Building an app is not a complex task these days. Even without any in-depth knowledge about the native and cross-platform frameworks that exist, one can create practical and resourceful apps from scratch with tools like PhoneGap. However, an entrepreneur who wants to change the game for iOS and Android users would not be satisfied with a basic app. App developers are aplenty and so are mobile apps. Yet potentially great apps might not always turn out to be successful.
A study by Statista shows that by the end of Q3 of 2018 there were over 4 million apps on the Play and App stores. The numbers are staggering, and partly the reason why a large percentage of apps fail.
- In the social networking world, Facebook is ruling at the top after acquiring its close competitors, Instagram and Whatsapp. Snapchat, however, has seen a rise in popularity, especially with the younger demographic. There are several messaging platforms that offer a fair amount of competition too. Imagine making a new messaging platform in such a market. What are the chances of success? Pretty slim, unless your idea is a real marvel.
What Can You Do To Make a Successful Mobile App?
Scoping the Field for Competitors: The first thing that an entrepreneur should think about before hiring developers is analysing the kind of competition that exists in the niche of the potential app. Researching and targeting an audience is another important step towards making a successful app. Choosing the least competitive category might not be the best idea. Risks are always there – but these big decisions, if taken wisely, set a strong foundation for the app.
Designing the Interface for an Awesome Experience: UX and UI are the next hurdles or big opportunities, depending on what you make of them, on this success journey. UX designing includes integrating relevant and easy-to-use functions in the app so that user experience is heightened. A big factor affecting UX is UI, and that’s why these terms are almost always used together. UI is the ‘User Interface’, that is, the design and layout of the app.
Many tech bloggers encourage developers to think out-of-the-box, when selecting an app design. You’ll find, however, that your app does well even when you stay inside the box and keep things balanced.
Chemistry Between Designers and Developers: With this, we move towards the next stop on the road – good cooperation and teamwork among designers and developers. A beautiful mobile app design can go down the drain if the developer is not in sync with it. The designer would have to hand over the layout, layers, and screens of the app to the coder to make them functional. Without clear and adequate communication, there is a big chance of the app going wrong. Mistakes are expensive in the development stage. Therefore, make sure that your team works in harmony.
Responding to Feedback and Being Flexible: Once your app is released into the wild, there is still work remaining to be done. Your testers might have cleared it for consumption, but the real feedback comes from the general masses – your target audience. And you must pay attention to them. There are metrics that show how successful your app is. The main ones are ratings, reviews, and the number of downloads. These statistics are present there for the people to see. On top of that, they are the only ones who have control over these metrics. So many things to keep in mind when you get back a critical review that suggests you need to make changes in your app.
Take your users seriously. Or at least try to make them feel that you do, especially with the stupid ones.
The success of your app doesn’t always rest in your hands. There are factors beyond your control that could either make your app soar in popularity very quickly or, God forbid, cause it to stagnate. Apart from those factors, why don’t you make the most of what lies in your control? Good intentions, combined with a great product and efficient marketing, have shaped leading apps into what they are now. There is no reason why yours can’t be next.
Hussain Fakhruddin
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