You’ve probably heard of hundreds of successful apps since they started hitting our phones around twelve years ago. The problem is, because you’ve seen so many successful apps that are simple to use, with an easy concept to grasp and that make a great impact on your life, work or productivity, it is easy to believe that the process of developing an app is simple too.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. Thousands of apps fail every year and the reasons they do are very often the same reasons a hundred others failed too.
Therefore, we wanted to try to impart some of our experience in app development and app-centric businesses to help you avoid the same pitfalls.
So, below are our ten top tips on avoiding dis-app-ointment!
1. Research!
The first and key stage is to research and make sure you’re not replicating an already pre-existing idea. What is the point of doing all that work, spending all that money and getting all excited only to find out that someone else’s app has been out there, doing the same thing all along?
If you do find another app that is similar, or even the same as yours, do not be disheartened. Remember Facebook was basically the same as MySpace in its concept. The difference was how it positioned itself and some key user-centric differences that will be come on to later.
The point is, you have to decide what makes your app different and unique and therefore useful and worthwhile for users to download and use.
2. Marketing
Perhaps the most overlooked element of any app idea is the marketing. We have so often been sat with a client who has brought us a great idea for an app and then looks at us blankly when we ask them how they intend to market it.
No one, and we mean no one, will download your app (much less pay for your app) without being given a good reason to do so. In other words, without having had a marketing message of some kind reach them. Something to tell them that their problem has a solution and it is in your app!
But before you start rushing off to create a marketing plan, you have to first answer a more important question; Does anyone actually want this app?
In other words, who are your target audience. Does one exist for this app or are you going to try and create one? If you’re going to try and create one you need a BIG marketing budget.
Before you go rushing into the development of your app you need to be assured about your target market. Who they are, where they live, what they are interested in, what age they are, what gender they are, what socio-economic bracket they are and so on and so on.
If your market is going to be difficult to reach, be aware that after the development of your app, you’re going to need to invest heavily in the marketing in order to make it work.
3. Application Planning
Another regularly overlooked phase of app development is the actual planning and mapping of the project. Think of it like building a house, you wouldn’t (and actually couldn’t) just go ahead and get one built without having an architect develop the plans and blueprints of it.
An app can cost as much as a house (when you consider development, marketing, hosting, IT, security etc) so think of it in the same way. Plan first and plan meticulously.
Consider the workflows, the key functionality, the desired future functionality, the layout of the pages and everything that could possibly go wrong or require further work. Our advice would be – hire someone with experience in app projects to help you do this.
4. Intuitive Navigation
This should be considered within the planning phase, but we thought it was worth highlighting out as a specific segment. The navigation of the app is, quite simply, how users will find their way around and how easy it will be (or not) to find what they are looking for.
Navigation is a key factor in a user’s decision to continue (or not) using the app. If it is hard to find what they want, things aren’t in places that make sense or buttons are too small to click on or any number of other factors that make usage difficult – they’ll stop using it so often, perhaps at all.
5. Colour
Colour psychology is hugely important in modern-day marketing. There’s a lot of stuff out there being pushed on people. Your app’s colour scheme will have a heavy bearing and impact on its success.
Colours illicit specific emotions and put users into certain mindsets. Your use of colour needs to align with the purpose of your app and the personalities of the people who will be using it. If you’re going for the high-end corporate market, don’t make your app rainbow colours with comic sans font for example!
6. Orientation
Again, a point to consider within the planning phase, but worth singling out. Having interacted with a number of apps before, you will have noticed that some remain in portrait mode whilst others flip immediately to landscape mode.
This orientation has a big impact on how users will interact with your app and how they’ll perceive it. Apps that flip into landscape mode require the user to turn their phone and (often) use both hands to interact with it. This increases concentration levels and makes them focus on the app with more intensity. Notice how many games do this.
Decide how you want users to work with your app and plan accordingly.
7. Mobile Design
An important factor to ascertain in the planning phase is the device, or devices, that your users will be using your app on most commonly. By which we mean, are they going to be using phones, tablets, laptops or PC’s to most regularly use the app?
And, if for sake of argument they’ll be using phones, will they sometimes want to use a laptop or a tablet with it too?
You therefore need to customise your design for multiple screen sizes and orientations, so it is still workable and navigable on all your users’ devices.
8. User Consideration
Will all your users have upgraded to the latest version of iOS? Probably not, so consider how far back in compatibility the app needs to be built.
If it will only work on iPhone X or newer and only on the latest version of iOS software, you’re going to be cutting out a big chunk of your potential market right away.
It might sound simple, but it’s easily forgotten.
9. Prototyping
This is the stage at which you test your app. This can be done before all the complex coding is completed. It generally involves creating a basic model of the app and testing it with users who have not previously seen it.
This helps you identify where there are gaps, where there are issues or losses of message or communication. Furthermore, it helps you understand how uninitiated users are going to interact with your app in the real world.
This process might make things take a little longer, but it will ultimately save time and money in the long run by helping identify problems and rethinks early, rather than a year or so down the line.
10. Monetisation
Yet another element that is typically forgotten when developing an app idea, and another thing that should be considered in the planning phase. How are you going to make money through the app?
Are you going to charge for downloading it? Are you going to make it free to use and have in-app purchases available? Is it going to be a subscription service?
There are numerous ways you can monetise your app, but you need to embed that into the design, development, user interface and business model of the whole idea. So, you need to plan it early on and consider what your target market will pay for, what price point they will accept and which will turn them off.
If you don’t think about this early on in the process, you’ll end up trying to wedge it in later on and this can seriously damage your user’s trust in your app.
Summary
Overall, we would strongly advise you to consider many other aspects before you even look at the cost of the development of the app. Because, if you haven’t considered all these factors, the price you’re working on will only increase and continue to build in the future.
We understand the perceived urgency that you might feel, you’ve had a great app idea and you want it live now so you can get into the market first. But rushing it through will only ever result in a poor (if not terrible) user experience and endless teething problems.
Plan it, plan it right and follow a well-considered and meticulous process and you exponentially improve your chances of success.
