How to Turn an App Idea Into Reality

Everything starts as an idea. Some of the finest technologies that we are using today are products of brilliant software application ideas. However, the transition from an idea to something tangible is not a walk in the park. There are specific processes and standards to be followed.

From market research to app design, development, testing, and marketing, you’ll need to adhere to the industry’s best practices to succeed. Here are some guidelines to help transform your app idea into reality.

Put Your Idea on Paper

Conceptualizing your idea starts by jotting down notes. Write whatever comes to your mind, particularly the features you want. This will help you concentrate and expand on your idea. It will also be useful when you have a discussion with designers or developers because they will certainly inquire about your feature list. Just make sure you ask them to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) before sharing the list.

Note that the features must be popular, in demand, and unique as they will play a crucial role in the success of your app. Here are some of the must-have features for any modern application:

• search option
• offline capability
• multi-platform compatibility
• social media integration
• user feedback
• intuitive design for multiple screen sizes.

Conduct Thorough Market Research

Is your app idea innovative enough? Or is it just a copy of someone else’s? In general, your idea should solve a particular problem or address a specific need. If it does, then it’s a good indication to move forward and begin building further.

Doing a comprehensive market research will help you identify trends and scout the competition. If there are similar apps out there, take note of their ratings, reviews, feedback, and what they are missing then integrate the missing elements into your app. This will give you an edge over all the other apps that bear a resemblance to the one you’re planning to build.

Identify Your Target Audience/Users

One of the key aspects of crystalizing your idea into a fully functional app is locking onto your target audience. You have to define your intended users and classify them based on common demographics such as age, gender, location, language, education, occupation, etc.

Once you have a clear understanding of your prospective audience, you will be able to cater to their needs, meet their expectations, and attain a high level of satisfaction. It’s like tailoring your app to your users’ requirements, which is of paramount importance because in the end, it will be ‘them’ who will take your app to the pinnacle.

Pick a Platform

When it comes to mobile app development, there are two main platforms to consider: Android and iOS. Globally, they are the undisputed leaders in terms of mobile OS market share. Both platforms offer excellent development options, but in the end your choice will boil down to your in-depth understanding of your target users. Their geographical location is a huge factor to take into serious consideration.

The map below shows that iOS is the way to go if your target audience resides in United States, Canada, Western Europe, Japan, and Australia. On the other hand, Android enjoys a wider global coverage as it dominates markets in Central and South America, Africa, China, India, Russia, the Middle East, and other parts of Europe.

This distribution of mobile OS usage provides crucial insight as to which platform you should use depending on your target audience’s location. But aside from geographical location, other essential variables to consider include user behavior, app design, features, device support, budget, and monetization. All of these will influence your choice of platform in different ways.

Create a Rough Sketch/Wireframe

This is something that you may not have done before, or you may not even know how to go about. However, having a rough sketch and a wireframe will help you refine the requirements of your app. You can draw a rough sketch with a paper and pencil, and use online tools to create a wireframe.

A wireframe is a two-dimensional schematic diagram that includes all the information about the placement of buttons, images, and text on a page. It serves as a visual layout and shows how your app will work. It also helps in avoiding common mistakes in the design and development process, saving you precious time and money. A good wireframe will help you understand how the app will benefit your target audience.

Finalize and Complete the UI/UX

After accomplishing most of the groundwork, you can start looking for a reliable app development company that can build your app in an efficient and cost-effective way. You should collaborate closely with them about the branding and design of your app. Then they can go on to develop the wireframe. Upon completion, you can have them finalize the user interface (UI) / user experience (UX) design of the app.

UI refers to the visual interface elements that users interact with, while UX is about the experience they have with the app. UI focuses on the aesthetic components like colors, typography, menu bars, etc., while UX focuses on users and their subjective experience with the app.

Be extra meticulous about the UI/UX as studies reveal that better UI can raise your app’s conversion rate by as much as 200%, while better UX design can provide conversion rates of up to 400%.

Quality Assurance and Beta Testing

During the development process, check your app every week and provide feedback to the developer. Check for quality assurance (QA) as this will help you control the quality, cost, timeline, and determine if your app needs any refinement or modification.

More importantly, QA will allow you to make sure that your app will work flawlessly. The last thing you want is to disappoint the prospective users. According to a study, crashes or installation errors are the top reasons why most people delete apps after installing them.

Beta testing the app will let you identify and fix any potential issues or bugs. You will also be able to get real-world exposure and determine how your app will perform in the hands of actual users. You want them to consistently use the app over an extended period and gather detailed feedback about their experience.

Launch the App with a Blast

Once you’re done with QA and testing, prepare to launch your app and submit it to your preferred app store(s). At this stage you’ll need to leverage all that you’ve learned during the development process: market research, identification of target audience, branding, keyword research, etc. Apply all these to build interest and online presence for your app.

Once your app is up and running, you must implement your post-launch marketing campaign. Depending on your budget, there are multiple ways to do this. You may consult an app marketing expert or do self marketing. You can spread awareness through social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can also do it organically by optimizing for the app stores and search engines.

Parting Words...

Considering the aforementioned points, you can definitely take the right steps in order to turn your app idea into reality. The crucial part is the conceptualization of your idea and its relevance to your target audience. Always keep the end users in mind and strive to provide as much value as possible to them.