10 steps: How to Create a Successful Mobile Application?

In today’s fast paced world, the mobile app market is expanding by leaps and bounds. Consequently, mobile marketing is becoming more competitive. To ensure the visibility of your app in such a complex scenario, you need to be very particular about the approach being followed for mobile app development. To create a successful mobile app you need to follow a systematic approach to app development. We have summarized 10 steps to create a successful mobile application to help you out in this process.  

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Here are 10 steps to create a successful mobile app:

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Step 1: A great imagination leads to a great app

To create a successful mobile application, the first thing you need to keep in mind is:

• Identify a problem which can be resolved by your app
• Decide the features of your app

The app should provide customer with tangible benefits including reducing costs via productivity enhancements, new revenue or improving the customer experience.

Step 2: Identify

To create a successful mobile app, you need to identify or be clear about:

• Application target users -An app should always be developed keeping in mind the target users of an application. Having a clear vision regarding the target group, enhance the success ratio of an app.

• Mobile platforms and devices to be supported -Mobile platforms and devices should be selected keeping in mind hardware performance, battery life, ruggedness and required peripherals. Certain factors that needs to be considered while selecting mobile platforms and devices includes coverage, device support, performance and other features.

• Revenue model -The app market is booming like never before.  To ensure this resource  and generate revenue , app developer need  to select appropriate approach in accordance with the app. There are different models of generating revenue from mobile applications which include paid applications, separate app and in-app freemiums, advertisements, subscription and pay per download.These techniques can be employed to generate revenue. However, the developer’s approach has to be in accordance with the application. It is highly essential for the developer to attract the user and spend money on the various aspects of the application.

The graph depicts a detailed account of app revenue models

At this point you should also think about your finances, how much money you wish to set aside for the development, marketing and eventual release of your app. Here's a quick guide to the approximate costs for developing an app.

Step 3: Design your app

Designing your app is yet another significant factor responsible for success of an app in the market. An app developer should concentrate on the UI design, multi-touch gestures for touch-enabled devices and consider platform design standards as well. Today, emphasis is on the UI design of an app as it plays a crucial role in the success of an app. Designing an app is becoming increasingly popular as it create an instant impact on the mind of the user while ensuring usability of an app.

Some websites exclusively for designing app:

If you need to look at common mobile design patterns, you can look into:

http://www.android-app-patterns.com/

http://mobile-patterns.com/

For wireframing, you can use sites like

http://xiffe.com

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Step 4: Identify approach to develop the app - native, web or hybrid

Selecting the right approach for developing an app is highly important. Ideally, app development approach must be in accordance with the time and budget constraints of a client.

• Native: Native apps enables in delivering the best user experience but require significant time and skill to be developed. These apps are basically platform specific and require expertise along with knowledge. Native apps are costly as well as time taking to be developed and deliver the highest user experience amongst all the approaches.

• Web:Web apps are quick and cheap ones to develop and can run on multiple platforms. These are developed using HTML5, CSS and JavaScript code. These web apps are less powerful than native apps.

• Hybrid:Hybrid approach is the latest approach to develop any app. This approach combines prebuilt native containers with on-the-fly web coding in order to achieve the best of both worlds. In this approach, the developer augments the web code with native language to create unique features and access native APIs which are not yet available through JavaScript.

Step 5: Develop a prototype

Next stage, after identifying the approach is developing a prototype. It is actually the process of taking your idea and turning it into an application with some basic functionality. A prototype makes it quite easier to sell your idea to potential buyers who can now actually view the tangible benefits instead of just visualizing or reading product description. It is quite helpful in attracting investors and working with manufacturers and finding licensees.

Even while working on a prototype, do ensure you take measures to secure your app against unauthorized usage and access to data.

Without a plan to market your application it is very difficut establish it in the market. Download our free eBook that will help you create a mobile app marketing plan.

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Step 6: Integrate an appropriate analytics tool

There is also a need to incorporate appropriate analytics which gives you a detailed picture of how many visitors use your webs, how they arrived on your site and how can they keep coming back.

Some of the mobile analytics tool which helps in this process:

• Google Analytics
• Flurry
• Localytics
• Mixpanel
• Preemptive

With data sciences, including predictive analytics coming up in mobile apps, it can make your apps highly marketable.

Step 7: Identify beta-testers. Listen to their feedback and integrate relevant ones

Beta testing is the first opportunity to get feedback from your target customers. It is especially important as it enhances your visibility in the app store. It not only reduce product risk but get you that initial push in the app store. To identify beta testers is another important task to ensure success of an app.

Preparing for beta launch:

• Define target customer -It is highly important to identify and clearly define your target audience. This will enable you identify the right testers during your beta tester recruiting. Early market research helps in understanding market analysis which eases  the process of beta testing.

• Eliminate bugs -Before beta testing your app on different platforms you need to take into account majority of the devices which eliminate device specific bugs. Alpha testing with a small number of users enables to clear out maximum bugs. At the same time, device coverage plan is significant for quality assurance of mobile app.

• Identify goals -Beta testing is the best opportunity to get real feedback from target customers. It provides a great opportunity to further understand target market and their requirements. Identifying goals for beta testing helps in focusing the efforts. These goals reduce your product launch risk.

Step 8: Release / deploy the app

Deploying an app requires plan, schedule and control of the movement of releases to test and live environments. The major objective of Deployment Management is to ensure the integrity of the live environment is protected and that the correct components are released.

Must Read: 10 Biggest Risks to Mobile Apps Security

Step 9: Capture the metrics

There has been significant rise in the mobile app users in the present decade. As a result, the need to collect accurate metrics is highly important. As the number of consumers using mobile applications steadily rises, the need to collect accurate metrics from them is increasingly important. Unfortunately, many of the methods used to measure apps are taken from web analytics.

Major input metrics which should be kept in mind:

• Funnel analysis signifies as to why users are failing to complete desired user actions including in-app purchases or ad clicks
• Measuring social sharing signifies what aspects of your app are capturing the attention of your users
• Correlating demographic data with user behaviour
• Tracking time and location gives you insights into the contexts in which your app is used
• Finally, capturing the emergent behaviour of your user base is critical

Step 10: Upgrade your app with improvements and new features

After capturing the metrics it becomes important to upgrade your app with improvements and innovative features. A mobile app without innovative features loses its usability in long run.  Upgrading your app with innovative features enhances its visibility along with downloads of an app. Also ensure you keep updating your app to meet new guidelines offered by the various platforms, don't let your apps stagnate.

These are some of the of steps which should be taken into account while developing an app. Using these steps,  you can develop an app ensuring success in long run. However, it is nearly impossible to pen down the exact steps which are responsible for success of an app.

Want help in creating a mobile app for your business? Contact us.

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Bonus Step 11: Market your app right

While this doesn't fall under the steps to "make" an app, it is definitely important to make your app successful. If you do not market your app well once it is released, there is a high possibility of it being lost in the multitude of apps available on the various stores. So make sure your market your app well. This a bonus step to create a successful mobile application but it is highly recommended that you use it for your own benefit.

Start now and leverage mobile to promote your business!

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