Contents
Creating an app is an important activity that can get you into a mainstream technology. With more people around the world using smartphones, the demand for mobile apps has surged tremendously. It could be tempting to create just any app that comes to your mind, but there is a chance that your app will go unnoticed. Thus, some factors need to be considered and planned to make your first app successful and improve its market potential.
We will share here some important things to remember before creating your first app.
Study Your Market
Making an app should not be targeted at random users if you want to make it useful and profitable. You need to conduct market research to narrow down your target users, gain valuable information on the current market situation, and know if there are current or potential competitors. A valuable insight shared by experts in https://www.docomodigital.com/accelerating-revenue/smarthub/ is to maximize your profit potential by using audience insights for a more focused at targeting and reaching the right people.
Aside from a highly competitive environment, marketing expenses are also high when it comes to reaching potential audiences. Another factor worth considering is the ratio of the free user base and paying user base. Taking in these critical market data can help you formulate strategies for making your app sell to the right audience.
Choose the Right Platform
Another thing you should consider is which platform your app will work best. A useful piece of information you can retrieve from your market study is the number of users who are using android, iOS, or Windows operating systems. Here, you can decide if you want to use a cross-platform or single platform approach. A good starting point is to look at the highest number of users of a particular operating system.
If there is a significant difference between the highest number and the next one, you should capitalize on focusing on the system with the highest number of users and apply the single platform approach. However, some app developers prefer a general approach by using the cross-platform strategy and choosing not to disregard the less significant users. In an unpredictable market, there are unforeseen changes in user trends, and this is what these developers are banking on.
Reach Out and Know Your Target Users
Your market research has helped you narrow down your target users to a particular group, but your work as an app developer doesn’t stop there. The success of your app depends largely on how well you know your target users. Conduct surveys and interviews with a few sample users from your market segment to get an idea of their app preferences, commonly encountered problems, and what user needs you must satisfy.
Your surveys should also not limit the answers from your potential users. Instead of giving limited options for answers, encourage them to make answers that do not belong to the options given. Always encourage feedback, opinions, and suggestions for your survey to know more about the target users and get a clearer picture of what they truly want. When you get to align your objects with the needs and demands of the users, you are making your app useful and you are also increasing its potential for generating profits.
Start with a Minimum Viable Product
One common mistake that app developers make in making their first app is diving directly into actual marketing without testing the viability of the app first. While it is understandable that creating an app is a serious investment and you need to have profits to keep you afloat, making it a long-term profitable endeavor depends on how effectively it meets the needs of the end-users.
Your app product still has not validated the assumptions of meeting the demands of the market, which is why a minimum viable product (MVP) consisting only of the essential and crucial features should first be made. Remember that a successful app isn’t always made overnight. Some of the most successful apps have undergone various iterations before achieving the success that they currently have. You are testing out your product ideas on the market and you need solid essential features to start with.
You have to send the test product or app to a few volunteer users and beta testers to gather valuable inputs about the problems the app is encountering or might encounter in the future, what additional features can be added to improve user experience, and effectively separate and implement the must-haves and nice-to-haves in the product. Don’t expect your MVP to be perfect or smooth. It is meant to test out your assumptions about your product to achieve a perfect alignment with the needs of your target market.
Starting your app creation project with these core items we discussed can help you get a good grasp of the basics of app development. Your target users should be the guiding light for your product design, as your app’s success and profitability will depend on how many users are satisfied with your app. It takes patience, perseverance, and diligence to successfully make a good entry into the competitive market of mobile apps. With the right mindset and resources, you can have a solid foundation and foothold as you begin your app development journey.
