I Have an Idea for an App, Now What?

Do you have an idea for an app and wondering what you should do next?

The global smartphone market is growing continuously. The extensive use of smartphones also increases demand for mobile applications. Users now want a mobile app for everything. They prefer business services that come with a mobile app. 

There were 1.64 million apps on the Apple app store and over 3.55 million apps on Google Play Store as of the third quarter of 2022.

The enormous market for mobile apps shows room for many more exciting apps for users and also indicates tough competition for new apps to stand out and catch the attention of end users.

So, how could you go from a basic app idea to an actual app business that users love and which gives you good returns on your investment? Let’s find out in this article.

I have an Idea for an app. What’s Next?

You would go through the following to realize your mobile app idea for actual app users:

Perform Market Research

Market research is the first step to envisioning your app idea. You need to understand the market you plan to build an app for. For example, an entertainment app market dynamics vary from a healthcare app, from user demands to underlying technologies. 

The market research industry is to reach 108.57 billion US dollars by 2026. The complex analysis techniques and changing user consumption trends drive the need for market research. You could perform market research from two aspects:

Competitor Analysis: 

Evaluate other competitors in your app’s niche market. You could examine competitor services that users like and dislike. This would help you build an app that could compete with existing apps and is favored by the end users.

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User Demographics: 

Understanding your target audience is of prime importance. You should ask yourself how your app idea helps users. Why would anyone want to install your app on their smartphone? Then move on to buyer personas. 

A buyer persona would help you specify the type of your app users, their motivations, etc. For example, a healthcare app attracts healthcare professionals, whereas a gaming app majorly attracts young people.

App’s user demographics would help you with feature specifications, monetization strategy, marketing techniques, etc.

Plan App Specifications

Shortlist the features you want to add to your app. Your app market research would guide you in selecting the right app features so that your app attracts the perfect audience. For example, add push notifications to offer personalized messages to app users.

Similarly, in the case of learning apps, add a gamification feature to keep your users connected, add awards like premium features that unlock after using an app for a certain period, etc.

Partner with an App Development Partner

You need competent app developers to build all your decided specifications. App development requires a couple of professionals to complete all stages of development successfully. For example, you would need a UI/UX designer, backend developer, Android/iOS developer, frontend developer, business analyst, project manager, etc. 

The best option to form a coherent team for your app development project is via a development company experienced in mobile and web application development.

Software development companies like DevTeam.Space have vetted and skilled developers, app testers, designers, and project managers to undertake your software development project. 

By partnering with a software development company, you stay clear of many pitfalls which appear while working with a team of freelancers. Freelance platforms do not offer any assistance while interviewing and hiring freelancers.

Moreover, you ought to maintain effective communication with each team member to keep everyone on the same page.

On the other hand, DevTeam.Space offers an AI-powered agile process that all developers follow. It streamlines communication channels between clients and developers working on their projects. It also helps with task assignments and progress tracking via daily/weekly updates.

Design your App

Now that you have partnered with a software company experienced in app development, you could start with app design and development.

Your UI/UX designers would start wireframing your app idea, including the flow and navigation of your app.

Wireframe is a visual representation of app features and their relationship. Your design members could also prototype your app, where they build interactive app designs using animations, etc.

71% of app publishers state that good organization of app content on the screen leads to an increase in the positive user feedback

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Your app designers should follow the guidelines to create an app that meets the design standards of app stores and the web. For example, consult Human Interface Guidelines to design an iOS app, Materials Design Guidelines for Android apps, and User Interface Design Guidelines for Web applications. 

Develop a Minimum Viable Product

The next step is the development of app features according to prototypes created by your UI/UX designers. We suggest you start with an MVP or minimum viable product to launch your app idea into the real market. 

An MVP is a basic software application with only the essential features. It delivers your app’s core functionality and gives end-users an idea of the actual functionality of your app. An MVP is relatively cheaper and faster to develop.

The shorter time to market ensures the app is quickly available for end-users saving time, money, and development efforts. Users use an MVP and provide their feedback. This user feedback helps improvise the app.

You also need to decide the type of app you want to develop. There are two options: native and cross-platform apps. A native app is optimized for a specific mobile OS and hardware and gives remarkable performance and user experience. 

On the other hand, a cross-platform app is based on a single codebase and can run on multiple operating systems. A cross-platform or hybrid app is cheaper and quick to develop but is low in performance compared to a native app.

