that, in this modern age of digitalization, a smartphone let’s you be connected
with your customers at all hours. May it be at office, at home or even on the
go. Moreover, studies have shown that a mobile app can generate more sales than
websites and advertisements alone. Reason?
Convenience.
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Thus, most startups are pulling out all
stops to get their own mobile app and reach billions of consumers. In the
simplest sense, what a mobile app does for a business is:
It keeps all the
users updated on all latest happenings and updates on the network.
Let your users
shop on your portal, anywhere and at anytime.
Word of mouth
from loyal customers helps increase the number of app downloads.
User reviews on
the app, gives new customers confidence in downloading the app.
So in case you are planning
to make a mobile app all by yourself, or hire somebody to get it done, here’s
what you should show before you start.
Think of you app
as a product. Each product made, goes through certain stages in its lifespan.
The designing and developing of a product is known as the pre-introduction
stage. This decides how a product shall be designed, who it would be targeted
to, what are its functions and the most important one, how will it make money.
- To answer these, first, you need to conduct a market survey to understand the market demands and ensure your idea are aligned with current or future market trends. Look into apps by your competitor’s to get a grasp of what they are offering and see what more you can offer
- Once you get a clear idea of what you want out of your app, you need to hire somebody who can build you the app or even make it yourself. To know how to find the perfect app developer, read "How to hire the ideal App Developer for your Startup". Make it a point not to give out too much about your idea, before signing a NDA with your developer.
- Your developer should have a clear view of what you want and must be capable of delivering the same without any glitches. An important step of app development is determining on which platform your app is to be made available, android or IOS or both.
- Once you have the framework of the app finished, you need eye-catching graphics. This is imperative to give the required boost to your start up app to stay ahead of competition. You can hire an experienced UI designer or even get it done in-house by your super-creative employees.
- Post development and designing of an app, give it trial runs to ensure there are no glitches and fix them if any. You can try with some beta testers.
- This final step is to submit the app on the app store. This is where more than half your effort lies because a whopping 65% of your app traffic will come from keywords. Get tutorials on App Store Optimization to get the best out of your app.
Developing and
designing an app is like laying the foundation of a building. If the base is
strong, so shall be the future. Give yourself ample time during the
pre-introduction phase to understand the full potential of your app and see
what more USP’s you can add to cut ahead of the competition. Be very choosy
while hiring a developer and the very best your money can buy. Because while a
well fabricated app can flourish your business, a poorly build one can easily
put you out of business.