With the number of mobile device users constantly rising, we are witnessing a staggering increase in the number of mobile apps. As a result, more and more businesses decided to take the opportunity to invest in mobile app creation in order to provide their customers with an easier access of information to their products and services.
Building a mobile app is no longer a luxury, but an absolute necessity; however, it’s not a walk in the park, either. For this reason, if you’re looking to invest in a mobile app yourself, there are several aspects that have to be taken into consideration.
Define your target customer
Although it may seem a bit redundant, you would be amazed just how many people overlook this crucial step in the development process. In order to build an app that will answer to your target users’ needs, you have to familiarize yourself with those needs first. Research what are their most common requirements and what are some of the most common kinds of apps users take advantage of. Ultimately, you will get a clearer picture of what your end-product should look like and what answers it should offer to end-users. Furthermore, bear in mind that the success of an app greatly depends on the user experience (UX) and not just the features it offers.
Take user interface into consideration
In order to make your app more consistent with other applications on various mobile devices, you will have to pay special attention to certain user interface elements. It is recommended that you follow specific UI conventions when building a mobile app. For example, to help developers build quality applications, Apple provided them with iPhone Human Interface Guidelines that list standard UI conventions. Android, as well, has gathered all the guidelines into one place, providing developers with a detailed overview of icons, widgets and menus, as well as task design guidelines.
Define your objectives and ensure you understand them
Still, before making the first step in the process of app creation, take some time to measure the objectives behind creating a mobile app. Although it is evident they can contribute to your business and, as already stated, “represents a necessity, not a luxury”, it is of utmost importance to weigh the pros and cons of developing an app for your business specifically. Just because others are jumping on this train, it does not necessarily mean you have to (that it, not at this moment).
Nevertheless, if you decide your business does require an app, consider the following points:
- If your website is what drives in the most leads, instead of an app, consider building a website which will run on all kinds of mobile devices and be responsive on different screen sizes.
- On the other hand, if the solution you had in mind does not depend on internet connection (e.g. note taking applications), then a mobile app can be the right choice.
- If you need mail, GPS and client integration for your app, opt for building a native application.
Keep in mind the size of the screen
Developing an app that will be responsive on various screen sizes is quite a challenge. Taking into consideration the fact that an average digital consumer owns at least 3 connected devices, you will have to develop an app that they will be able to use on each one of those devices on a regular basis. Graphics along with the user interface has to be scalable. If you are unsure of how to accomplish that, you can go through app development guides both iPhone and Android offer. However, to get some one-to-one guidance and practical solutions, it is better to seek advice from mobile app developers in Sydney who have both the theoretical and practical knowledge to answer all your questions.
Do not neglect the ergonomics
When creating an app, think from a user’s perspective: get a mobile device in your hand, take a look at the way you hold it and how your fingers are positioned, since basics like these will help you better optimize the app. You will learn where to position the menu and the rest of the app content. Additionally, you will have think about gesture advantages, swiping forwards and backwards, zooming pinching, refresh pulling down, and many more.
Consider memory size
Memory size is the most limiting factor in mobile devices, and although the amount of available memory might not be the key constraint, exploitation may lead operation system to ask your app to sacrifice cashed data, or even shut it down completely. With this in mind, you should ensure your mobile application is optimized so that its memory footprint is minimized, while being careful not to affect the performance quality.
Final Words
Building an app is a demanding task and cannot be taken lightly. To create one people will actually use on a regular basis, you have to take all of the abovementioned into consideration, as only that way you will manage to get your ROI and ensure you made the right investment.
Author bio: Sam Cyrus is CEO and co-founder of Agseosydney, a Web Marketing Consulting Agency. Sam is also a creative writer and his interests include entrepreneurship, business, online marketing, SEO and social media.