Since 2013, the number of mobile device users has jumped by a billion. Meanwhile, the number of apps developed in that same time period has also skyrocketed. It’s hard to keep up – is there an app for that?
As a startup, you don’t want to miss a beat. You want to immediately publish and market your Android or iOS app. But before you walk before you crawl, there are several aspects you need to be aware of about mobile app development.
You can’t just have a basic design and launch it on a store. You need to do it right if you’re going to do it at all.
Here are five things you need to know about mobile app development:
1. It’s All About the User Experience
The only way a mobile app can be successful is if the user experience is incredible. Whether your target audience are the gamers or the business community, you need to ensure that you establish and maintain an impeccable UX for your users. Otherwise, they will abandon the app and uninstall.
Of course, no app development company wants this to happen.
2. Understand the Latest Trends – And Listen to Users
Believe it or not, there are trends that every mobile app needs to follow. If it doesn’t keep up with the newest additions, the hippest designs, or latest advancements, then you won’t get a share of the pie.
As a brand, you need to pay attention to the biggest trends on Google Play or the Apple App Store.
Moreover, it is imperative that you listen to your audience. For example, if you had one design that your audience loved, but then you modified it and your audience now hates it, you need to listen.
Without your dedicated users, your mobile app won’t survive or thrive.
3. Testing is Key to Know if It’s Successful
The key question is for any app development company is: how do we know it’s successful?
The honest answer is that you won’t really know until it is released and it goes public.
That said, there is one thing that you can and should do: test.
Mobile app testing is critical to finding bugs, testing usability, and determining if the app is good enough for the public to download and use on a regular basis. Remember, if you come across some faults, you must correct it before it goes live. One of the worst things that could happen is you add it to an app store and it contains several bugs that need to be remedied immediately.
4. Cover Multiple Platforms for Users
Yes, mobile Internet usage is higher than desktop Internet usage. Yes, more people are performing their business on their smartphones than on their desktop computers. And, yes, people are accessing their apps across a wide array of devices and platforms, from their desktops to their tablets to their smartphones. It’s true.
It is your job to ensure that you app is adapted to these devices and platforms. If it isn’t available, functional, or easy to use across multiple devices and platforms, then you can’t grow your audience.
5. Hire an App Development Company
Lastly, if you’re a startup that doesn’t have the manpower to develop mobile apps, then you may have no other choice but to hire an app developer company. The industry pros know how to design apps that are tailored to your users. Plus, they know what works and what doesn’t.
In the end, if you want to avoid the headaches of development and the time and resources it takes to come up with the right app, then it would be a great idea to tap the services of an app development company from the very beginning.