How should I plan my app development project?
Planning an app development project can be one of the most challenging tasks due to its impact on the overall success of the business and ROI. To plan an app, there are several phases one should take into consideration for the best returns. Here’s a list of phases involved in the process of building a mobile app.
1. Researching the target market
The very first phase of the app development process should include understanding your target market. Find the problem you can solve by researching the market, exploring technologies, targeting consumers, competitors, etc. Researching the target market will help you find information that can help you build user-centric apps. Here are some details you should consider gathering through the research process-
-What is the average income level of your target user group?
-What problems are existing in the market that you can target and solve and have expertise in?
-Are there any competitors already targeting this market? If yes, how successful they are, and what gaps they have left unattended?
-What is the tech literacy level of potential users in the target market?
2. Planning the app design
The planning part of the app development process focuses on several phases including finalizing the design of the app, number of features, UX strategy, etc. You need to pick color contrasts that keep users engaged, plan a logo that is easy to remember, find a tagline that explains your brand, etc.
Making sure that the app design is able to keep users engaged is crucial as it might impact the engagement rate of your apps’ users. A report by SmallBizGenius suggests that a better UI can raise the conversion rate of your website by 200% and can help you build a loyal user group.
3. Choose your tech stack
The next phase of building your app requires you to pick the tech stack that can help you convert your vision into a fully functional product. Your tech stack will vary depending on the kind of app design you have picked, the kind of features you want to integrate, and the kind of services you want to provide.
For instance, if you are planning to offer users a personalized experience, your app will require technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning in your tech stack. These technologies can track user behavior and provide users with personalized recommendations of products and services that they might find useful but did not know about.
The tech stack should also focus on tools that you will use for testing your app. App testing tools, depending on the kind you are using, will influence the quality of your app. Alternatives of automated app testing tools, manual app testing tools are traditional but take more time and effort.
However, automated app testing tools check the app’s compatibility with several operating systems and smartphone configurations faster to identify how the app will react once it is deployed on several kinds of devices that are existing in the modern market. Developers are also using smart app development and testing tools like ChatGPT which can detect bugs in codes and guide developers to get rid of them.
4. Pick a budget
Once the planning of design, tech stack, and app strategy is done, it is time for you to pick a budget that you can smoothly afford. This budget will cover the hourly costs of the app development company in Seattle you are hiring along with additional costs such as licensing, costs of tools, taxes, etc. To calculate your tentative app development cost easily, you can use a simple formula. The formula is:
(Number of hours that will go into building the app x per-hour cost of hiring the app development company) + Additional costs = Total costs of building the app
5. Find the right app development company
Now comes the part for which you are exploring this list of app development companies in Seattle. The report covers names of app developers from the city along with their introduction, per-hour costs, tech expertise, and more. To find the right app development company that understands your vision and helps you build an app-like product, you will need to use the filters we discussed above. Additionally, do not forget to brainstorm your app so you can figure out whether there is a way to go for better planning or if the app development company you are considering has the capability to build your app.
6. Analyze your competitors
Your competitors can help you build highly productive apps. You can observe these competitors to find out what apps are doing well and what not. Analyzing your competitors can help you figure out what is working for your competitors and what is not so you can frame effective app development strategies and get the best ROI by taking these tactics into consideration.
7. Forming the best app marketing strategy
The app marketing strategy of an app is just as crucial as the app development strategy. The marketing strategy helps your app be visible to the target app user market. Some popular app marketing strategies that you should consider are:
-Use combined opportunities of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and App Store Optimization (ASO) to popularize your app on search engines like Google and search engines of app stores like the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
-Optimize content and target keywords to help your app become more relevant for its target category. App marketers recommend using keywords in the app’s description to help search engine algorithms understand its relevancy better.
-Use affiliate marketing agencies if you want to bring traffic to your app from other sources such as websites, blogs, other apps, advertisements, etc.
-Create social media pages and use social media strategies to create hype for your app even before it’s launched in the actual market.
-Get your app listed among the top reports published by app reviewer websites. Getting your app reviewed among top apps can be a great way to bring engagement.
8. Plan app maintenance strategies as well
Even if the app development and marketing process has been initiated and now you are close to launching the app, you will have to come up with an app maintenance plan as well. The app maintenance plan focuses on resolving any possible glitch that the app might face once it is launched in the actual market.
