FAQs for App Development Beginners

If you are creating a mobile app for the very first time, you may have a few questions about the process. 

Here are some the most frequently asked questions:

The idea

Most people come up with one idea that they want to pursue, but if you have many ideas, then you should not limit yourself. Many successful businesses have succeeded by following multiple ideas.

Prototyping 

Start by putting your idea down on paper as soon as possible. Search for good prototyping tools on the web and create an in depth, screen by screen prototype of your app. One of the most popular prototyping tools for app designers is inVISION, but there are many others available too.

App Development

Once you are clear about all the requirements, decide whether you want to develop the app yourself or outsource the work. If you are developing the app yourself, you need to learn app development. 

Outsourcing vs In-house development

If you are not developing the app yourself, then you will need to also think about whether you want to make the app in-house or outsource and in case of outsourcing, you need to find choose a company that can do the design and development. A few of the most popular products out there were outsources in their preliminary stage and then brought in house. Examples include fab.com, Alibaba, Digg and Skype. 

Go to market

The best way to know if the customers will like your app is to get to the marketplace fast with a prototype. Don't wait around to make a complete app with all the current features.

Native or Hybrid app

Next you will need to decide if you want to develop a native or hybrid app. Native apps offer the best performance and use the native capabilities of your device. Their cost of development is also higher because of the specialised skills required. In the every app is different and you will need to weigh the pros and cons of each approach and see which works best for you.

Milestones

Make sure you have a milestone and try and keep the cost down initially. Your aim should be to get your product in the hands of the customers as soon as possible. Once there is traction and continuos demand for your product, you can bring the development and maintenance in house. 

Monetisation Strategy

Decide early on how you are going to monetise your app. Will your app be free or paid? Alternatively you may monetise through advertising or in-app purchases. Subscription is also an option and is recommended for news, books and music apps.

App Submission

If you are submitting your app to the Apple App Store, then you need to register as a developer and pay a $99 annual fee. To submit Android apps, you need to pay $25, which  allows you to submit unlimited number of apps for life.

App Marketing

While the app store search engine will help people find your app, it certainly is not enough.

Here are some other things you can do to market your app: 

Get third party endorsements. Reviews from technology bloggers also help spread the news about your app. You must also try and secure press coverage.

Feedback

Once your app has been submitted, you will need to gather feedback from the users and improve your app accordingly. This is made possible by using analytics tools such Flurry and 

Once your app is in the hands of your customers, you will need to get their feedback and improve the app features accordingly. When developing the app, ensure app analytics such a Flurry and Google Analytics for Mobile apps.

Getting started with small business app development

Developing a mobile app has turned from an option into a requirement. Especially in this day and age where everyone is constantly on their phones, mobile apps are necessary for any business. However with the millions of apps standing out is tough. Understanding the crowded marketplace and creating a massive following is a challenge and here are some general tips, guides, and suggestions on creating and maintaining a successful mobile app.

1. Find the right mobile app developer and designer

Creating an app isn't as hard as it was 6-7 years ago. There are many trained and experience app designer and developers who are up for the task. In addition to them, there are tons of Youtube videos that you can use to your advantage to successfully create the app you want. Additionally, you will find many blogs posts and forums such as Reddit, that will give you helpful advice. Depending on the route you decide to take, this can range between $200-$2000USD: stated by pcmag.com. Speaking of money, here is the second tip you should know.

2. Know your budget

When deciding to create their first mobile app, small businesses don't know the correct budget. Most small business owners don't have a clue on how much certain features cost or how much money should be charged depending on complexity. Consequently, most are overcharged and never know; it's a priority to do research on how much certain features should cost so you won't be scammed out of your money.  A lack of knowledge of the technical aspects of app development is the gravest mistake a small business can make. Software developers and designers will take advantage of this faux pas and overcharge you for some of the simplest features to input. 

3. Know your requirements

Having a well-constructed idea of what you want and most importantly what you need, will not only help you but communicate with designers so they can create your perfect application. This is why it is important to know and research the cost of making an app and the various features it might have.   the idea of doing research on the expenses of creating an app. This can save you both time and money.

4. Know how to maintain the app.

Knowing the basics of maintaining a functional server is important, in the unfortunate case of a server crash or an unexpected hack. You don't have to be a database expert to know how to reconnect your SQL servers but it does require some knowledge. Knowing how to govern your app, and keep it running smoothly, will have to be solved by you sometimes. It isn't for certain that your app team will be available and sometimes you will have to solve problems for yourself. This is why having some in house technical knowledge is important.

