Are you thinking of building an app? Well, the truth is that the app development world is vast!  Whether you have a startup changing the world with the ‘new bliss’ or looking at bringing efficiencies or scaling your existing business,  finding the right app developer is only one part of the equation and deserves a blog post in its own right. Let’s assume you have found an app development company that is the right match for you; What’s next? How do you build your app success? Or in other words, How can you be better prepared to ensure you build an app that your customers will love?

 

How to get started with your app developer

 

1. Know your target audience

  • Who are your customers?
  • How do they spend their time/purchasing habits/behaviours?
  • What are their pain points? 
  • How will my app benefit them?
  • What type of app do my existing customers want?
  • Who are my early adopter?

Those are some examples of the questions you need answers for. How do you do this? Simply ask them. Draft a carefully planned interview sheet and either interview your existing customers or conduct an interview with prospects. Then map out the answers on a table for later analysis, something like this:

 

 

The idea is to gather enough information that allows you to describe your individual customer in detail. Something like this: “Sam is between 20 and 30 years old, she goes to the gym twice a week, is single but would like to date, doesn’t know where to find a great guy, has tried pubs/cruises/online sites, is highly spiritual and believes in … ” etc, etc.

 

2. Come up with the value proposition

Really, I mean, REALLY take your time here. Now that you thought about your audience and what they are like: How will your app add value to your customers so much so that they need to engage with it everyday.

 

 

3. Decide exactly what will your app do

With your customers, business and latest technology trends in mind, highlight the unique features and key differentiators that your app has to offer and be realistic about what you are willing to invest.

For startups: What are the competitors doing? How does their app look like? How is my app different? Why would my customers want to use my app over the competition? What is my USP? What metrics will I want to measure and therefore include in my app?

For businesses: How will my app help bring efficiencies/reduce costs/help me scale? How can I innovate existing processes?

Download our FREE App Concept Canvas. to help you plan.

4. Research your competition

Go to the Apple App store and Google Play store and check what is out there. Download any apps that appear similar to yours. Use them, study them, ask your friends to download them, too. What features do the apps have? Why are they successful/failing? What makes people want to use them?

Then think about: How are you planning to make your app different? Something to keep in mind is that if your idea is already out there is a good thing. In the startup world we call it ‘Validation’. It basically means that you can be certain that there is a need/demand for the problem you are trying to solve. The trick is to make your app better, more suitable to your audience.

5. Carefully consider your business model (or not!)

App development doesn’t come cheap so you will need to see it as an investment. Like any good investment, you must get a ROI in order to be worth your while and your business model plays a crucial role. Will your app be free? Will it have a subscription or a once-off download fee? If you are considering charging for you app, you must get it right. Price it too high, you may struggle to get people to download and use your app. Price it too low, we all know the answer. Again, you can learn from your competitors and their business model to help you decide what is currently acceptable/expected within your target market.

Why should you not consider a business model in your first app release? 

If you have an idea for an app but no existing customers, the goal of your initial app release may well be simply to gather data about your target audience and their behaviour. Take into consideration that charging a customer for a new app does create ‘friction’. If your goal is to gain data, the best approach would be to release your app for free. Having quality data often serves as the best goal to get you started and enables you to make the right decision about the appropriate business model that will maximise your revenue.

 

Now, do you feel better equiped to build your app success? We can help you. We are an Australian software development company of over 20 years, and started developing mobile apps for Australian clients like yourself around 10 years ago. We know apps: Apps for startups, business apps.  But what sets us apart is our business acumen. We are business people and entrepreneurs ourselves. Let’s chat! Get in touch for a 1-hour free consultation with our team.