If you have a great business idea, you might be considering to bring it to life with a mobile app. But let’s get one thing clear – developing a mobile app can be pretty tricky, especially if you’ve got no experience navigating the treacherous waters of app development. To help you develop a fun app that supports your key business goals, here are 6 common mistakes made during the app development process and how to glide through them.
1. LACK OF PLATFORM STRATEGY
Before developing your app, consider the platform question. Many people are unable to properly assess the pros and cons offered by different platforms and end up making a choice based on stereotypes. Many develop apps in iOS just because they think monetization will be a piece of cake on the App Store.
Before deciding which platform you should target, make a point of it to closely analyze consumer needs and expectations in your sector. Avoid developing for all platforms at once – start with one that offers most advantages and expand to others when you’re ready. Instagram had already 30 million users when it became available on Android.
2. DEVELOPMENT SHORTCUTS
Yes, we all want projects to be done as quickly as possible. The more time they take, the more expenses they generate and the less results they bring. But that doesn’t mean that you should rush the development process. Unless you want to end up with badly designed software and get lots of negative reviews, you shouldn’t cut corners and take shortcuts when developing your app.
3. IGNORING MONETIZATION
Don’t expect to launch your app and wait until users come and start paying. Note that most popular apps are free and feature smart monetization strategies – this is something you need to think about as well, and make sure you do that before the development starts.
Take a look at apps in your category to check what monetization strategies they’re using – this is how you learn what your target audience is ready to pay for, for instance what type of in-app purchases they’re willing to buy. One easy way to do this is looking at iTunes which lists an app’s most popular in-app purchases.
4. INCLUDING TOO MANY FEATURES
Before you roll out all your features, develop a core set as your MVP. You need it to make sure that the basic idea behind your app is something consumers are interested in. Instead of focusing on including as many options and features as possible, concentrate on user flow and interactions. Doing more with less, you’re not risking rushing the development process and releasing a buggy app which will only earn your negative reviews. And these are very hard to recover from.
5. THINKING MOBILE IS JUST DOWNSIZED WEB
This one should be clear – a mobile app is completely different from a website in its size, scope and functionality. If you’re convinced that your app should basically provide a condensed version of your website’s user experience, think twice. You app should be easily accessible on the go, more intuitive and customizable. If you stick to the design and functionality of your website, you’ll be creating an inherently flawed user experience. Design your piece of software to be uniquely advantageous to your business, not just another version of your brand’s presence.
6. POOR USER EXPERIENCE
User experience is the key on mobile. Your app needs to be intuitive – if it offers bad user experience, you can expect mobile users to toss it away within a second. They just don’t have the same patience as online users.
And giving up apps is easier than you’d expect – 26% of apps are only opened once and never used again. Another 48% are opened up to 10 times and then abandoned. You either instantly wow users with your app, or don’t stand a chance gaining anything with it.
Use these tips to avoid popular development mistakes to make sure that your app development process proceeds without lags or glitches, and its final product is top-notch. It is also a good idea to build a MVP first and make sure your app appear on the market up to 60% faster and 70% cheaper than expected.