5. Make a Profit.

Most apps don't break even, believe it or not and small business apps have a hard time generating a profit. Considering this, knowing your targeted market and why they will find your app useful is important. Do your research and be sure that people will find a real use for your app. In addition, make sure they will pay money for the operation of your app that is connected to your small business. Even if you can't sell something on your app, be certain that the app will generate buzz around your small business.

6. Choose the right platform

Choosing between iOS or Android depends on your targeted demographic. Android applications users are more global but there is more fragmentation and a large range of devices at different costs while iOS devices are all expensive. While you might get more engagement with an Android app, iOS users tend to pay more for apps. It's pretty safe to say that iOS generate s more revenue than Android. If that does not convince you, creating an iOS app is cheaper than developing for Android. Obviously, developing on the iOS platform is 10x smarter and more economical than Android. So when is it smart to use Android? Only develop on Android if you want to target more users as it has a much larger global market share. 

One great article to better understand which to choose from is http://savvyapps.com/blog/android-vs-ios-which-platform-to-build-for-first. 

Conclusion

Creating an app that will generate you a profit for your small business isn't easy, but following these steps will guarantee you success in your business venture. Good luck brave entrepreneur and enjoy the journey!

5 Things to know before developing your first Android App

We are advancing into a technological era where every other upcoming technology is more improved than the previous one. A new technology is born every second and so is the case with mobile apps. Unless and until, the app has unique features, it will not rank up in the search results in the app store. There are 5 things you should know before developing your first Android app:

Add a hint of uniqueness to your idea

The idea behind the app should be one of its kind. There are many apps launched every hour that resemble the existing apps but they do not necessarily get popular amongst the users. The essence is to address the users’ requirement through the unique concept. There are many online resources that offer exceptional ideas for developing unique Android apps.

Get app store optimised

One of the biggest challenges that app developers face is the ranking of apps in search results of the app store. With hundreds and millions of apps launching every day, the popular ones tend to stay up on the ranking while others go unnoticed. For beginners it is necessary to work out on their app store optimisation (ASO) strategies. The icon, visuals, reviews and the name of app should all be focused upon carefully. Insert suitable keywords and visuals to enhance the presentation of the app. Use other popular ASO techniques to grab the attention of your target audience instantly. 

Compare your app with the rest in your category

It is important for a developer to compare and contrast the app with all the rest in the category/genre on Google Play. This is a good way of minimising the risk of possible errors in the apps and improving the versions according to the technological advancements. Consequently this will also improve the rating and reviews of users which will enhance the app store optimisation and boost the ranking.

Choose the right time for launching your mobile app 

For beginners it is important to set a time for launching the android app. A good time for usually launching apps is either the holiday season or in summers. People are usually free during this time and busy with casual browsing. Thus it is best to launch an app during the time when people are looking for fresh apps to fulfil their needs. Developers can also take it as an advantage to upgrade their existing apps so as to attract a fresh wave of users. 

Go viral with your app

There is nothing illegal in purchasing some downloads from third-party websites to make your app go viral. If you believe in your product and think that it may expedite the process – then it may be fruitful for the long-term. All you need is to make sure that the downloads you purchase improve the quality and help you in optimising for right keywords. Furthermore, you may also need to bring in your creativity to work, design interactive ads using video, graphics and audio resources to generate hefty revenues. 

App Store Optimisation (ASO)

With over 2 million apps over major app stores finding your app in the sea of various apps is one of the biggest challenges faced by the developers. This is where mobile App Store Optimisation (ASO) becomes an important step during the app development process. For users’ accessibility your app should rank amongst the top search results through suitable keywords. Before structuring your ASO there are certain things that need improvement. Here is a comprehensive guide to making an improved app store strategy that will perform exceptional results.

Know Your Areas

Mobile app marketing has various features that play a significant role in building up the ASO strategy. These strategies includes digital marketing on social media, digital ad campaigns and content marketing including blogs and promotional content. The essential key here is to maintain a good relationship with an expert blogger so as to save time and deliver your message to your target audience.

