By Nishanth PK
What is your motivation for developing a mobile application? Do you wish to ride the crest of other entrepreneurs’ success, or have you come across an issue for which you believe you have a solution? This question will decide whether or not your app is a success.
First and foremost, keep in mind that a truly original thought from nowhere is quite unusual.
According to Statista.com, more than 4 million applications are available in Google Play and Apple App Stores combined. The majority of ideas are variants and mixes of previously existing concepts. The ability to think more creatively is enhanced if this is kept in mind at all times.
How To Create a Mobile App in 11 Steps?
This section will go through the 11 stages of creating an app, including information on initiating a phone app and publishing it on an app or play store.
Step 1. Everything Starts With an Idea
An idea is at the heart of everything, including entertainment, instruction, assisting others, and even changing the course of history. Your interests and hobbies are frequently sources of inspiration. For example, if you’ve travelled globally and have a great deal of knowledge about intriguing destinations, you may share your knowledge with others by developing a travel application.
You’ll almost certainly have a slew of ideas when you first start, and it will be tough to choose which ones are the most promising. You should begin with a clear definition, then list the advantages and disadvantages of each, as well as potential possibilities for their subsequent growth.
The most important condition is that your app is desired not only by you but also by someone else and that it is a solution to a genuine problem.
Step 2: Identify the need
Validation will demonstrate that there is a market for your application. Use the Google Keyword Planner tool to check how many people are looking for what you’re attempting to achieve. This will confirm your hypothesis. You might also create a landing page that provides a high-level overview of your app concept and solicits customer interest through email registration.
Step 3: Improve an existing app
“I wish this could do X” has been a common refrain for many people when they’ve used an app. There is always space for development; therefore, if you felt that an app was severely missing in a helpful feature, it’s likely that you weren’t the only one who felt that way. If that’s the case, you’ve just gotten the inspiration for a fantastic possible app concept!
If the original app author isn’t continually upgrading and enhancing the app, then you have an opportunity to make an even better app than what they have already created. People who have used the original app can give their reviews and ratings. This way, you can see if you’re right.
Is it true that everyone is whining about the same thing? Are they expressing dissatisfaction with something else? Is the creator of a particular app is giving attention to the feedback or not? As you’ll see, the ability to listen to user input and make adjustments to your app as a result of that feedback is perhaps the most crucial factor in determining the success of an app.
In the absence of an app creator, the app is doomed to die due to user attrition.
Step 4: Plan Functionality and Features
Continue to the second phase in the process of developing an app. This is one of the creative processes in developing an app in which you’ll have to write out all of the functionality you want to include as well as the features required to reach the solutions and achieve the desired results, which is commonly referred to as an MVP version of the application. It is the second most significant factor to consider when designing the functionality and features of your app after identifying its goals and objectives.
The most effective method is to conduct market research to determine what your rivals offer on app stores such as Apple’s App Store or Google Play Store and what they lack or invent in their offerings.
Consider incorporating AI, machine learning, real-time tracking, payment gateway integration, and facial recognition into your system. Just like Veebo, a virtual party app that includes Augmented Reality face filters similar to those seen in the Snapchat app.
This has made virtual gatherings more enjoyable and appealing even during the epidemic. Use these features when developing mobile applications to help your consumers solve their problems more quickly and simply than other solutions.
Step 5: Research Your Audience and Competitors
The second critical stage in developing a mobile application is knowing who and what the application is intended to accomplish. The target market for your product is defined as follows: What kinds of tasks would the users do with it? What methods do you use to persuade people to select your product over the alternatives?
When you’re in business, there are a variety of possible responses to the question “Why.” These include:
- The goal is to establish a start-up that will be able to dominate a particular market;
- Create an application to oversee and optimise the business activities of the organisation
- To tap into and exploit the mobile market to draw an audience and boost earnings, one must first identify the market and use it as a channel.
- Having a strong desire to acquire an edge on opponents or to stay up with them
You do not need to be concerned with the design, functionality, or any other aspects of the project at this time. Concentrate solely on the problem your app must address and the benefits it must provide customers for them to desire to use it.
You may become so engrossed in your joy and completely overlook market analysis. Market research should be carried out. What should you need to research another app performing the same function? If you had this brilliant idea, it’s likely that someone else had it as well and that they’ve already succeeded in bringing it to market.
In reality, competition is a positive force. Apart from that, the presence of rivals in a niche suggests there is money and room for growth in that sector.
Instead of being concerned that you are starting too late, consider the rewards you will gain if your endeavour succeeds.
Step 6: Build an App Wireframe, Prototype and Design
It is at the prototype stage where the concepts begin to take shape. The navigation of the app, the interaction of its components, the presentation of the app on different devices, and other crucial aspects are taken into consideration.
Several basic app screens (5 to 10) are produced and authorised by the customer before moving on. It is only via a prototype that developers can adequately demonstrate how a product will appear and work, rather than simply visualising something based on a technical specification.
