I Have A Great App Idea. What Do I Do Next?

As a startup owner looking at the increment in mobile app usage, you feel that even your business needs a mobile app and come up with an app idea.

What you have now is just a desire to get a mobile app for your business. You will have to endure an insanely long process before the app is developed and launched for your customers.

But don’t worry. We at WDI can help you streamline the process, simplify certain things, and set you on the right path.

First, convert your desire into an idea. An app idea is the concept of your app in its simplest form. It will help define exactly what it is that you want with your app.

It is ideas that change the world. Having a good app idea is the key to success. But, what if we tell you that it is not even 1% of the total mobile app development process?

With an app idea, you have not even begun the process of mobile app development. First, you need to develop your idea before you develop your app.

Just having a one-line app idea is comparable to having a dream. And dreams are not real. To make your dreams come true, you need a plan of action.

Do not let this stress you. We have streamlined the entire process for you. Just follow the steps.

A one-line definition is not going to be enough. It is like saying, “I want a car.”

It says nothing about what you want aside from the fact that it is a car.

What type of car is it?

Is it a sedan, a sports car, a muscle car, etc.? Do you want it for going to the office or going offroading for a vacation? How many seats do you want? What is the price range you are planning to invest in?

This should give you an idea of why a one-line idea is not enough to get started. Start elaborating your idea bit by bit. Here are some points you need to define for your idea to be effective and actionable.

What purpose does your app serve?

Is it a ride-sharing app that will allow people to travel with a new buddy?

Is it a video-sharing platform where people can create and upload fun videos?

Is it an editing app where content creators can edit their photos or videos?

Get a clear understanding of what your app is supposed to do. Then research whether that functionality will solve problems. How will it help people?

Find answers to these questions. That will help you create a better plan of action.

But do not restrict it to just yourself. Go and talk to your friends. Ask them what their honest opinion is regarding your idea. Do not go directly to your employees, as they will most likely not give you their honest opinion.

You do not have to create some artwork. But, you should know what the app will look like.

What colors will be used in the app?

What type of font do you expect to use?

How many sections will there be?

What features does the app require?

How is the user supposed to interact with the app?

Answering these questions will help you get a clearer picture of your app.

You must know what it is that you want in the end.

You can be extremely confident about your idea, but that is limited to you.

If you are going to spend a ton of money on your app, you must be sure that it has the potential to stand out in the market.

Do a little research on the market demands. See if people are facing any problems that your app will be able to solve. Is it something that people need so badly that they will download your app?

Unless you are getting a confident yes, do not move ahead with your idea. Do some more research on your idea and see what you can improve.

You might develop the best app in your niche, but if no one downloads it, sorry to say it, but all your efforts go down the drain.

You cannot impress everyone with your application. It must be made with a purpose in mind.

Find the people that will benefit from your app’s services. If you are directly transferring your offline business to the app, the target group of your app is going to be the same as your business in most cases. But, it is still better to do separate audience research for your app as we are talking about a different world in itself.

If you are trying something new, you cannot afford to skip audience research as it will help you plan your marketing campaign for the app.

Here are some things you must know about your target audience.

Find out which gender is more likely to use your app. This will help you to specify your ad campaigns to a great extent.

For most apps, there will not be much imbalance in gender. But, if you are choosing a niche like makeup or men’s grooming, deciding your gender becomes a priority.

You cannot expect kids to use a stock exchange app.

Identifying what age group will use your app will help you refine your marketing strategies. You can precisely select the channels that will reach that particular age group.

Some apps are developed only for professionals working in a specific field.

An agriculture portal will only be used by farmers and wholesalers.

A project management app will be limited to corporates and service providers.

An education app will be used by students.

Some apps are made for people affiliated with a certain passion. A drawing app will mostly be used by artists.

A music portal will be used by musicians and music lovers.

A fitness app will be used by fitness enthusiasts.

If your app is niche-specific, consider who will use it. Even inside your niche, there will be sub-categories that you should understand.

If you are creating an app for classical music, you have to refine your marketing channels even further.

These were just a few pointers to help you understand how to do audience research.

You must have a clear image of what your ideal client will be.

What type of clothes will the client wear?

What type of device will the client use?

What food will the client like?

This might seem like over analyzing, but answering the questions above will help you take your app directly to your target audience.

Before entering an area, you should know who you are fighting with and prepare accordingly, unless you want to bite the dust. Competitor analysis is a must, not only for developing your app but also for marketing it.

Here are some things you should look out for while doing competitor analysis.

While doing competitor research for your startup, you must have created a list of your competitors. Find out which one of them has a mobile app.

Scrutinize their mobile apps and see what they are offering through them.

What technology are they using to create the app?

What is the design they are implementing?

What features are they offering?

How are they marketing their app?

And the biggest question of them all…

What can you do better?

Unless you are developing an app that is a level ahead of them, people will not download it. At least try to do something different, or else your app will be nothing but a clone among an army of clones.

Competitors do not include just businesses. After analyzing your competing startups, find out the best apps in your niche.

Analyze them in and out, and see what are the things they are doing that resulted in their success.

Find out the reasons why people prefer to use those apps. Do a case study on that.

