App development for startups: The Stepwise Process
We all know for sure that app development for startups is highly important for them to grow and beat their competition. Let's have a look at the process in a stepwise manner
- Validate Your Idea: Ideate, Pause, Rethink
We understand that it is attractive to let your creative juices flow but it is equally essential to reflect on other possibilities and not dive right in without testing the waters.
Make a list of all your potential ideas. It not only gives you an insight but provides due clarity regarding which idea to pursue.
In case you are confused whether the idea is worth giving a shot, get it validated from leading experts and see if it sparks their interest. An approach that the best mobile app consultants follow when checking the validity of your product is through a product discovery workshop. The 5 days workshop is known to have brought a number of successful startups in life.
Another tip is to never overlook other ideas. Understand that there is always a scope for improvement, and sometimes the whole process of ideation leads to new outcomes.
After finalizing which idea to pursue, make sure that you have a comprehensive understanding of the pain point and the solution you are offering.
After all, your unique idea, besides making you one of the most successful startups, is also solving a problem. This leads us to the next step.
- Detail-oriented Market research
No matter how revolutionary your idea is and how likely it is going to transform the mobile application industry, if you do not conduct a thorough market research and are not able to establish a target audience, you are bound to fail.
Understanding the market and finding a product-market fit is a prerequisite to run a successful startup. The key is to ensure you are solving real user problems and even though what you may be doing is not overtly unique, you have to find a place for yourself in the market.
Study the competitive landscape and conduct a competitor audit. Download some apps that work on similar pain points, use them personally and determine the scope for improvement.
Research on apps that failed and explore the reasons for the same.
Why? Because it eliminates the chances of failure and learning from others’ mistakes is a usual practice in the startup ecosystem.
Conducting an in-depth market research can help you find your unique value proposition and ensure that you are way ahead of your competition.
- Choose an Ideal platform
Choosing an ideal platform for your app is the next step in your mobile app development journey.
In order to decide whether your app will cater to Android, iOS, or both, you should take into account a couple of factors. The key is to research which platform is ideal for mobile startups and understand what aligns with your business idea.
According to Statista, as per the third quarter of 2019, Android users were able to choose between 2.47 million apps while Apple’s App Store offered almost 1.8 million available apps for iOS. This makes Google Play, the app store with the biggest number of available applications.
To choose a viable platform you should study factors like market share and revenue for both Android and iOS. Arriving at a conclusion would not be possible if you do not have an in-depth understanding of the respective play stores. So, carefully assess the number of downloads and revenue models for both the app stores.
- Focus on Designing an Impeccable UI/UX
One of the common elements in most successful startups is the impeccable design that the applications are made with. No matter which successful app you pick up – Instagram, Canva, Telegram – you will find intuitive design being a part of them.
The role of UI/UX design doesn’t just lie in the eye-catching appeal. The application should be usable and functional as well. Additionally, it should meet the standards set by Google Material Design and Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines.
The UI/UX design guide that we follow at Appinventiv is one that not just meets the guidelines but also solves a number of additional areas like – getting visibility, app spend time, and user retention rates.