5 Things to Consider Before Developing a Mobile App

Transforming App Visions Into Realities

So, you want to make a mobile app? And you want to make some money off of this mobile app? But, let’s face it. You don’t know exactly where to start (or you wouldn’t have taken the time to research the matter).

Well, luckily for you, you’ve crossed paths with the right article. We have all the answers you need right here.

Mobile applications are an excellent way for business owners to improve upon their company marketing efforts, workflow optimization, and even cost-effectiveness.

They are also the perfect platform to take advantage of if you have an idea for the next big hit, like Instagram or Uber.

Regardless of your mobile app idea, there are probably other prospective developers or ambitious men and women who have a similar idea. If this is the case, they could already be making moves towards getting that app made and on the market.

So now, you could potentially be facing a dilemma in terms of racing against the clock, or in this case, against hungry entrepreneurs who may have the same million or billion-dollar idea.

However, making an app isn’t a rush job. You want to be diligent with your time management, but you also want to be thorough with the process.

It’s a known fact that people want to make money first and foremost. Even if you have an idea for an app that could potentially change the world for the better, many would argue, “what’s the point unless there’s money to be made?”

Well, we’re here to provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to create your mobile application and make money doing it. Let’s get started, shall we?

Think About the Different Variables Involved

When developing your mobile application, it’s crucial to have a clear purpose behind your app, along with an understanding of who your targeted audience is.

This will require you to do some research to determine the variables involved in creating your mobile app. For instance, understanding which operating system is most commonly used by your targeted audience is something crucial to consider. Are your customers Android or iOS lovers?

Once you’ve clearly written down the requirements, you can create a screen-by-screen layout design. After you’ve established an objective, selected your platform, and developed a screen mock-up/wireframe, now it’s time to enlist in a trusted mobile application developer to transition your concept to code!

The current mobile application market is saturated by a variety of devices, operating systems, and users - a challenging set of conditions for mobile development. The current climate complicates development strategy.

It requires more forethought than merely being aware of native platforms or the pros and cons of cross-platform mobile application development. Those looking to develop a successful mobile app should heed the following advice:

1. Identify Your Target Audience for Your Custom Mobile App

   Before any development begins, it is vital to identify who you are trying to reach and your app’s overall objective. Mobile operating systems like Windows, Android, and iOS vary in popularity from region to region, so it’s key to keep this in mind as you begin your search for your ideal platform for mobile app development.

   For instance, in 2016, Android Authority stated, "iOS users on average spend nearly 2.5 times more on in-app purchases than Android users." This information is critical for any company that is looking to maximize its ROI when developing mobile apps. It will help them decide if they want to market to a target audience that is more inclined to buy their app (iOS users) or prefer free apps (Android users).

   Also, you wholeheartedly want to consider the demographics. Think about who your idea appeals to most. Does your dating app appeal more towards gamers in the 18-24 age range? Perhaps your dating app appeals significantly to online daters in the 45-54 age range.

   Whatever the case, you must be aware of who it is that you’re targeting. Think about your ideal customer. What do they like? What do they dislike? Are they tech-savvy? How much time do they have on their hands to engage with your application? What benefits are they receiving as a result of purchasing your app? And, most importantly, what separates your app from others like it?

   These, amongst many others, are the essential questions to ask when thinking about your target audience. Once you’ve achieved a clear grasp of the answers to these questions, you can move on to the next phase of mobile app development.

2. Choose Your Platform: iOS or Android

   As we briefly discussed prior, deciding on which platform to distribute your mobile application is essential. However, here in the U.S., it’s a pretty close call when comparing the mobile application market share.

   Smartphones running on the Android operating system holds an 87% share of the global market, according to Statista. iOS holds 13%, which is significantly less than Android’s dominating 87%.

   Keeping these numbers in mind, you also want to factor in the amount of time, resources, and budget you’ll need to create your app. Choosing your platform is a direct correlation to these numbers as well.

   Developing a mobile app for iOS is much faster, easier, and cheaper. It can take between 30-40% longer to develop a mobile app for Android than for iOS, leading to more expenses along the way.

   Android apps are generally written in Java code, which involves a lot more writing than Apple’s programming language, Swift. This saves developers time, which then saves you more money as an investor.

   But remember, you want to consider your app idea and audience first. Depending on what your idea directly affects the number of features required for your app. Does your idea require a smorgasbord of features, functions, and integrations, or is your app intended to be more on the simple side of things?

