If you want to launch a great app startup, you need to follow a systematic pattern. You will learn how to make a successful app business, despite lots of market pitfalls.
Any software development is made up of the following steps:
1. Conceptualize the idea
2. Create an interface design
3. Develop a software prototype (MVP)
4. Execute thorough tests
5. Deploy the product
6. Distribute the product
The whole app development process consists of a 10 step process.
Below you will see a detailed route with all the tips for how to create a successful app business.
To make a successful app we need two ingredients. First of all, startup begins with a great new app idea which has an alternative solution for a particular situation. Secondly, the project must be perfectly prepared and executed.
Step 1: Conduct the Market Research
Although your app idea may seem to be great, first of all, you need to decide on your niche. The thing is that many new apps are launched every day in Google Play, Apple App Store etc.
Two facts must be carefully examined to evaluate a mobile app:
- Understand and define your potential users
- Evaluate and learn from all competitive products
An app takes a small niche for a particular group of people and their needs. A micro niche won't have lots of traffic but will have higher conversions. In the second case, an app can provide a larger pool of potential customers and more fierce competition.
At first, all good ideas are mostly unconditional and risky. If you believe in your app when you need to take a particular route you must understand how much work needs to be done for your app to be successful. Then you will receive a return on investment as a reward.
The main thing is to be open, listen, and ask people. You need to study the products which already exist and surf online resources and social media for the information. If you want your application to be successful you should find out what inspires or irritates your target audience.
There is a list of tips for how to make a successful app concept:
- First of all, study forums and frequently asked questions because they are based on some specific problems.
- You need to find out trends with Google.
- Use Google Keyword Planner to learn what people are searching for and the volume of such searches per topic. Some keywords can be used for App Store Optimization.
- Go to tech startups, meetups, and hackathons as they can help you understand what kind of ideas are currently interesting to the public.
- Observe the world around you to see the issues people deal with every day.
- Carry out surveys & questionnaires among potential app users. Ask your friends what exactly is valuable for an app to do.
- Get feedback of potential users on social networks and groups. Use: Reddit Startup, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
- Have a conversation with business owners about their current, and potential future, pain points.
- Analyze vendors and organization that provide startup funding.
- Examine all the top apps and categories that can interest you. You can see what ideas these apps offer to the users and compare with yours.
- Check CrunchBase for popular mobile apps succeeding in the seed funding rounds.
- AppTweak can help you understand if some competitive apps are among the most downloadable to find if they have solid and valid app ideas.
You can consider a couple of ideas for mobile applications to choose the best.
The last advice is to select a less competitive market to launch an app.
Step 2: Finalize a Great New App Idea
It is possible to finalize a killer app idea if it is based on market analysis. It is vital to fully understand the value proposition of the mobile app and see the unique selling points. You should consider such questions for a successful app strategy as:
Here, it is important to understand your core feature.
Besides, it is important to imagine what the customers will do while using an app. Use the pattern below to get that information.
You will create a great app prototype if you use it. This prototype is called MVP (Minimum Viable Product), the smallest working version of the product necessary to move into the market which:
- Has a minimum list of features to satisfy the client’s needs
- Is used for beta testing in your target group
- Is used to present the idea to investors and raise first round funds
As soon as the MVP is defined, it is vital to take marketing into account. The following aspects are very useful during the next steps:
1) Catchy App Name
2) App Keywords
3) Great App Previews
4) Impressive App Press Kit
Step 3: Define a Successful App Strategy
If you rush in the process of the app implementation it can cause an underperforming product. You should take your time to pay attention to details.
A well-thought-out business plan is a successful app strategy. Business Model Canvas helps to finalize all strategic information in a simple format. That is why every detail should be considered in the following categories:
Goals & Plans Further
You must understand what you want to achieve with this app business. You should specify your goals and ensure they are realistic and time-bound.
The content preceeds app development and is very important. Think about what interaction and message you want to achieve with app users. It is necessary to understand the onboarding process and welcome message to engage them successfully. It would be great if you could design and write this app content in advance.
Technological Preference
The execution of the product being fault-tolerant is as important as a good mobile app idea. You need to understand how technologies improve an app, taking into account performance and knowledge of building a successful application. It is crucial to define the development approach for an app - being a web app, native (one platform or both iOS/Android), or hybrid.
Resources & Costs
Your budget for a successful app will depend on many factors: development contractor, complexity & number of features, etc. At the beginning of the project the cost and timeline are hard to define. Two projects will have different requirements, people involved, business context, technologies, and constraints.
A capable development team is crucial to select. Take these options into consideration:
- local developers
- project outsourcing model
- freelance or partner platforms
If you choose local US developers then they will cost more than offshore employees or an employing freelance platform. Good applications are rather costly.
If cost-efficiency is your preference than try the benefits of outsourcing mobile app development. This is the best choice between quality and monetary resources.
The same factors influence the timeline of app development: number features, app requirements, technical approach, and priorities. In total, this process lasts from 3 to 5 months. The first app version can be developed faster for beta testing but if the project is more complicated, you may need more than 5 months.
Marketing & Rewards Evaluation
If app business is successful you will get your rewards from a percentage of traffic turned into sales or reduced operational costs in dollars per transaction. Don't forget that you get your profit later on in the process but costs appear at one single point. Your budget must consist of the money required to implement an app marketing plan plus the product development.
It is important to understand how the functionality and chosen monetization model resonate with potential users. Your app developer should advise you on the best model to monetize your application successfully for future product versions:
- free apps
- freemium model (with premium features purchased additionally) e.g. Dropbox
- paid apps ( with in-app purchases or subscription model, employing virtual inside currency or goods) e.g Pokemon Go with PokeCoins, AngryBirds
- in-app advertisements e.g Instagram, Facebook
- apps paid per download
- cross-selling of apps (e-commerce transactions) e.g Evernote with sales via Evernote market
- sponsorship and partnership monetization
- hybrid model
The graph represents the accountancy of the app for each chosen revenue model.
To create a good app every detail is important - beginning with functional specification documentation, design, and coding. Everything must not only coincide with guidelines and unique operating system aspects but give value with every detail.
Learn more about the other 7 steps on how to make your app successful in this article.
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