How to Develop an App in 9 (Simplified) Steps
Do you think you have the next big app idea? If so, you have a lot of work ahead of you.
Even though the mobile market has been around for a while now, it’s still growing by leaps and bounds. In fact, mobile usage accounts for 70% of all digital media time.
The question is, do you know how to develop an app and take it to market? Follow the nine steps below to get started.
1.Validate Your Idea
Having a great app idea isn’t enough to gain traction in the app store. Even if your software does a great job, that doesn’t mean other people will download it to their devices. Before you go down the path of app development, you need to validate your idea.
Reach out to your potential customer base and pitch your idea to them. Your goal is to see in what situations they would use your product. Ask about pricing methods and features they want to see if your idea matches what your customers will expect from your app.
2.Create an App Wireframe
It’s hard to put app ideas into words sometimes. You might know what features you want to include, but describing those features to other people isn’t always easy. Creating a wireframe for your app helps this process.
This is one of the essential stages of app development since it gives you the first look at your app idea. You can use the wireframe design process to flesh out your ideas. Once you finish, you should have wireframes of your whole application interface and know everything it can do.
However, it’s important not to go overboard during this process. You don’t want to spend a ton of time developing your app, so creating a minimum viable product is the best way to start fast.
3.Determine the Development Process
Sure, you can learn how to code yourself to create an application. The problem with doing this yourself is the time it takes. You’ll spend more time learning how to code than it would take to hire a developer who can create your app for you.
Working with an experienced developer can give you a usable app far faster than you can do independently. Look at freelancer job boards to find people who can handle the job. You don’t have to commit to working with one of those people, but talking with an experienced app developer will give you a better idea of your development preferences.
4.Decide on Your Tech Stack
Creating an app isn’t as simple as using the programming tools from Apple and Google anymore. Sure, you can go down that route and create separate codebases for each version. The problem with this is that it takes more time and requires more future maintenance.
Today, there are cross-platform tools that allow you to write code once and launch on your software each app store. Make sure you learn about these tools so you can determine the best toolset for developing your idea.
5.Start the Development Process
Now that you have your wireframe and tech stack, you can start the development process. This step will change based on your development preferences.
If you’re coding it yourself, you’ll need to learn how to program first. This means your launch timeline is extended. If you have a developer doing things for you, they should handle things more quickly and give you an app launch timeline to follow.
Whatever route you take, make sure you set up project management systems to keep track of your progress. Create a plan to store tasks, goals, and anything else that makes sense to track.
6.Find Testers
The last thing you want to do is immediately launch your app after it’s complete. It’s hard to find any software that has zero bugs on release. Finding testers is a great way to find the most significant software bugs.
Search for your target audience and put out a request for testers. If you validated your idea in the first step, you should already know who some of these people are. Create a set of tests for them to follow, so they work through everything your app has to offer.
7.Create a Marketing Plan
Once you feel confident that your app is ready for release, you need to find a way to get it out into the world. Without a great marketing plan, your program will sit on the app store with zero downloads.
One of the best ways to get your first users is to reach out to app review websites. Send them a copy of your application and ask for a review. Many review sites have large audiences that can push many initial users your way.
Another great way to find users is to look for locations online where your target market frequents. Talk about your app in these places and show those people that your app provides value.
8.Gather Data
Once your app begins getting downloads, you need to figure out what your users are doing in the app. Are they having a great experience or leaving and removing it from their phones? Tracking software will help you figure this out.
Your tracking software will show you the popular areas of your app and the parts you need to work on. Use this data to make app updates that improve the user experience.
9.Watch for Problems and Gather Feedback
Data can only tell you so much about your app. It can’t tell you what your customers are thinking and the problems they’re facing. If you want to know what issues your users have, you need to provide easy access to feedback forms.
Take the app store problem mentioned at https://setapp.com/news/what-if-your-app-stopped-working-the-cost-of-an-automated-apple-mistake, for instance. If you aren’t on the lookout for issues like that and have no external way for users to contact you about the issue, there’s no telling how long it will take to discover the problem.
Now You Know How to Develop an App
Building an app and making it popular is no simple task. However, now that you know how to develop an app, you have what you need to go down that road. There is a lot to the development process, so don’t wait another day to get started.
If you want to be successful in the app stores, knowing mobile trends is essential to creating a product consumers love. Read our latest blog posts to learn what’s new in the world of mobile technology.
