
Mobile App Development
Mobile app development has changed the world in more ways than we can count. They have introduced so much convenience and accessibility into our lives that life without them now seems impossible. Mobile applications have changed not only our lives but also the way we do business. Today, most companies, large and small, have some kind of mobile app for customers. With their apps, companies can reach a much wider user base, significantly increase their sales through the constant use of their customer’s mobile phones, use new technologies to capture important data and use it to create better policies, etc.
However, mobile applications are not exclusively used by businesses. Mobile app development has led to the birth of many new companies where the app is a product or a means to provide a service, such as Uber Eats and Tinder.
According to data published by Statista, the global revenue from mobile applications will be approximately 613 billion US dollars by 2025. Furthermore, the Google Play Store has 3.48 million apps registered, while the Apple App Store has 2.22 million apps! These numbers, coupled with the fact that business interest in mobile apps from emerging startups is only picking up in the post-covid era, clearly predict a bright future for the mobile app development industry.
But it’s such a vast industry and there are so many decisions to make and pitfalls to avoid that newcomers often get completely lost. And if you are thinking of developing a mobile app, then we have created a perfect mobile app development checklist for you with the help of our experienced mobile app developers.
Checklist of Mobile App Development
Find the Hook of your app
Before starting your mobile app development journey, the biggest question you should ask yourself is: WHY MY APP?
What is the one service I provide, the one thing, the one feature that will attract users?
In short, you need to find the hook of your application. It sounds straightforward enough on the surface. But coming up with an original idea is not so easy these days.
In the previous section, we talked about how densely crowded the mobile app market is. There are millions and millions of apps in the big app stores and thousands more are added every day.
From shopping and music streaming apps to an app like SMTH (send me to heaven) that tells you how high you just threw your phone, any app you can think of already exists.
So when there is very little space to do something completely original, you have to look at apps similar to yours. You need to look at your competitors and see how you can improve their apps. What are they missing? Is it a feature? Is it a good user interface?
What can I do to improve their app or what feature do users want?
The answer to these questions will become the hook of your application.
There are so many apps in the market and most of them have a loyal user base. So, to attract these users to your app, you need to give them something amazing that they can’t find anywhere else.
To find your app’s hook, you can:
Explore apps that are similar to yours.
Make a list of things you think apps are missing.
• Try to find a problem point, an imperfection in their applications that you can fix.
• Communicate with your users and try to find out what more they want from such an application.
Do market research
Once you know what type of app you’re building, you’re ready for the next step. Mobile app development is a ruthless industry with new apps coming and going every day. So you have to know what you’re getting into.
Explore the best apps on the market that are similar to yours. See what they do and see why their customers love them so much. Analyzing your competitors can also save you from making the same mistakes they did. Check the comments section of your competitors’ app pages. Users are more than eager to share their complaints in the comments section and you can learn a lot by reading these comments. Customer interviews and interviews also help to learn more about your competitors.
Find out who your target users are
Not all apps are intended for use by everyone. Different people love/want/need different types of apps. Or there are certain things to keep in mind when developing an app for a certain kind of user base.
For example, an application for seniors should be easy to use above all. This means no unnecessary pop-ups or endlessly expanding menus. Key functions should be easily accessible. The user interface should be soothing and the font size should be large enough so that even people with low vision can use the app.
On the other hand, an app designed for people in their twenties can take more liberties with complexity and UX. It can also have a rich user interface with flashy fonts and icons.Essential Checklist For Successful Mobile App Development
Many apps fail because they don’t understand their target demographic and their needs. So when trying to determine the target user, you should know
• Their age group, gender, geog, and graphics location.
• What core features would they want from your app?
• What are their biggest pain areas?
This information will help you design your app and fill it with features your users will want. This will do wonders for your popularity in the market and help you get customers faster.
Make a list of essential features
When developing a mobile app, you should create two separate feature lists. The first list should include all the essential features. These features are your USP and should get most of the development time and budget. This list is used when creating your app’s MVP (Minimum Viable Product).
The next list should include additional features to improve the user experience. These features do not usually appear in MVP. However, a full-fledged mobile application must have as many features as possible without overwhelming the user.
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Create a business plan
If you are creating an app for internal use in your company or other organization, you don’t need to think about business plans and marketing plans. However, if you want to make money with your app, you need to have a good business plan before proceeding with this checklist.
There are several ways you can monetize your app. However, if you offer a service such as shopping, taxi booking,g or food delivery, you can skip the following points:
1. In-App Purchases
Many free apps, especially games, allow you to use their basic features for free. But if you want a better experience or to make your progress easier, then in-app purchases are introduced. These can be additional health upgrades, energy points, avatars, etc.
