How to create a mobile app in 10 steps

Do you want to create a mobile app but don’t know where to start? We are here for you with some recommendations that will help you build your first mobile app from scratch.

From small business apps to e-commerce apps, health apps and even mobile game apps, there seems to be an app for everything now. Apps can be created as an extension of an existing business or website, or they can be developed as independent digital products. Either way, they are effective in boosting your sales because it is easier to interact with your customers through an app.

That is enough to get anyone to ask the question – how to create an app? In today’s blog post, we will present you 10 steps on how to create your mobile app!

 

Steps to create a mobile app

1. Understanding your audience

First off, when you decide to make an app, you need to understand your audience’s needs and what they want to find on your app. Too many companies today are missing out on the benefits of understanding their customers. They often take it for granted that they already know who their customers are and what they want, but this just isn't the case. If a company doesn't take the time to understand what its customers, it risks not being able to provide them with what they need. This is why it is so important for companies to have an understanding of who their target audience is, especially when it comes to developing a mobile app.

The sooner that you get to know your audience, the better off that you will be in knowing how best to market your product or service.

 

2. Choosing an app idea to match the audience’s needs

When it comes to launching a mobile app, you have to consider what kind of app you should create. After understanding your audience’ needs in the first step, you have to define what your app offers to fulfil them.

You can come up with the idea of developing an e-commerce app that offers a variety of products to purchase and ship directly from the store. Or an app for social media, which has a variety of features that help people connect and interactively share their lives. Or a mobile app game for entertaining our audience.

There are many app ideas that you can choose from when starting a business. But what is the best one for your specific needs? Here are some of the business needs and the most popular app ideas for each:

- If you want to boost sales, a mobile e-commerce app would do great.

- If you need to have easy customer service, a mobile chatbot app would be perfect.

- If you want to be more efficient with your time, an time management app might be worth looking into.

- If you want to make sure your clients get what they paid for, upload/order tracking apps are perfect.

 

3. Do competitive market research

When you decide to launch your app keep in mind that probably you are not the only one that has a similar app. Competitive research is one of the first things that should be done before launching any product in the market. Knowing what your competitors are up to and how they are doing it is important for your success. It is important to be aware of the competition, but there are several to consider before deciding to develop an app:

• What kind of app do you want?
• Who is your target audience?
• What features does the app need?
• How will the app be monetized?
• What’s your budget for the project?

Once you answer these questions, you can start your search for similar apps. Browse through the Google Play or App Store and see which apps are most similar to what you want.

 

4. Know your budget and resources

Here you must consider not only how much money you will need to spend on developing the app and assigning the necessary budget, but also how much money you need to promote it. The marketing budget often exceeds the costs of development and it is something you need to take into consideration.

Also, if we’re talking about budgets, you have to consider how you will make money from the app. This can reduce some costs by promoting it.

You must calculate the cost of app development at this stage. The development of a business model is the next step, and this brings additional costs to be planned. After that, you must choose the revenue plan that will allow your app to continue to operate.

 

5. Selecting Native or Cross-platform development

It is important to differentiate between Native development and Cross-platform development. Native development is when a developer creates apps for one operating system and its features, such as when he develops a version for iOS and another version for Android.

On the other hand, cross-platform development is when the app runs on both operating systems, without having more versions for each system.

What is Native App development?

Native development is a type of web development in which the developers use some of the languages, frameworks, and tools that are native to a device or platform. Native development is an excellent choice for companies who want to reach mobile users and speed up their development cycle. But it also comes with its downsides. For instance, it takes more time and resources for developers to create two versions of the same app, one for the App Store, one for Google Play.

Some Pros and Cons of Native development include:

Pros

- Native apps are developed with the platform's programming language, which makes them more stable.

- ‍Apps built for the native environment also tend to be more scalable, thanks to the flexibility in resources management and the array of tools available.‍

- The direct interaction between the code and the underlying resources results in high performance. Also, native apps generally have a better UX.

Cons

- Native app development is usually more expensive than cross-platform app development because it takes longer and requires specialized skills needed for each platform. This can be a problem when you have only a few developers available or when you don't want to spend a lot of money outsourcing the work to specialists.

- ‍Building native apps can be costly when you need to launch for both iOS and Android. It means you’ll need to deploy two teams working on different platforms.

- The work done for one platform cannot be repeated for another, therefore native app development takes more time. To work on the other version, a different team is required.

