How To Build A Mobile App In 10 Easy Steps

Why do you want to build a mobile app? Do you want to ride the wave of other successful app developers, or did you come across a problem that you feel you can help solve? Answering this question will help determine whether your app is successful or not.

Step 1: Think of an idea or a problem. If you already have an app idea, move onto step two. If not, continue reading here. Want to build an app but don’t have an app idea? What you really need to think about are problems that people face, and they’re everywhere!

Successful entrepreneurs solve problems in a way that we could not have imagined. When you evaluate things, every product and service you use was created to help solve a problem. Check out this timeline list of inventions – all a result of making life more efficient and solving a problem. While your idea may not change the world, does it solve a problem?

The key is to look for problems in your daily life and list each one of them. Once you have brainstormed your ideas to a list, no matter how crazy, begin to evaluate how you can resolve them and shortlist the ones that make most sense.

Step 2: Identify your need. Validation will prove a useful tool to determine if a demand exists for your app. You can validate your idea by utilizing the Google Keyword Planner tool, and see the number of people seeking out what you’re trying to do. You could also build a landing page that highlights your app idea and seek user interest through an email signup on the page. Feedback is essential. Propose the idea to your family and/or friends and see if it is something they support.

Step 3: Begin thinking of how your App will flow and what features it will have. Validation of your app idea means that you’ve got something that people are interested in. Now is the time to write down in detail your product information, or if you want to go the extra mile, use a wireframing tool to help storyboard the App. Using a mobile app development company, such as The Appineers, can guide you in this step. If you are new the mobile app development world, having the right expertise at this stage is crucial.

Include as many details as possible when putting your idea down on paper. Include the flow of how the user will navigate the app as well as all the features you’d like to see included. This helps your developer to clearly understand your expectations.

Step 4: Remove non-core features. From the flow and features document you have prepared, start evaluating which features that you can remove. It’s important to offer only the core value of your app idea. The first version build should not include features that are nice to have, as these features can always be added later as an update. This helps to keep the initial costs of development down and helps you get to market faster.

Step 5: Make design a priority. Many entrepreneurs state they want a very basic design and want to focus on just getting an app to market. This is the wrong approach to take! Design is not just about how your app will look, it’s also about how a user will experience your app. Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures best explains it: “Design is a way of making technology useful.” So look for a developer who puts design (user experience and graphics) first.

Step 6: Hire a designer/developer. Find a development company that has great design talent and a solid development team. When hiring a developer, go online to check their reviews and look at the apps that they have created. If you enjoy an app they created from their portfolio, chances are they will be a good fit for your product. The Appineers is a development company that specializes in building relationships. First time developers feel comfortable and are surprised by the minimum pricing entry point. This is a good way to find out if it is a good fit for you and the development company before moving forward into more detail.

Step 7: Create developer accounts. In order to sell your App in the various App stores platforms, you must register for a developer account with the respective app stores. Google’s Android charges $25 a year and Apple charges $99 annually. You have the option of registering as an individual or as a company, if you already have established one.

Step 8: Integrate analytics into your App. Analytics help you track downloads, user engagement and retention for your mobile app. Make sure you use tools such as Flurry, which is available for free, and Localytics, that has a free and paid version.

Step 9: Get feedback quickly and improvise. Once your app goes live on the app store, the first set of customers’ usage and behavior will give you insight into how to improve and better your app. Improvements and changes are constant with an App, so make sure you are constantly monitoring user feedback and keep updating.

Step 10: Introduce new features. You built version one with select initial features and only the core offering. Now is the time to assess and introduce the remaining features that were left out in the initial build. You will know through analytics and feedback whether the features are relevant to your App community.

These steps are a guideline to building your app in the most effective manner based on our experience. Once you’re ready to start, you must also know that building a mobile app is the easiest part. Getting customers to download it is where the real challenge lies.