Look at the features they are offering and try to implement those.

Then find out their drawbacks. These are the loopholes you can cover and make your app the better choice.

Digital marketing is the key to success in the digital world. Even a subpar mobile app can become successful with the right marketing.

Research how your competitors are marketing their apps.

What are the platforms they are promoting it on?

How much are they roughly spending on their ad campaigns?

How are they attracting leads through their ads?

What is their call to action?

Finding the answers to these questions will help you to create a better marketing strategy for your mobile app.

This is not relevant if you are creating a non-profit app. But if you intend to generate income through your app, pricing becomes the most important factor after marketing to influence your success.

You may feel that you are offering the best price for your services, but an analysis of your competitors will tell you otherwise.

Unless you are offering something revolutionary, people will go for the cheapest services.

Look at the cost of the in-app purchases your competitors are offering. Try to keep your pricing in the same range unless you are confident that your services are miles ahead of them or your marketing is bang on so that people will buy them.

Researching all of these above points will help you to know where your app will stand in the market and what things you can improve upon to get success.

Now that all the preparations are done, it is time for you to plan on how to create an app.

You have multiple pathways to take from here. You can hire a freelancer, get a full-stack in-house team, or use software like Appypie.

But, the best path to take is to hire a mobile app development company. It will help you get your app ready in no time and take all the stress off your shoulders.

You can read our detailed blog on the same here: How a Mobile App developer can help you to kick start your business

If you want to do it by yourself, here is what you need to do.

Based on your requirements, find out the best technology for your app. Then you will have to hire mobile app developers who have expertise in using that technology.

You need to be extremely confident about your technology. In case you feel like changing it, you will have to fire your current mobile app developers and hire new ones.

A wireframe is a raw design concept for your app. It defines what your app will look like, where the buttons and elements will be placed, how the user will interact with the app, and many other things.

A prototype is created based on the wireframes. It is a more refined version of the wireframe. Consider it like a blueprint for your app.

A prototype is interactive and will give you a clear idea of what your app will be like once developed.

You will have to hire UI/UX designers to create wireframes and a prototype.

The prototype serves as a reference for the programmers who create your app.

Once the prototype is designed, your mobile app developers are ready to start developing the app.

Depending on the scope of your app, it can take anywhere between six weeks and two years to develop your app.

As you have hired new developers, it will take a lot of time for them to bond together and work as a team. You can expect to get nothing done for the first few days or weeks.

If you do not have an efficient project manager, the process will be dragged on for longer. The team will look up to you for guidance, and if you do not have the technical expertise, it will be a nightmare to guide them.

If you do not develop an MVP, you will have to wait for the complete app to be developed so that you can start your business.

So, try to develop an MVP and improve it through consistent updates.

Once the app or MVP is developed, you need to test it for bugs, errors, animation glitches, and user experience.

This ensures that the app is as perfect as possible when launched. No one likes to receive negative ratings and frustrated comments after putting in months of effort and money.

After all the previous steps are completed, launch your app on the intended platforms.

If you do not market your app, no one will download it. You will need a digital marketing team that will get your app to its intended audience.

Here are some things you need to do under digital marketing.

Once you launch the app, you have to promote it. ASO is a major part of organically promoting your app.

Just like SEO is for websites, ASO is for the App Store and the Play Store.

Create an app description that includes relevant keywords and is compelling enough for the reader to download your app.

Add attractive images that describe the features your app offers. You also get the option to add a video. Create a short and attractive video that showcases the functionalities of your app.

People do read the reviews before downloading an app, especially if it is a paid one.

After launching your app, share it with everyone. Tell your family members to download it and rate it five stars on the App Store and the Play Store.

This initial engagement can help you get a boost in search rankings and impressions.

Social media is one way you can reach your target audience. So, make the best use of it.

Research the types of posts that go viral and see if you can replicate them.

Creating a minisite is another option you can try. With informative blog posts, you can attract a significant number of people to your app.

This also helps in generating a unique identity for your app.

Technology changes daily. There is a new software update or a new smartphone launched every week. You need to ensure that your app is compatible with all of them.

If your app is not functioning as intended on some devices, you are missing out on a huge customer base that uses those devices. It is very challenging considering the ton of smartphones out there, but it is necessary.

The next thing you need to do is check the feedback you have received through your app or through the Play Store and App Store.

See if people are reporting any bugs. Fix those bugs as soon as possible and launch a new version of the app.

You will need a dedicated maintenance team for this.

Add new features to your app as needed. Your competitors will not waste any time improving their apps and jumping ahead of you.

You have to ensure that it does not happen. Keep improving your app and implementing the latest features to be ahead of the curve.

We hope that this blog helped you to understand how to develop your mobile app idea and how to create an app.

We understand that if you do not have the technical expertise, it will be back-breaking to manage this process by yourself.

This is where WDI can take all the burden off your shoulders. All you have to do is share your app idea with us, and we will take care of the entire mobile app development process.

We are a team of skilled mobile app developers, project managers, UI/UX designers, testers, digital marketers, and business analysts who will develop your app from scratch and bring it the success it deserves.

Contact us now and let us create something amazing!