2. Advertising in the application
Many free apps partner with other businesses to run in-app ads. Users usually have to sit through these pop-ups to continue using the app.
3. Paid service
There are many paid apps in the mobile app stores. Users must either pay a one-time fee or commit to a subscription to use these apps. However, there are free apps that also have paid services. They put some highly requested features behind the paywall. For example, many apps offer an ad-free experience to their paid users.
Create a budget
Mobile app development is an expensive business. And not everyone has confident investors backing them. Such businesses have to be very careful with their money and make sure they get the most out of every single dollar they have.
When creating a budget, you need to understand that the cost of development depends on many factors, including the complexity of the application. More complex applications that require a lot of next-generation technology will be more expensive. Additionally, the more features you add, the more expensive your app will be.
Another thing that affects your app budget is the number of platforms you plan to release your app on. There are two major platforms in the mobile industry: Android and iOS. While most apps are released on both platforms, these apps are more expensive to develop. This is because applications for different platforms must be developed separately. However, instead of building a native app, you can opt for a hybrid app. Hybrid apps run on both platforms and are therefore cheaper. However, they lack the user-friendliness and visual finesse of native apps.
Hire a mobile app development company
Now is the time to put all your plans to work and hire a mobile app development company in New Jersey. Many startups and companies don’t have the resources or budget to build their development teams. So for them, hiring a team of talented mobile app developers with great understanding and experience in the industry is the best way to go. However, not every startup wants to completely hand over the development side of their business to a development company. They want to have their own development team, but they can’t hire all the resources they need. For them, the best option is to expand their development team by hiring an IT staffing company. Team-building companies excel at filling the talent gap in your company with the right talent. Most of them offer an hourly contract that suits new startups and businesses well.
Before hiring a mobile app development company in New Jersey, you should do it carefully. There are many companies in the market, but you want the one that can develop the best app for you. So, before you commit, try to know more about these companies. Read their portfolios and see what type of work they have done in the past. You can also connect with their previous clients and know their thoughts. Platforms like Clutch can also help when you’re looking to hire mobile app developers. They will provide you with all the information and reviews of the companies so that you can make the best decisions for your application.
Focus on branding
During the app development phase, you need to think about branding your app. From the app store icon to your company logo, color theme, tagline, etc., everything needs to be considered. Even your app’s user interface should be consistent with your brand.
Branding is the very identity of your app. This is how your users get to know you. On mobile phones, no one reads the app name before opening it. They look at the icon. So you want an instantly recognizable icon.
It often helps to brand your app around your company’s core beliefs. People love when the apps they use have touching stories behind them. So if you have an inspiring story or one that can melt people’s hearts, be sure to reflect that in your app branding.
Create a marketing plan
It doesn’t matter how great your app is if no one knows it exists. Marketing plays a key role these days. With so many brands trying to capture users’ attention, your marketing plan needs to make your app stand out from the crowd. But that’s easier said than done. You need to create a marketing plan while keeping your target users in mind. This will also affect where you sell your app. For example, a youth app can be marketed on platforms like YouTube or Spotify. Whereas an app for people over 40 can be sold on Facebook.
You also need to make sure that you articulate your company’s ideology very clearly to your users. Nowadays, people are very picky about the companies they do business with. They want these companies to stand for something; to be socially and environmentally responsible. So make sure you create a marketing strategy that highlights your key attributes and also speaks to the things that interest your target demographic.
Create a release and post-launch plan
To be safe, most companies release MVPs of their apps first. As we mentioned earlier, an MVP has all the core features of an app, and releasing it as the first place for a full-featured app is a smarter move. You can get important reviews of your app from your users. If your app is changing the lives of your target users, that’s a great sign and you can then continue working on your app and prepare the final app.
However, if the response of your MVP is not good, you can take the feedback, go back to the drawing board, and fix the core features of your app. This way, you don’t have to invest in building a complete app before you know your target users will accept it. It will save a lot of money and a lot of time.
Once the final application is released, you must provide post-launch support. No matter how experienced your mobile app development team is, your app will have bugs and issues, and you’ll need to work to fix them once your app is released. Releasing the app is also just the beginning. You need to constantly release a steady stream of updates to keep people interested in your app. It helps a lot if you have a development plan for the future of your app.
Conclusion
Mobile app development is a big task and can be daunting for newbies. And our mobile app development checklist will give you the plan to follow to create a successful mobile app.
If you are looking for a mobile app development company in New Jersey with stellar results, cutting-edge technology, and highly talented developers, then Moon Technolabs is the company for you. We’ve helped companies and startups from a wide range of industries build their apps. Whether you are looking for native app development or hybrid app development, our experts can deliver the highest quality apps that will grow your business and help you reach a wider user base.