Steps to Follow Before Starting Mobile App Development

February 20, 2023

7 min read

Table of Contents

There needs to be more than great ideas to be successful in this ever-changing mobile app market. Technology is growing, and so is the competitiveness of mobile app development companies. Standing out among the best is tough, including a large part of time and money.

A prepared way of starting mobile app development may result in costly and brand-damaging mistakes. However, if you take some time and make a roadmap for the app development processes, app development can be much easier, and necessary needs can be ticked. It takes real effort and strategic plans to have a successful mobile app, but it is incredibly worth it.

So how would you plan your mobile app development strategies?

Here is what you must follow!

Research The Market Deeply

When you plan to develop a mobile app for your business, it is important to research the market deeply to understand the current mobile app development trends, offerings, and the things you lack. Once you discover the bottlenecks, start filling those gaps and look forward to providing a complete solution to your users through the mobile app.

In this phase, here are the things you need to discover!

Who are your competitors?
How do they strategize their mobile app?
What are the unique selling points of different competitors?
What is the average user base covered by competitors in the same field?
What can you do differently from your competitors?

When you find the answers to all the above questions, the chances of making competitor mistakes become minimal. Millions of mobile apps are available; you must make sure yours stands out.

On the other hand, there might be no one in the market offering what your business does. Implementing effective marketing strategies is the best chance to acquire users immediately.

Define Purpose & Target Audience

What is the reason for developing a mobile app? Have you defined the purpose of your app? Can you segregate the benefits that can’t be provided on the website? With all these questions coming, it is difficult to bring the idea of your app to one or two sentences, but it is also a necessary step that needs to be taken. Define your purpose and elevator pitch that drives users into your app.

The following questions need to be answered in this phase.

What will be the app’s key features & functionalities?
Who are the potential app users?
Why would people want to use your app?
What are the problems your app solves?
Why a mobile app and not a website?

For a successful run in the mobile app market, the above questions need to be answered clearly & honestly. With this, you will be able to determine the unnecessary app features, and the target audience will be clear.

Select Mobile App Type

Some technical decisions need to be made early on, which are very important. Choosing between native, hybrid, or web apps has many implications for subsequent development and maintenance. That’s why it’s important to leverage market research and define core objectives and functions to make the best decisions.

Here are the three types of mobile apps as follows.

Native Apps – Native apps are built specifically for a mobile device’s operating system (OS). Thus, you can have native Android mobile apps or native iOS apps, not to mention all the other platforms and devices. Because they’re built for just one platform, you cannot mix and match – say, use a Blackberry app on an Android phone or an iOS app on a Windows phone.

Web Apps – Web apps behave similarly to native apps but are accessed via a web browser on your mobile device. They’re not standalone apps because they have to download and install code into your device. They’re responsive websites that adapt their user interface to the user’s device. When you come across the option to “install” a web app, it often simply bookmarks the website URL on your device.

There is another type of web app known as a Progressive Web App (PWA), which is nothing more than a native app running inside a browser.

Hybrid Apps – These web apps look and feel like native apps. They might have a home screen app icon, responsive design, fast performance, and even be able to function offline, but they’re web apps made to look native.

Also Read: 5 Mobile App Development Frameworks in 2023

Plan Your Monetization Option

One of the many reasons you would develop a mobile app is to generate revenue, isn’t it? Plan your monetization models if you plan to make money directly from your app. Here is a brief look at what your monetization options would look like.

Freemium Apps – These apps are free to download, and users can access all the top-tier features once they purchase a plan. However, for free users, basic app features and functionalities are unlocked.

Paid Apps – These are premium apps, and the user needs to purchase the app from the app store to use it. As a cost barrier is associated with this model, it is critical to define a strategic marketing plan so that users will purchase the app.

In-app Purchase – It is also known as Selling Digital Content. This model uses the app to sell products as a mobile commerce channel.

Subscription-based Apps – This model is similar to the freemium app model but has the benefit of getting better revenues by providing the streaming option. Users can only access content once they purchase one plan.

In-app Ads – This model is easy to implement and not annoying for users as well. These banner, header, and footer ads don’t cover the screen entirely.

Sponsorship – This model is applicable when your app is popular and has a large user base. It allows you to partner with specific brands and advertisers. It creates a win-win situation as brands pay for user actions and increases engagement.

Manage mobile app development based on what works best for your business.

Know Your Resources

Another critical part is having the exact idea of your resources. Normally, businesses take around one year to develop and deploy a mobile app completely. So start creating a roadmap with your development team for hassle-free mobile app development.

The development stages include:

Gather Information
Plan the workflow & strategies
Design Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Select Programming Language/Platform
Design Mobile App Structure
Initiate Coding & Development
Add Effective Content
App Testing
Maintenance & Updation

With all of the above processes, you also need clarity on whether you want to hire specific developers or a mobile app development company that could make the app stand out from competitors.

Wrapping Up!

So, how to start mobile app development? No one could tell you exactly what needs to be done, but the points mentioned above give a head start to begin mobile app development.

There needs to be more than an app idea here. For long-term success, you need to take the right steps early on. So before you start thinking about new features or app updates, spend a few hours watching how your users interact with your app.

Once you go through these preparation steps, you can dive into mobile app development without distractions.