Choice of Keywords

Better selection of words can take the mobile app on top of search engine results. However, certain keywords which are not suitable for usage so it is better to research ahead of time and carefully chose the appropriate keywords. Moreover, there are many websites that have a good collection of keywords and recommends you the suitable ones for your app genre. 

Choose Aesthetically Appealing Visuals

High quality visuals always improve the search experience, it may be for web search or a mobile app search. Images with premium quality and better resolution stop the user at your app rather than scrolling past it. Another very important aspect is the usage of correct and visually viable images for the apps. Use of unethical images will certainly generate negative user feedback and it is more probable that your app shall step down in the search result ranking.  

Change with the Transforming Marketplace

It is most necessary for a developer to upgrade his/her app according to the changing marketing techniques. Updating your app in terms of better pictures, review and icons when compared to the competitor app. updating the app according to the changing trends will increase the chances of downloading the apps. 

Off-site Factors

Not all the factors affecting the ASO depend upon the internal marketing. Certain off-site factors are controlled via external promotions. The external promotions directly correlates the search result ranking as a huge off-site factor. Thus better marketing of the app may also result in increased download which consequently result in rising search result ranking.

Rating and Reviews

Do ratings and reviews actually affect the app store optimisation? Indeed, the app store optimisation is affected by nature of ratings and reviews at large. Rating and reviews have a direct relationship with downloads of the app. Bad reviews result in a negative impact on the users while reviews that portray an enjoying experience gives an impression that is sure to welcome other downloads. 

Avoid Common Errors

Lastly, errors that can make all efforts end in vain should be omitted. Common blunders like usage of unrelated keywords and excessively using punctuation to fill the keyword space in app store should be avoided. Moreover, grammatical and spelling errors should also be omitted as it may never let your app climb up the ladder of search ranking. 

Learning a new language with Babbel

If you want to start the new year off learning a new language, apps such as Babbel provide interactive teaching that you can use on your smartphone. 

2015 has seen these kinds of apps finally reach their potential, incorporating the latest technology with well researched and developed learning techniques.

iOS Versus Android

Every system has its own pros and cons depending on the choice of their users and the features that would work better for them as compared to others.With the advent of technology, the usage of smart phones has become excessive and over the past few years, a variety of changes have been witnessed with respect to the facilities provided by the operating systems to the user. When a user is looking to buy a smart phone, it is a tough task to determine which operating systems would be feasible to them and what they are more likely to benefit from. 

Out of a number of mobile operating systems, iOS and Android are two of the major systems that are highly in demand and are still growing as each day passes. With the introduction of iOS 9.0, in the presence of Android 5.0, these mobile operating systems are growing continuously. 

With new software operations coming up for Apple as well as Android, the debate between these two operating systems has become a heated one. Although Android has been efficient in introducing new technology and iOS has been featuring better design elements, but it all boils down to the individual choice of the users when it comes to choosing between the two. Though Apple’s iPhones and tablets have always beaten Android over market sales, Android provides its users with cheaper Apps that can be downloaded from numerous sources. Here are a few things to avoid while developing iOS apps.

Despite the amount of convenience, this makes the Android device more threatened and vulnerable.The features provided by Android are without a doubt more customised but users that have been on iOS for a couple of years may feel really addicted to Apple and may find it hard to shift. Apple not only provides a minimalist design but also an aesthetic one and we can see as new software have been coming up, how more efforts are being put into its designs for better user interaction experience. Both Android and iOS have tried their own ways of integrating multitasking in their Operating systems.

 Android has tried to follow Apples path with its latest design aesthesis, incorporated in the latest version of Android called Lollipop. Both operating systems are making improvements by making their designs finger and touch friendly.In comparison, iPhones are fairly easy to use and are user friendly. We present some other differences between iOS and Android. 

Safety

When operating an android phone, one has to be aware of the viruses and hacks that are unprotected from attack. However, all Apps created by Apple for the iPhone are rigorously tested before they are put into play. The App Store is secure and tightly controlled by the operating managers in order to avoid threats. 

Fragmentation

Where on one hand, iOS users may not even be familiar with the word ‘’fragmentation’’ Android App users have to wait for the new updates to be available on their smart phones in case their hardware manufacturers decide to make the upgrade available. 

Maps

Despite all the bugs that were pointed out for the maps that are provided by iOS, a number of fixes have been made to improve performance. However, Android makes use of Google Maps that provides directions for their users whether they are travelling by bus, a car, or even a boat.