What is Cross-platform app development?

Cross-platform development means creating an app that can run on different platforms. This is accomplished using platforms such as React Native, Xamarin, and Flutter, and the resulting apps can be used on both Android and iOS.

Here are some pros and cons of Cross-platform app development:

Pros

- it provides developers with access to new technology and skills, and helps them stay up-to-date on what is happening in the industry.

- Speed in production time. With cross-development, you can cut your development time by at least half by outsourcing certain parts of the development process overseas like coding, QA testing or audio design.

Cons

- ‍The need for an additional abstraction layer and rendering process makes the cross-platform app slower than its native counterpart.

- Developers may have difficulty accessing smartphone functionalities like the microphone, camera, and geolocation in ways possible for a native app.‍

- Cross-platform apps are unable to take advantage of native UX components. Therefore, it can’t deliver the same UX experience that is accustomed to the platform.

 

6. Choose your app’s name

When you decide to build a mobile app you need to find a proper name. Think about what your app is about, the content you are writing and the audience you are addressing to. Keep in mind that it has to be an interesting name that catches your attention instantly. Also remember that your app’s name:

- it should reflect your brand image.

- it should be unique but easy to remember and pronounce

- it should be named with your customers and their personalities in mind;

- it should communicate the app's value.

 

7. Start developing of your mobile app and test the functionalities of your app along the process

Test your app while developing to make sure everything is working and ready for launch. This will save you from the embarrassment of launching an app that may not work, or one that is full of bugs. Your customers will appreciate it too since they won't have to deal with those issues after downloading and using your app. Many people find it hard to test their app before launch. The best way to do this is by using one of the many testing platforms. These platforms allow you to create a series of tests, and then send them out to testers for feedback. The feedback you receive can help you improve your app and make it more user-friendly.

Here are some of the best platforms to test your app before launch.

 

App Throwing

This platform lets you test your mobile app on 7 different devices, including Android and iOS phones, tablets, flagship, budget and old models. It has a wide variety of devices for you to choose from which allows for more accurate testing.

 

Google Test Lab

This platform tests your mobile apps on two popular Android models: Pixel and Nexus 6P. It also features an automated quality assurance feature that analyses how well your app works and provides you with a list of reported issues along with solutions.

 

8. When finished, test the UX/UI of your mobile app with an Alpha Testing Group/Beta Testing Group

Alpha testing is the first phase and is performed with a small number of users, usually company’s personnel and friends. Beta testing is the second phase and occurs with a limited audience, usually from various social groups. Alpha testing helps assess the technical aspects of the application, identify any bugs and to create an initial user base for future testing phases. Beta testing helps to assess stability, identify any remaining bugs, and provides valuable feedback on usability. It can also be used to promote an app in advance of release in order to increase exposure.

The beta testers also will give the developers a first impression regarding the UX/UI of the mobile app. Here is when any issues in accessing some features or the friendliness of using the app should be fixed or improved. The alpha/beta group should be chosen carefully from the target audience or users who are going to give you useful feedback on your app’s usability or features before it gets released!

 

9. Promote your app

There are several ways that you can promote your app after you launch it online. The first step is to make sure that you have the most up-to-date and relevant information about your app.

Make sure to have a call to action on your app store page. This is one way to get people interested in downloading the app now instead of just looking around for now and coming back later. You can also use banners or other promotional materials on social media channels like Facebook or Twitter.

It is important to note that the goal of promotion is not just to get followers, but to get them excited about your app and interested in downloading it. You need to do more than just post on social media. You should also spend time building an email list of potential users

 

10. Don’t forget to ask for feedback from the users of the app

Always get feedback from your users especially if you are at the beginning. It is very important because you will understand how to improve your app from their feedbacks. You may not be aware of some mistakes you have on your app so by reading what your users say you will fix all the app’s problems.

Don’t be shy and ask your customers what they think about the app. Your opinion doesn’t matter as much as theirs.

 

Let’s talk about your mobile app idea!

Here at MCRO Tech, our mission is to bring your ideas to life through creative thinking and up-to-date technology solutions. We build state-of-the-art iOS and Android apps for a variety of industries and business domains. Be it native or cross-platform apps, we use the latest technologies to build innovative mobile solutions that provide real business value. Reach us at+4 074 721 5726 or on the email address: contact@mcro.tech.