Many tools are available to developers to construct a wireframe based on the existing pieces, which substantially speeds up creating a wireframe.
When the functions and specifications of their execution have been decided upon, you may begin creating the whole app design, starting with the first screen and ending with the last one.
Using the greatest mockup, wireframing, and UI prototype tools may help you complete your app development faster.
Step 7: Create the app from one of these options
Here’s where you put your app together using the design and requirements paper that you generated in the previous sections. I should point out that this stage makes me enthusiastic! You’re about to embark on a project that will produce something concrete.
You have a handful of options for creating your app, just as you did in the previous phases. If you’re interested in learning how much any of these choices could cost, you can find out more information here:
Learn to code and create it yourself: This is the most time-consuming option, but it will provide valuable and in-demand talent to help you build your apps or land a job as a developer. If this is an option that interests you, look at our free resources to learn about iOS programming and how to get started with it.
Use the services of a freelancer: If you’re more interested in the business side of things, learning how to code may not be a good investment of your time. Instead, spend your money hiring a developer to create your app for you from the ground up. Check out websites such as Freelancer.com or Upwork.com for freelance opportunities.
An app development company is preferable to a freelancer since an app development firm will give consultation and project management services. In contrast, a freelancer will rely on you to provide the necessary direction and guidance. On the other hand, hiring a firm will be significantly more expensive than dealing with freelancers.
Find a programmer to collaborate with: Another approach is to seek out a programmer with whom to collaborate. The problem is unless you have a demonstrated track record of success in establishing enterprises, finding a willing partner can be pretty tricky.
Use an app builder: If you’re searching for a way to develop an app without knowing how to code, this is the method to use. There are services available that allow you to produce an app by picking a template and making cosmetic changes to suit your needs. These platforms usually charge a monthly subscription for the privilege of keeping your app functioning. Check out this article for a list of app builders to get started.
Purchase an app template and tweak it yourself (or hire someone to do so): With this option, you’ll be purchasing pre-packaged code that provides the essential functionality that you’ll require for your application. When buying one of these templates, you can either hire a freelancer to customise it for you or learn some programming and customise it yourself.
“Bugs” are things that occur throughout the software development process that cause the application not to function as planned. Even after your software has been developed, the work is not finished! It is now necessary to thoroughly test the application for problems and mistakes.
You want to eliminate as many serious flaws as possible before launching a product since the initial impression a consumer has is crucial. If your application crashes or fails to work correctly, there is a good possibility that the user will remove your application immediately.
Step 8: Quality Assurance and Testing
This step must be completed to verify that all of the software functionalities supplied in the technical job are appropriately executed. A quality assurance specialist evaluates the app’s performance in various scenarios and devices.
In addition to identifying and correcting faults, testing provides finalising the product, removing weak points, and additional optimisation before its distribution. Every one of these factors raises the likelihood that the intended audience will well receive your product.
Step 9: Analytical Tools Integration
It is possible to gain insight into the audience that uses your app and engage with it by utilising unique analytical tools. Because of this knowledge, you will have the chance to look for methods to improve the product while also developing a marketing strategy to advertise it in the marketplace effectively.
The following are some of the most popular and effective mobile analytics platforms:
- Google Analytics for Mobile Applications (GAMA)
- Mixpanel
- Flurry
- App Annie is a software development company.
Analytical data on user behaviour helps you understand the difficulties your mobile app users are experiencing and how you can enhance the app, minimise user outflow, and boost conversions.
Step 10: Publicize Your App on the App Store and the Google Play
So, if you’ve made it this far, we’d like to express our congratulations. The second last thing on this list now is to inform the rest of the world about the brilliant idea you had. You must submit your programme to either the Apple App Store or Google Play, or in some instances, both stores at the same time.
You should delegate authority to the development team you hired to do this. There is no sense in discussing all of the procedures required to integrate the app with the aforementioned services because the technique needs to be covered in its post.
Step 11. Maintenance, Support & Updates
You must realise that mobile app development is a process with no clear endpoint if you hope to produce a high-quality final result. Only when it has been published, and you have received feedback from actual users will you fully comprehend all of its advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, they may be unfamiliar to you.
You may create a process chart to add new features to the app based on feedback, user behaviour analysis, and different data collected while developing the app.
After the initial launch, mistakes and errors are unavoidable; but by gathering and evaluating the relevant data in the future, you may produce a genuinely fantastic product.
Summary
When it comes to mobile app development, the most significant obstacles to successful project completion are frequently not technological but rather organisational. Even the most experienced developers might provide substandard outcomes with poorly structured procedures.
Accomplish your idea for a mobile application and make yourself want to put it into action, but what if you are unsure of your knowledge and abilities to do so? In this instance, you can always reach out to a mobile app development company to put your faith in for assistance.
About the Author
Nishanth PK is a Startup Specialist working at NeoITO – a reliable Software Development Company based in the USA. He is an avid reader, writer, and works closely with entrepreneurs to stay updated on the latest. Gravatar account mail – nishanth@neoito.com