With native apps, the two leading mobile operating systems with a maximum number of users include iOS by Apple and Android by Google. While the user base for iOS is smaller than Android, consumer spending on Apple App Store is much higher. 

You need to make sure that you hire developers with the specialized skillset and understanding of related technologies to develop an Android, iOS, or hybrid app.

For example, an Android developer should be proficient in Kotlin or Java language, IDEs like Android Studio, and Android SDKs. iOS developer should be an expert in Swift programming language, Xcode IDE, Fabric deployment tool, etc. A Hybrid app developer should be familiar with JavaScript and related frameworks like React Native, Ionic, etc.

Test your App

App testing ensures you release a high-quality app in the market that meets all functional and non-functional requirements. Non-functional requirements include app security, usability, scalability, etc. 

According to statistics, 65% of users think less of a brand because of poor mobile app experience, while 71% of app users uninstall an app due to unexpected crashes. You would need app testers to guarantee your app works seamlessly without any glitches.

You should adopt the latest trends in app testing, such as AI-based testing tools, like TestCraft, automated testing using tools like Appium, and cloud-based testing platforms, such as AWS Device Farm.

These tools improve the accuracy of testing scripts and accelerate the testing process on multiple mobile devices and configurations.

Publish your App

When your development team completes its testing procedures, you could publish your app in app stores like Apple App Store for iOS apps and Google Play Store for Android apps.

You would open a developer account on the app store to publish your app. Your developers would follow publishing guidelines by Apple and Android. 

You should also invest in app store optimization so that your app gets organic user downloads without spending money on advertisements. ASO includes several practices, like keyword research, app name, icon design, app descriptions, etc.

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70% of users use app store search to look for an app, and good ASO would help users to find your app easily.

Plan Your Marketing Strategy

While your development team is developing your application, you should outline and start working on your app marketing strategy so users are familiar with your app concept when you finally release it.

App marketing could include multiple techniques, such as the following:

• Invest in digital marketing by running ads across digital mediums, including Google engine, social media platforms, affiliate marketing platforms, etc.
• Make use of social media, create your app pages on popular social media platforms, and build your app’s digital presence;
• Invest in influencer marketing, and engage with social media influencers interested in your niche. Make them use your app and review it for their audience. Influencer marketing is popular today, especially if you plan to target Millennials and Generation Z individuals. The worth of the global influencer marketing industry is to reach 69.92 billion USD by 2029.
• Connect with blog and PR websites to share your application reviews and press releases with the audience.

Select App Monetization Methods

You need to select a monetization method for your app to start making money from it. There are multiple ways to monetize your app, some of which include the following:

• You can run third-party ads on your app and gain an income via cost-per-impression (when an ad is displayed), cost-per-click (when a user clicks on the ad), and cost-per-download (when a user downloads an app), etc.;
• You can offer your app for a flat fee where users pay a certain amount and get access to the whole app;
• You can also offer the base app with the basic features for free, and users pay fees for additional and premium features.

According to Statista, 8% of apps from the US are monetized as paid apps, 26% of apps include paid ads for revenue generation, and 11% of apps use in-app purchases as a monetization method.

We suggest you examine the pricing models of your competitors and then select a monetization strategy according to market requirements and your app’s value.

Monitor and Improve your Mobile App

You need to monitor the performance of your app after publishing it. You can check indicators such as app downloads, installs, uninstalls, average time spent, etc., via an app performance management tool like Usersnap. 

You would collect user feedback on your mobile application to improve it according to user requirements. You could use in-app surveys, feedback widgets, etc., to get insights into what users like and dislike about your app, any glitches that users are facing, etc.

85% of small and medium-sized companies have found online customer feedback beneficial for their business.

Ready to Build Your Own App?

Anyone can have a great app idea, but a few are able to realize their dream into a running application that brings them profits. The key to reaching the successful app launch stage from the initial ideation phase includes multiple elements, but a highly-skilled development team remains the top-most requirement.

You require a professional app development team to help you select the best development strategy and tools. DevTeam.Space can help you here via its field-expert community of software developers. All our developers are vetted for their development skills and have experience developing applications for multiple industries using cutting-edge technologies.

If you also plan to partner with our high-quality developers to develop a successful app, you can send us your initial project specifications via this quick form. One of our account managers will get back to you to discuss further details on how we can help you build an innovative application.

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