Do you have an idea for an app that you believe can make it big? Now that there are more than 3.8 billion smartphone users globally, there’s definitely the chance for you to make that happen. However, it isn’t easy to build an app and make it successful.
You can’t start the app development process until you fully understand how to build an app. Keep reading to learn every step you need to take to bring your idea to the world.
Generate Your Idea
The first step of creating an app is to understand what you’re building. The best way to do this is by generating ideas for your app. Consider the problems that your idea will solve, the features, and what technology stacks are available.
Keep in mind that your idea does not have to be novel or unique — there are already tons of apps out there today, some more successful than others. It’s impossible to know if a particular idea will truly make it big with consumers before you put in the work needed.
The best thing you can do is create something better than your competition and do what you can to promote your app to your users.
Just remember, though, that your app needs to solve a real problem. People use apps either for entertainment or productivity. Unless you’re making a game or something else for entertainment, you’ll need to verify that people have a use for what you’re building.
Validate Your Product
Now that you have a better idea of what you’re building, you’ll need to learn what your ideal users think of your app. That means you’ll need to validate your idea by talking to your target customers.
To start this process, you’ll need to find a group of people who will use your app in real life.
If you’re launching a consumer app, start by talking to your network. Let them know that you’re building your app and ask if they would be willing to pay for your product. If you don’t have enough people in your network to get feedback, turn to online discussion forums to talk more about your idea.
If your app targets small or large businesses, you’ll need to contact company decision-makers. These customers use apps to save time or make money for their companies. They’ll know pretty quickly if they can make use of your idea.
Create Wireframes
Now that you’ve validated your idea and talked to potential users, it’s time to move on to the next step. Wireframing is a way of translating your ideas into an interactive UI to test with users. While you’re creating wireframes, visualize what your app would look like in both web and mobile form factors.
Many apps allow you to do this for free. Your goal is to take your idea and create every screen your users will use. From there, you can create your customer journeys to display how your app will work in practice.
Doing this gives you a leg up when starting the software development process. Your programmers will know exactly what you want and won’t have to guess how your app is designed.
Develop Your App
Once your wireframes are complete and ready to go, you’re ready to start creating the app itself. This process involves programming your app so that it works as expected.
Your programmers will work directly with your wireframes to turn them into a product. They’ll need to build each screen as well as the logic behind the design.
You’ll also need to ensure your developers understand the infrastructure required to run your app. If you plan to have a lot of users, you’ll need to add a DevOps engineer to the process to ensure your app servers can handle the load.
Start Testing
Now that you have a working prototype of your app, it’s time to start testing. Your developers will use this phase to test the functionality and user interface of your app.
The good news is that you can automate many of your tests. Unit testing gives your app developer the ability to verify the output of your programming functions every time your developers make a change. This is a great way to test if functionality breaks because of change quickly.
Once you complete code testing, you’ll need to get beta testers for your app. Your testers will test your UI and functionality to ensure they work as intended. Additionally, they can give you feedback on parts of your app that don’t work well so that you can change them before launch.
Prepare to Launch
Now that you’ve completed development and testing, it’s time to launch your app. Before you go live, get the word out about the availability of your app. Your marketing team should have a plan for promoting your app to reach all of its potential users.
Marketing is an ongoing process, and you need to ensure that your efforts don’t slow down after launch. You should plan for factors like customer support and content marketing to keep people interested in your app.
Keep in mind, though, that you’ll never finish with the app development process. As you get feedback about your app after launch, you’ll need to continue upgrading and maintaining your app to keep it relevant in the market. Your software developer team from a company like QualityLogic.com will need to be on their toes to address any issues that arise.
Now You Know How to Build an App
You may be able to create a simple app in no time, but launching a more complex program to the world is a much different process. You need to have a good understanding of the development process if you want to find success. Now that you know how to build an app, you have what you need to get started.
Once you complete your app, you’ll need a marketing plan to introduce it to the world. Check out the blog to learn how to start advertising your new software.