   If you require something simple that’s also fast and easy to create, then perhaps iOS is the right choice for you. However, if you require more flexibility with features, then Android is probably your best bet.

   You could always decide to “not decide” and create an app that operates on both Android and iOS systems. If this is the route that you wish to take, you must consider all of the essential variables:

   • Targeted Audience
   • Project Timeline
   • Desired Features
   • Application Maintenance Budget
   • Revenue Goals

3. Consider Cross-Platform Development

   If your dream is to create an application that runs on Android, iOS, and Windows platforms, you may want to consider cross-platform development.

   There are plenty of awesome advantages in developing cross-platform mobile applications. The most significant advantage, of course, is that it allows developers to write code once and employ it across all major platforms.

   Another significant benefit is that codes can be reused, meaning developers can reuse the same code instead of writing new codes for every platform. This dramatically cuts down on time and budget.

   Another benefit that allows cross-platform development to cut down on budget is that investors don’t need to worry about spending money on developing apps for each individual platform. They can dole out the dough all in one swift motion, deploying the app to run smoothly on all operating systems.

   A single script means a much faster application development time. This also means that your cross-platform mobile application will reach the market much sooner, which is a win-win for investors, developers, marketers, and consumers alike!

   Using cross-platform mobile app development ensures that your app’s overall look and feel will be responsive across all devices. This means that no matter what OS a user is using, your app will look, feel, operate, function, and navigate as smoothly as ever.

   Popular native cross-platform frameworks that you could leverage when creating your mobile app include:

   • Xamarin
   • Appcelerator Titanium
   • NativeScript
   • QT
   • RubyMotion

   For hybrid cross-platform applications, you definitely want to consider leveraging Apache Cordova, which is the most popular hybrid cross-platform framework that harnesses the power of JavaScript, HTML, and CSS web development languages.

4. User-Friendliness is Your Friend

   Consider including features that give apps a native appearance and functionality. Native apps typically perform better since they integrate more uniformly with the devices that support them.

   This helps drive a positive user experience and gives your app a higher ranking in any app store. The downside to developing mobile applications natively is the diverse skillsets needed, along with the cost and amount of time it takes to develop stand-alone apps for each OS.

   Mobile app developers must have a keen understanding of good practices for mobile experience design. Responsiveness, intuitive user experience, great designs, clean presentation, and context is everything when developing a mobile app.

   Ensure that your mobile application is user-friendly, performs at high speeds, and has smooth, easy-to-use navigation. The whole point of your application is to appeal to your audience so that they engage as much as possible.

   It must be both aesthetically pleasing and functional. If your mobile app loads slowly, you will lose customers to a similar app that loads faster. People have pretty short attention spans nowadays, so it’s essential that you get with the digital times and optimize your mobile app to be responsive across all digital devices.

5. Ensure That Your Mobile App Adheres to App Store Guidelines

   Each app store has guidelines that applications must abide by in order to be listed in their marketplace. An app that has issues loading or steals user data will not be accepted.

   Additionally, users have certain expectations when it comes to apps; they demand apps that are easily downloaded, work properly, and offer seamless User Experiences (UX).

   An app that is faulty or that is found to be in violation of the UX guidelines will not rank well and may be removed entirely from the marketplace.

   As mobile applications become more prevalent in society, companies face difficulty making their apps stand out in app stores. Understanding these key features of mobile app development before starting your project will not only help you choose the right platform for mobile app development but also stay on budget and ensure maximum exposure for your app.

The Bottom Line

Starting a mobile application development project is super exciting. While it’s quite tempting to dive right in with a ton of passion and enthusiasm, there are various technical factors to consider. Remember what we discussed in this article, and you’ll be well on your way towards achieving great possibilities with your new mobile application.

The most important thing to consider amongst everything we talked about is who to hire to carry out these mobile application development tasks. This is a delegate process that requires a team with the most hands-on development experience possible.

You could take your chances by hiring just any developer, or you could hire Chetu.

Chetu develops scalable, enterprise-class mobile apps for iOS, Android, and Windows platforms that take full advantage of native features. For our cross-platform and hybrid apps, we leverage tools like Xamarin, Ionic, and Adobe PhoneGap that help us ensure consistent functionality and look across platforms.

We assign a team of programmers from a deep talent pool of industry-specific technology experts to provide a custom app development experience with your organization's most pressing needs in mind.