Developing a mobile app is not a big deal anymore. According to research in 2017, 42% of small businesses have mobile applications and by the end of 2017, it will rise to 67% – This means big competition.
There are 1000s of apps launched every day. There is a probability that your app might go unseen. The Gartner study unveils that the success rate of application is 0.1% for the year 2018.
You would have an idea for an app, but an idea is not sufficient to garner a positive response from the user. In this competitive market where so many apps are dominating, your idea of an app should be unique.
Competition is ferocious, but we recommend you to research your project before developing or designing an app.
Even after coming up with a good idea, there is no assurance that your user downloads the app. The reality of app development is not as straight forward as it seems. There are a very lot of things one needs to think over before developing an app. This article outlines a few things to consider before you start building your app. Let’s get started.
5 Things to Consider BEFORE You Start Building Your App:
- Research
- Deciding the Platform
- Decide the Business Model and Revenue Model
- Infrastructure and Security
- Budget and Other Factors
Research
Whether you are developing an app, website, or starting any new business, I always suggest the first step to research your market, competitors, and target audience.
Why?
Research means going through articles, statistics, reports, websites, and much more. Dig deep into the competition and see what works for them. This research will help you get a better handle on how to go about with app development.
Research helps you in defining your target audience as per your niche. Additionally, you can track down answers to the other questions as well, like what platform your audience is using, iOS or Android? What are the problems faced by customers? Are you offering them solutions? When you understand your target audience, you can roll out a dynamic app specifically shaped according to their requirements.
As I mentioned in the introduction bringing up the research by Gartner about the success rate of a mobile application is 0.1% for the year 2018. So it is important to know your audience, market, and competitors.
Research can lead you to the path of ultimate success instead of potential failure.
Deciding the Platform
After research, you have an idea related to your target audience, what your audience needs, market, and competitor. Now it’s time to decide on which platform you need to roll out your app on.
Knowing the target audience can help in picking up the right platform, iOS, Android, or both. If you are not confident with the platform then again head up to the above step and do more research.
Choosing the right platform for your app can make or break things. You should never select the platform based on assumptions.
The worldwide market share of Android is 74.43% and iOS is 24.99%, while in the USA, iOS dominates with a market share of 59.71%.
After selecting the platform, it’s time to decide what type of app to develop. I.e. Native, or Hybrid.
Native and hybrid apps are different from each other. Native apps are expensive and slow to develop as compared to other types of apps. Native apps are for a single platform with access to the features of the device.
For creating a hybrid app, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are put to use. And there is the same code base for iOS and Android. This means a hybrid app is available on both the platforms and can access the device features as well.
Decide the Business Model and Revenue Model
What kind of business model do you want your app to have? Your application can play varied roles. Generating revenue through the app is the obvious one. Other roles can be providing information resources to the customer or helping in promoting the brand.
If you are thinking to generate revenue from the app, then below is a list of revenue models to look at.
Paid Apps – Many applications are free to download from the app store. However, there is an option for paid service for an app. Means users need to pay the demanded amount to use the app.
Freemium apps – The word freemium means Free + Premium. This means the app is free to download, but certain features are accessible only after subscribing to them.
Affiliate Marketing or Advertisements – Affiliate marketing means showing the ads of a product or service of another brand in your app. So every time user clicks or converts, you will earn a commission.
Subscription – In this model the user needs to subscribe to the service. i.e Monthly or Yearly subscription.
Infrastructure and Security
After launching an app, you need to manage it. After launching an app you need to regularly update, and track the result of the app. Also to store the information of an app you need to rely on a server and you’ll also have to pay them.
Security is a very important factor while developing an app. Your users have important information on their devices like bank details, passwords, and much more. So security is the prime concern for any user.
Ensure that you app is built on a security-first infrastructure so that your audience can trust you.
The data is very valuable to the user and they won’t trust the app that is not secured. Therefore make sure that you have the place to store the information of the user and also to secure it as well.
Budget and Other Factors
You would be excited to announce the launching date of an app and want to announce it to people as well.
To announce the date of the launch you need to know how much time another process will take so that you can make a marketing plan for your app.
After aligning the time frame, it is the best time to decide the budget. The budget depends upon the design, features, and more. The app requires a number of things that have to be accounted for. Once those are ready, you can add the bells and whistles when you want to expand your budget.
Final Words
mobile app development might excite you, but straight up diving into it is not a good way to develop it. The strategy and the technical work should go side by side. Keep the above points in mind before developing an app so that you can turn the odds in your favor.
The above-raised facts also help you in knowing the consumer, what are their preference, and much more. Also, check their demographics, and what OS they use so that you can decide whether to develop a native app or hybrid app.
