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5 Key Steps to Building a Successful Mobile App

You either know it or you don’t. There is no in between. Developing a mobile app is not what kids do. And it’s definitely not something you want to experiment with in case you want your business to flourish. So, trust a developer with this task. Every business, whether big or small feels the need to develop an app to facilitate the customers. Even service providing companies have their apps. Companies like Spectrum that offer services like Spectrum Voice, Cable and Internet have apps as well. However, a lot of planning and thinking goes into deciding the many things about an app.

Here are the 5 key steps that can help you in developing a successful mobile app:

What an Idea!

There is an idea behind everything. A painting, a book or a building. The creators or writers base their pieces of art around a central theme or idea. And apps are no different. So, before you go on to hire developers to create an app for you. Or if you are capable enough and you develop it yourself. In either case, you need to have an idea around which you will develop the app. Mostly, these ideas come from an individual’s hobbies or interests. A globetrotter might want to develop an app where he can share his unique experiences with people across the globe. A foodie might decide to create an app where she reviews the many cuisines she tastes while she visits the various parts of the world. It can be anything. The options are unlimited. In some cases, an individual might also find himself lost between the several ideas that he has. Under such circumstances, he will have to narrow down the options. And focus on the most valuable idea. And that can only be done when you consider the pros and cons of each idea that is in your brain.

However, remember that an app should serve as a solution to an existing problem.

Target Audience

Once you are clear in your head about the idea, you need to focus on the target audience. Because not only you but the target audience should like the concept. And for this, you need to study your target audience closely. This requires patience and time. Because you have to convince them that your app is better than the alternatives available in the market. If the intended market that you are developing the app for is convinced, your job’s done!

Know Thy Enemy

You will have to spy on your competitors. Well, not in such a literal sense. But yeah. You need to conduct a market analysis. Because you never know if an app similar to you already exists. And you did not know about it. That will be a huge put-off but yeah it is what it is. Anyway, if you find that apps in this niche already exist, it means that there is a good chance of growth in that area. Of course, you will have competition. But hey, the competition’s good. And it makes things more interesting. You should be glad if that happens because it means that you get a chance to pinpoint the loopholes in their app(s). And develop your version that is better than theirs, maybe. You can even add features to your app that the competitors do not.

A win-win situation?

Pretty much so!

Android or iOS?

Now, this is a tricky question. With a not so easy answer. But it is not that difficult to decide the platform on which you want to launch the app. You will have to consider a couple of factors though. However, it is difficult to summarize all that you need to know about developing an app for a specific platform in a couple of sentences. Let’s do a separate blog on this topic? Sounds like a good idea!

Content

You have to plan the content and the types of content that will form a part of your app way ahead of time. You can choose to add one or all the following forms of content in your app:

  • Video
  • Illustrations
  • Audio
  • Text context

Most often such work is assigned to experts including copywriters and designers. That is upon your discretion.

But one thing is for sure. You need to come up with something exceptional and worth it. Because these days everyone has access to services like Spectrum Internet. Whether someone is at home or traveling. And people browse the net to keep themselves busy whenever they feel the urge. And if your product is no different, they will move on to the next.

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Written by Harry Miller

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