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Ok, maybe dream app isn’t quite the right term – if you are a business, it’s more like a necessity. The problem is translating an idea into an app that is not only aesthetically pleasing, but is very functional. While this seems like common sense, a lot of apps launch with some serious problems.
Ok, maybe dream app isn’t quite the right term – if you are a business, it’s more like a necessity. The problem is translating an idea into an app that is not only aesthetically pleasing, but is very functional. While this seems like common sense, a lot of apps launch with some serious problems.
To ensure that your app attracts a lot of positive attention from the beginning, you have to put a lot of emphasis on the validation process. Validation actually begins when you start to flesh out your idea, not once you have a finished app to test. By continually thinking about the validation of different aspects of your app, you’ll find that it is a lot easier to complete the app. Just because you have an idea doesn’t mean that it is possible – and it definitely doesn’t always mean it is a good idea. These kinds of problems become more obvious when you try to validate them. The earlier you find problems, the quicker you can correct them or come up with alternatives.
Before you begin developing your app, sit down and consider these early parts of the validation to make sure you know what you want from the process.
This is the most important part of developing an app, but it is one that too many people overlook. You have to take the time to know who you want to use the app so that you can tailor it to those demographics. The knee jerk reaction is often that you want everyone to use it – that’s the first idea you need to debunk.
You’ve probably heard the saying that you can’t make everyone happy all of the time. That definitely applies to apps.
Instead of trying to make an app for everyone – an impossibility – determine who your audience is. Knowing your target audience will increase the odds that your app will appeal to the right people. Teenagers want a very different experience from their apps than someone in their 30s or 50s. Here are a few factors to consider about your audience:
All of these factors will affect your app. Once you know who is likely to use your app and how they will use it, you need to figure out what kinds of problems they will use the app to resolve. When they finish using the app every time, you want your users to feel that it has addressed whatever issues drove them to use the app.
You will need to continue to return to this idea often to make sure that your app is designed for your target audience.
Part of your research should include gathering data about your target audience, but it needs to go well beyond that to make sure your app includes all of the things it needs. The app should not only appeal to your target audience – that is just the first step – it needs to have enough value to keep them coming back to use it.
Find out if other companies have already solved known issues with the type of app you are making. You want to make sure that you address those problems as well. This gives clients a reason to keep coming back to use the app.
Find out what your competition has to offer as well. The more saturated a market, the more you need to make your app stand out. You will need to balance that with functionality, but you want to see what users have available to them and then target making something better. Here are the things to check during your research into similar apps:
Do take the time to actually try similar apps so you understand the rankings and reviews. The initial research into the marketing of similar apps and apps in the same category will help you not only build your app but help you plan how to market to your target audience.
Knowing what you want is one thing: keeping that in mind over the development process is another. Never start making your app without clearly defining the app. Have the following three elements determined before any code is written:
You will need to refer back to these elements over time. It is possible (actually, it is very likely) that you will make some changes or create a narrower scope once you better understand everything that goes into the process. That is perfectly fine. As long as you keep these three elements clear, you will be able to create a much more concise and reliable validation process for each phase of development.
To be honest, you should really consider developing your app for both Android and iPhone because they have about a 50/50 split of the current market. However, the average iPhone user does tend to make more money and spends more time on their phone than the average Android user. You will need to understand the market of both platforms to best develop an app for each platform.
Beyond the mindset differences, the coding itself is actually considerably different as well. If you don’t have the resources to create an app for both types of phones, you need to know which platform has a larger share of your target audience. If the app does well on one platform, then you can start planning to release it on the other.
While you want the app to be visually appealing and easy to navigate, you also want to make certain that it includes your established branding. Things like logos and tone from the website often translate well into apps.
Your target audience also plays an important role in determining the look of your app. What appeals to different age groups, education levels, personality types, and other demographic characteristics will be important in establishing your brand, and that should show in the app that you develop.
The best laid plans need to have participants who can understand what the desired outcome is. You want a team who can take all of your research and develop the app you need. App development really isn’t something that people can do perfectly the first time, which is why it is important to have experts on your side from the earliest phases of the project. They will be able to tell you what you can do and what will be a bit too difficult for a simple app.
Apps tend to cost a good bit of time and money. To ensure that you get the best app for your money, engage people who are skilled at turning a concept into an app that is pretty amazing.