Mobile apps are a great way for businesses to attract new customers, engage client loyalty, and expand your company. But there are some critical elements that you need to remember if you want your app to be a success. So, if your interest is currently being piqued by the potential and possibilities of an app for your business, read on. Here is everything you need to know to ensure your idea has a great chance of being a success.
Define your goal
Making an app is one thing, but there needs to be reasoning behind it. The full-on potential of apps can be tempting, but it’s vital that you don’t get wrapped up in it too much, and you should never create an app just because everyone else is. In general, your app has to exist to help you with things like brand awareness, driving users to your website or premises, or establishing a platform to make more sales. It’s vital to ensure everything about your apps is geared towards one of these goals.
Understand the development process
If your budget is an issue, there are plenty of self-building app services out there you can use. The likes of AppBreeder and SwebApps can be a useful starting point, although you will need to have an understanding of the app development process. That said, even if you want to hire a professional developer, you’ll need to have that understanding, too. Programmers can only put your ideas into action – they can’t second-guess your intentions.
Understand best practices
There are a few essential best practices in app development that you should know about, to help measure and track your success. You will need to be able to answer a few important questions: what makes the perfect use case? Why use message queues? And what tools are best for reporting issues and defects? There are plenty of examples of best practice procedures available online – make sure you are ticking the boxes laid out on Google, Apple, or whatever platform you are designing for.
Learn about the pitfalls
There are a few things that can stand in the way of your app’s success, and it’s vital to understand them. Let’s say you are designing an app for Google’s Android platform. You test your app thoroughly, and things appear to be working great – but everyone on your team is using the same size smartphone. You launch your app and only then realize that people using it on tablets have an altogether different experience, and the app looks and feels terrible. Using too much battery power is another common mistake – users will just delete the app from their device if it is burning through too much juice.
Focus on strong branding
There are millions of apps across every platform, and it can be incredibly difficult to make yours stand out. And if you can’t be seen or heard, you won’t get the traction the investment deserves. Icons, logos, and product descriptions all need to be enticing, strong, and noticeable – and it might be worth bringing in a specialist branding team to make sure your app is cutting through the noise.
