Most individuals spend hours on their mobile devices, thanks to the countless mobile apps available. From messaging to booking a ride, checking social feeds, and browsing the internet, mobile apps are proving an invaluable resource.
The development of state-of-the-art applications is becoming a necessity. If you are building mobile apps to address the needs of customers in 2020, here are some things to consider.
1. Research and Planning
You cannot develop a mobile app without first considering the challenges that define the product. Doing in-depth research on the demands and preferences of your clients is imperative. And understanding upcoming market trends will give you a better understanding of the mobile application you should consider developing this year.
You should also plan on studying the functionalities and features that your competitors are offering. And you should be learning from customer reviews to identify the mobile apps that are currently gaining popularity. But also why they are gaining popularity. Once you gather the necessary details, you will be able to develop a mobile app that exceeds your client's expectations.
2. Your Target Audience
The idea behind developing any mobile app starts with a particular problem. But to solve that problem you need to understand the individuals your solving the problem for. The audience you should target as a mobile app developer is a combination of several factors, including age group, profession, location, income level, gender, and the interests of such individuals.
An assessment of all the relevant factors will help you define the individuals that your mobile app should target.
3. Monetizing The App
You can develop a mobile app that generates revenue directly or one that enhances your operations within the sales funnel. If you want to earn from the mobile application you build this year, here are some of the options that are at your disposal:
- Premium Apps – these apps are available from the app store at a fee, and they require you to adopt a robust marketing strategy.
- Freemium (Free + Premium) Apps – users can download and use these apps for free. The only thing is that one can only access advanced features at a cost.
- Sponsorship – the sponsorship monetization model allows developers to partner with particular brands after building a solid user base. In turn, users can redeem awards and incentives when they complete an in-app action or after taking part in some activity.
- Paywalls – as is the case of the freemium model, paywalls focus on content and allow users to access part of the latter for free. Users can access the full information they need from paywalls once they subscribe. Subscriptions in this case auto-renew, hence, paywalls can become a reliable source of income for mobile app developers.
- In-App Advertising – apps in this category contain apps that can generate revenue for developers and users can download and use them for free.
- In-App Purchases – you can sell virtual or physical products using this option, which proves to be resourceful for those in the e-commerce sector.
4. The Ideal Platform
When developing mobile apps, some of the popular platforms, you can use include Windows, Android, and iOS. Pricing strategy, your target audience, and app features are some of the things that affect the choice of any mobile development platform. And after identifying the right one, you can either build a hybrid or native app.
Native Android apps rely on Kotlin or Java, while native iOS apps are a product of Objective-C or Swift. The development of hybrid apps, on the other hand, relies on JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Native apps provide a personalized user experience because they are more responsive, faster, and allow full access to features of specific OS. But their initial cost is more expensive.
Hybrid apps are prone to bugs; they are slower and lack customization for a native app, although they are cheaper than a native solution. In that case, the choice between a hybrid or native application will depend on:
- The set time frame for the development of a specific app.
- The user experience a developer wants to deliver.
- The complexity of features you wish to include in your app.
5. Maintenance and Security
As you consider the mobile app to build this year, set aside some funds for tracking user analytics, updating the app, creating new content regularly, and removing bugs going forward. This is often overlooked during planning.
Mobile app security is also important, and for that reason, you need to have measures in place for collecting, managing, and securing data from the onset.
6. Design
You need to note that a poor user interface can push mobile app users away, and will force them to uninstall your app. And that is why most application developers prioritize a design that is intuitive and straightforward. Things that should inform the design of your mobile app are limited use of notifications, elimination of unnecessary elements, minimum input fields, and seamless flow of information.
7. Budget and Time Frame
One of the challenges that most mobile app developers experience is budgetary constraints that affect the success of such a project. Assessing the actual cost of your mobile app project and allocating sufficient funds should be a priority to ensure completion.
Setting a timeframe for accomplishing every stage of your mobile app development project is also a necessity. Because it helps you track the progress, which means that tasks will end within the duration you specify if you stick to the set schedule.
Conclusion
Developing the right mobile application will enhance user experience and win customer loyalty for long-term sustainability. If you are planning to build a mobile app this year, schedule a free consultation, and speak to a mobile app expert.
