Things to Consider Before You Build a Mobile App

I bet your bottom dollar that you have opened more than ten apps today. According to EMarketer, 88% of time spent on your mobile is on apps. If you’re a millennial then 21% of you will open an app 50+ times a day! Apps are integral to our way of life; working, organising, cooking, shopping, and gaming, they can even guide us with our breathing! What’s next?

The competition on the marketplace is fierce but it’s where the party is at. But before you dive in head first, he’s 7 considerations before you design and build an app.

1. Do you actually need an app?

Conducting market research is your first port of call and will reveal if you need an app right now. Will it add to your business and generate revenue? Does it work alongside your long-term strategy? Face up to those hard questions to decide if building an app is what’s next for you.

2. Is your target audience ready for this?

Your app’s success depends on this very thing. If your app is not engaging enough for your audience they won’t bother downloading it. You should aim for your app to become part of their day-to-day lives and something they would struggle without. The idea has to be spot-on and needed. 

The best app development agency will create and conduct market research for you, ensuring you understand your ideal user’s opinions before the build. Peace of mind over the idea for your app is so worth it; credibility and performance need to be sussed out in advance. 

3. What are your competitors up to?

Get your spyglass out! What are your competitors up to? Check out their reviews. You will need to offer more, or something different enough so people choose you over them. Is it your price point? Perhaps it’s the functionality? Whatever it is, you need to be all over competitor activity before you google ‘create an app for my business’. Timing is everything and the launch should happen when competitors are quiet and your audience needs what you have. 

Creating a minimum viable product will help you identify how your app is different from your competitors amongst other fundamentals like, what is the main purpose of your app, what features and functionality do users want, and which do not they not. 

4. What’s the platform?

So, you’ve figured out that building an app is still a good idea. But, hang fire! What platform are you going to use? Knowing your audience will answer this question for you. Are they using Apple or Android operating systems? 

Android-the cheaper counterpart and more people use it. This is a great platform if you want your app downloaded by as many people as possible. 

Apple is used by an affluent audience who are more likely to pay for your app. Entrepreneurs ultimately looking to sell, tend to stick with Apple. 

5. Who can you trust to build it?

You’ll need a trusted partner who can advise you holistically covering all aspects of the tech including whether some of the code already exists (which will save you time and money), to whether this is viable for your audience. They will work alongside you as the app grows and updates are needed and will know your business as well as you do. 

The app’s success depends on the execution and you shouldn’t compromise on quality here. A truly outstanding app company will cost you, but poor-quality app developers will cost you more in losses, than savings. Any app development agency worth its salt will not just say yes,’ but will challenge the idea too.

6. How will you generate revenue from it? 

Pretty much all investors will want to see that your application can generate revenue, especially recurring revenue. So, how will your app be monetised? The reality is many apps don’t work because they can’t get enough users to generate profit. When considering your growth strategy, don’t obsess over just the download metric, instead ensure you’re monitoring and addressing the Monthly Active User (MAU), as it will be this that determines your ability to make it a success. Apple also take 30% of your sales revenue so make sure you can afford this.

Paid, freemium, in-app purchases; there are many options so make sure your sales strategy is solid before you get going. Thousands of apps are downloaded and deleted. Do all you can to avoid this! 

7. Have you got enough time?

It’s all so exciting and you want to hit the ground running but app development always takes longer than you think. Even once the app is built, you’ll need to spend considerable time testing and debugging it.

App Registration with your chosen app store can take a couple of hours to months. This needs to be factored into your timing. 

We hope this helps set you up with the knowledge you need before you get going. If you want to explore how you can take your app idea forward, give us a nudge.