The cell phone is nowadays an essential tool. In the world, nearly 1 person out of 3 owns a smartphone. In France, the combination of smartphone and tablet creates new expectations among consumers, most often focused on immediacy, ease of use and abundance of supply. The mobile App meets these criteria and offers features that are highly appreciated by the population.
Why create a mobile app?
Creating a mobile App from A to Z answers an evolution linked to the digital revolution.
The continuous growth of the mobile App market
This is a market that has been enjoying incredible growth for the past few years. The reasons for this are on the one hand the high penetration rate of smartphones, virtual reality and connected objects that involve the use of mobile apps.
A very large number of connections are made on the Internet and many studies indicate sales figures of around $110 billion in 2021. We find the interest for game apps, creative apps for photos or videos…
The e-commerce is positioned on this evolution and expects a strong push on the app market in the years to come.
Receive compensation
The paid mobile app is a bit like the Holy Grail. The amount of possible income is very large. There are 4 types of apps that generate revenue.
- The paid app with a subscription payment,
- The in-app payment which corresponds to the purchase of services. By purchasing a service, the user initiates a service that the application will provide (example: the user buys lives for a game application),
- E-commerce corresponds to the purchase of physical goods through an application,
- Advertising is another type of mobile App that will create revenue. The more your app is downloaded and used, the more offers you will get from advertisers to whom you can sell space on your screens and displays.
You have a mobile app creation project
You want to create a mobile App from A to Z, you’ll have to put your ideas in order to realize your project in the best conditions.
Study your resources ?
We won’t talk about budget in this section, but about human resources. Who will take care of the development?
Whoever is chosen should be motivated and have some knowledge of development, i.e. :
- Web culture
- Graphic design
- Code and integration concepts
- Some basics in UX and usability
- …
Identify what your customer needs
In this mission, you must realize your personas. Highlight the typical profile of your customers or prospects.
It is important to know who you are going to address in order to set up an adapted application, with high added value compared to your competition.
This part is a bit long, but very interesting and especially necessary. Analyze your competitors. Download the applications, test them and note everything that could be improved.
IMPORTANT: Take a close look at the reviews, that’s where you can pick and choose from to build a powerful tool. Find out what features users miss, and what they like.
Write down the goals you want to achieve with your mobile app
Not everyone creates a mobile App for the same reasons. To be sure to reach your goals, you must first define them:
- Do you want to build customer loyalty?
- Do you want to acquire new customers?
- Do you want to show a brand image at the forefront of innovation
- …
Only you can define your objectives. This is important, because the features you will develop will have a direct link with these choices.
App budget
Creating a mobile App from scratch can have a significant cost depending on whether you decide to develop it internally or if you call upon a web agency. You also have the possibility to contact a “freelance” who can offer cheaper solutions because he has no structure to manage. In the prices, are included
- Development
- Design
- Communication
- Maintenance
- and more depending on the contract.
Determine the business model for your mobile App
This part will be directly related to the goals you want to follow. There are several possible models:
- Free mobile App
Also called “freemium”. It offers basic functionalities for free and proposes more advanced and paying functionalities. It is a very present model on the market, because people can test before going further. This is reassuring.
There is also the application with advertising. It is the ads that pay the person who created the app.
- Paid mobile App.
Unless your brand is already really popular, to launch a paid app, you need to plan a substantial budget, because you will have to demonstrate the interest of your tool without going through the test phase…
Press inserts and commercials quickly increase the costs.
Start by setting up your project, budget and see!
Steps to create a mobile App
The first part of the creation of your mobile App is over, you can now enter the heart of the matter. Whether you choose to create a native or hybrid application, on iOS or Android, the principle remains the same. The choice of platform will obviously influence the development and publication stages of your application. But to design it, the steps are the same whatever the platform.
Specifications
As with any project, it’s important to start at the beginning and write your specifications. This is a crucial step in the creation of your mobile App, but one that may seem laborious.
It should include:
- The presentation of the subject
- Information about your company
- Information about your products, services
- Your target audience
- Detail the features you want to develop
- What is the chosen business model
- Talk about your competitors
- Point out the constraints
- Indicate your budget and the time frame you would like to achieve.
- …
Now, let’s go to the development part: Follow the guide!
mobile App prototyping
This is the incomplete design part of the app. It is a step that must be used to test the use before the final realization. It is a kind of interactive model. It will be used to check the useful or not functionalities among other things.
UX and graphic design
The graphic design used for the interface of your mobile app is important, because it is likely to make the success or not of your project. You must establish a graphic charter and then choose a UX design adapted to your project and your target.
To know: The term UX (User eXperience) refers to the experience that the user has regarding an interface, a tablet, a service … In the field of mobile App, we use more commonly UX design to name the quality of the user experience regarding the application interface.
Development time
This is the part that may give you the most difficulty. The time for development has come. It is a tedious part that requires attention and some knowledge. Use the Agile mode by implementing the User Story Map technique. It is a technique that gives you the possibility to launch your application with the basic functionalities, to test it with the public and then to bring the useful functionalities.
Track the performance of your application
Tracking for mobile apps gives you the ability to analyze your users’ behaviors and track your app’s performance. Before launching your mobile app to the general public, get a tracking tool like Google Analitic or Mobile App Analytics GA to analyze the EX and customer journey.
Testing
This is also called the beta version. It is intended for users who are used to buying anything new, or for your brand ambassadors. It gives you the opportunity to identify problems and other friction points that people who use your mobile App encounter.
Get your app certified by download platforms
When you are looking for a mobile App, your first instinct is to go to a Play Store or App Store. That’s why it’s important to offer your application in order to try to get it listed on their stores.
Promote your mobile App
You have developed your application. You are proud of it and it seems to be well done. If no one knows about it, it may not be as successful as you hoped. Communication is very important. Find ways to promote your application and encourage users to go further in its use.
There are many ways to launch your application. Here are some of them:
The must-have channel of our time. Deploy your communication on networks such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter… depending on the target you want to reach.
The landing page is a place where people arrive once they click on an external link. This type of page can be created to realize a newsletter, but also a communication information. In the case of your application, you could create this page to explain the operation and features of your mobile App.
Get in touch with journalists who can conduct an interview with you. This allows you to talk about your app.
You can use advertising campaigns (social networks, posters…) to gain visibility.
Tip: Don’t waste time by spreading yourself too thinly over all the channels. It may not be as productive as expected. Analyze your target and select the right promotional tools.
Our tip to create a mobile App from scratch
Consider testing your app in the market. You can do this by launching your application quickly and analyzing the results. Depending on the choice of the store on which you will publish your application, the Apple Store for iOs or the Play Store for Android, the target will not be quite the same.
Ask users for feedback. Feedback is very important and will allow you to modify your app so that the UX is the best possible.
You will be able to develop missing features as you get feedback from users.
Whether they turn out to be positive or negative, reviews are a great source to improve your mobile app and make it a success.
Finally, offer regular updates. This allows you to improve the app, to correct problems.