The mobile app development process is full of intricate steps that involve a mixture of custom software development skills. It takes time to complete the development lifecycle, perfect your software architecture, and tweak your UI/UX design for the best consumer experience possible. The process can quickly become overwhelming, especially without guidance. That’s why there are a few things you should always keep in mind when developing a mobile app. Make sure to review these questions the next time you begin a mobile app development project!
What does your mobile app development budget look like?
This is one of the first questions involved in any custom software development project, and the answer will set the tone for the rest of the development process. What type of budget are you looking at? How did you come up with the numbers? What factors could be variable? How flexible is your budget? Before you even begin any work, hiring, or planning, this question needs to be answered in extreme detail.
There’s almost nothing worse for a project than running out of money part of the way through. You need to verify that you have the proper funding and, as a general rule, have additional funds set aside for unforeseen obstacles. It’s better to be properly prepared for any issues and not need the funding than to require the funding and not have it. Knowing what type of budget you’re working with will also set the tone for several aspects of the project: the size of your team, the timeline, the scale of your application, and more.
Have you verified your application concept?
Coming up with a good app idea is half of the battle. After you come up with the winning concept, you need to go the extra mile to verify the concept as a successful one. There are 3 traditional ways to accomplish this: Proof of Concept (POC), creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), or working on a prototype.
POC: Proof of Concept is a strategy that tackles the question “is the idea feasible?” It is one of the fastest ways to accurately invalidate or validate any preconceived notions about your target consumers and the application’s overall concept.
MVP: A Minimum Viable Product evaluates the application’s functions and value proposition. It’s especially important when it comes to your software’s architecture and UI/UX design. Creating the most minimal, usable form of your application for release to the target market will help you identify any pain points that need addressing prior to full development and execution. This makes for a more effective and successful concept design.
Prototype: Developing a prototype will help your stakeholders and team members conduct essential research regarding custom software development decisions, including UI/UX. This preliminary visual of your application will demonstrate the current success of your project’s direction. Taking extra time at the beginning of your project to complete a prototype will give you ample time to adjust any major design flaws brought to your team’s attention prior to full-scale launching.
Along with verifying your concept, these 3 methods are a way to find fresh ideas, identify key improvement areas, and collaborate early on with stakeholders and team members. Completing this extra step will help raise the probability of success for your mobile app development project and help you get a strong start on key software architecture fundamentals, such as UI/UX. This will save you time and money in the long run.
Always remember: it’s better to identify as many issues with your application prior to release rather than after. Any mistake you need to fix will be far more costly to adjust after your application is already available to users. The earlier you can catch the issue, the better.
How will you monetize your app?
This question will affect your design and software development decisions. There are several models to choose from, and this decision will actually have a huge impact on your users’ experiences with the app. No pressure–but you need to choose carefully. Which model works best with your app? Does it flow well with the overall design? Is it sustainable?
Regardless of what you decide, the choice needs to be made well before you actually release your product for consumers. As a general rule, the type of application you are creating will help you determine which monetization model will work best. Think: subscriptions for services and content, in-app purchases for gaming or products, and advertisements for shopping or retail. The choice is ultimately yours, so be sure to do plenty of research and consider running tests to determine what each model would actually look like within your app.
It’s Time to Turn Ideas into Apps
It’s easy to get started with mobile app development. You can either do the research and begin the life cycle yourself, or you can give our experts at 245TECH a call at (865) 465-4040. Take the next step when it comes to your ideas! Just remember to ask yourself the important questions along the way.
