App Design for Beginners: 6 Things to Consider When Developing an App
Apps can be truly transformative for businesses. They can bring in a lot of extra business and, therefore, more revenue. For a while, it was necessary to outsource app development due to a lack of knowledge, and time and budget constraints. However, now that more is known about apps in general, development platforms and software have emerged, which have made it easier than ever to develop your own app and app design for beginners. Read on to learn more.
Operating Systems
There are two main forms of operating systems to choose from: iOS and Android. The decision that you make can significantly affect the functionality of your app. For example, you could choose to limit your app to one operating system, but this will obviously limit your potential reach. On the other hand, you could choose to develop a cross-platform app which – as the name implies – works across platforms, and this does often improve your potential reach.
Target Audience
Who is going to download your app? You need to know everything you can about your target audience. Develop a target persona to further your understanding of who your target users are. You need to know more about their behaviors, preferences, and goals. What platforms do they frequent, and what mobile devices do they have? Your target audience affects almost every aspect of the app development and launch process.
Longevity
Before you progress too far with the app development process, you need to have a good idea of the longevity that your app will have. Why are you making it in the first place? Is it to address a specific problem, or is it specific to a business or organization? Reflect on your reasons for developing the app. This should provide you with a roadmap of success for the future. You need to ensure that your app is going to have sustained success. What are your priorities for the app, your goals, and how do they affect its long-term success?
The Competition
Is there a lot of competition for your app? You need to conduct some research to make sure that your app is not already on the market in one iteration or another. Ideally, your app idea needs to be original. This makes it stand out in the app store and guarantees a market for it. Find your competition and study them. What do they do well? Think about how you can emulate this. What pitfalls have they made that you want to avoid? Come up with some ways to help your app stand out.
Testing
You will obviously need to test the functionality of the app to ensure that it works as desired. The best thing that you can do is to have your app tested at each stage; this makes it easier should you find faults. This is because the elements of your app intertwine, and you don’t want to build upon faulty programming. Should you choose to test your app in-house, it needs to avoid bias. One way to prevent bias is by outsourcing having your app tested. ForAllSecure offers static application security testing, so be sure to check them out.
Monetizing
You need to think about how your app is going to make you some money. Obviously, your marketing efforts will greatly affect how much exposure your app gets and, therefore, how much money you can make from it. Before you reach this point, however, you need to decide how you are going to monetize the app to start with. There are several ways to monetize an app. Firstly, you can offer your app for a one-off fee. However, this does mean that updates and new features will be expected for free, which can make it harder to secure repeat business.
You could also charge a fee for the app and then an additional charge with each update or new feature. This then generates more revenue from each individual user. However, this method of monetization has been widely criticized. Most users expect to pay for an app once, and that is it. Next, you could choose to entice users with a free model. Users love the app and are then encouraged to purchase a premium version of the app.
Finally, you could offer your app for free and generate your income by offering advertising opportunities to other businesses or organizations. This model can work exceptionally well if you anticipate a high number of users or downloads. However, it might be slightly more time consuming to find advertisers than it would to simply charge for the app itself.
App FAQs
Cost?
The cost of developing a mobile app can vary wildly. It often depends on several factors, such as the size of your team and their skillset. The resources that you have, and the overheads of your effort will also significantly affect the cost. Still, outsourcing often costs more than developing your app in-house.
Timelines?
This again can vary; however, by and large, an app usually takes between one and two months to develop – if it is on the smaller side. However, the larger the app, the more complicated its design is and, therefore, the longer it takes to develop. As a result, bigger apps can take up to six months to finish.
Bug Fixes?
You can still make changes to the app after it has been released. For example, you can incorporate updates designed to address bugs in the software and enhance functionality. This is why testing matters; ideally, your app should be free of bugs before the release.
Payments?
You can receive payments through the app and include in-app purchasing capabilities. Think about this before you progress any further with the app development because it is arguably easier to add this functionality to the software earlier on in the process.
The Bottom Line
App development is a competitive field, and as such, it is imperative that you give yourself every possibility for success. Be sure to think about the considerations listed above to ensure that you haven’t forgotten anything. The process itself isn’t too long or arduous, especially if you have prepared properly.