In the first quarter of 2023, mobile devices represented 54% of all online traffic, and this number is expected to rise even further. Hence, it is vital for companies to contemplate making a mobile app to remain competitive. It is projected that by the end of the year, the percentage of web traffic derived from mobile devices will probably range from the high 50s to the low 60s.
This shift is substantial enough to be irreversible, hence it’s high time for your company to participate in the mobile revolution.
When devising a mobile app strategy, it’s crucial to take into account several factors. Failing to do so can result in poor results, a waste of time and resources, and subsequently harm profits. In such a scenario, senior authorities may demonstrate dissatisfaction with lower-ranking personnel due to a lack of anticipation.
That’s certainly not what you want.
To achieve a prosperous application launch, it’s crucial to reflect on various fundamental principles and challenges. Can this problem be prevented? We need to explore this matter further to broaden our comprehension.
Elevator Pitch in Half a Minute
Have you heard of the ‘Elevator Pitch’? It refers to the idea of highlighting your app’s advantages in a brief period while riding the elevator with a potential client. How can you create a compelling and captivating description of your app within such a limited time frame?
Although it may appear insignificant, this exercise will enable you to comprehend the primary objective of your application. A well-crafted elevator pitch illustrates that you have a clear understanding of your software’s operations and how it can benefit its users.
Formulating an impactful elevator pitch can be overwhelming since it requires a thorough comprehension of your company’s purpose, the objectives of your app, and the advantages it can yield for the customers.
What Is Your Source of Inspiration?
Similar to an “Elevator Pitch”, this summary encompasses the main highlights of your proposal from a comprehensive standpoint. While the “Elevator Pitch” is ideal for demonstrating the proposal’s benefits to executives, its primary objective is to apprise developers of the idea’s concept.
An “elevator pitch” refers to a brief and concise explanation of a product or concept. For instance, “Our app is a dynamic single page application (SPA) that utilises big data and hybrid cloud infrastructure to facilitate mobile device interactions on our website and enhance purchases for customers.”
Who Is Your Target Audience?
Upon creating your ‘Elevator Pitch’, it’s essential to conduct research about your intended audience. If feasible, determine the number of customers who use either Android or iOS devices to interact with your online platform. What are the significant traits of the audience you wish to reach? Which areas do they frequently reside in, and how proficient are they in technology?
It’s crucial to acquire conclusive answers to these questions before commencing with the development of your mobile application. Both the marketing and development units can benefit from this data as they work together to create the app’s design and execution. The triumph of the app’s marketing holds more significance than the app’s quality itself.
What Is Your End Goal?
To remain up-to-date with the latest market developments, having distinct goals is crucial. Have you reflected on monetising the mobile application or is it solely for educational purposes? Is a scalable app that can meet international demands necessary? Furthermore, will the mobile app be linked with your website or any other services that you provide?
Attending your initial development meeting with unclear goals may result in numerous participants feeling disenchanted or perplexed.
What About the User Experience?
Developing a mobile application necessitates the consideration of User Experience (UX) as a critical element. Irrespective of a well-crafted app design, it can’t succeed if users have a lousy experience. So, what is User Experience? It refers to creating a delightful journey for its users. How user-friendly is the software, and how intuitive is its navigation?
To deliver an exceptional user experience, it’s pivotal to ensure that the interface is intuitive and comprehensible. To attain this, a significant amount of effort should be made to maintain a simple, uncomplicated, and state-of-the-art UX design. This will assist users in utilising the app without needing to refer to the documentation initially.
What Are Your Resource Limits?
As your app’s user base expands, scalability will become a crucial factor to contemplate. Guaranteeing sufficient access to databases, cloud resources, and data pipelines is necessary to ensure satisfactory performance during times of high traffic. Neglecting to address these factors may potentially cause bottlenecks, thereby affecting the app’s performance.
Being aware of your market’s size and reach, along with your available resources, facilitates more informed strategic decision-making.
Which App Best Fulfills Your Business Requirements?
Choosing a mobile application implies that a native app, hybrid app, or web app are all valid alternatives. This decision can influence the development process and may determine the project’s outcome. Pondering carefully, while taking this decision, is crucial in achieving a successful outcome.
Ultimately, it boils down to:
- Native applications are the ones downloadable and directly installable on the device. But, because separate apps are required for each platform, the creation cost of such an application is higher.
- Hybrid applications are deployable on devices like native apps but are operational within a web browser. They provide a slight performance advantage over web apps, while still being cost-effective to produce due to their usage of HTML5.
- Web apps possess the capability of being the most down-paced performing apps because they lack hardware utility on mobile devices. In spite of this, they offer other benefits, including not requiring device installation and the ability to adapt to any screen size.
It’s evident that the native app provides the optimum performance, but considering the cost as a primary factor, the web app would be the most suitable option. Alternatively, a hybrid app could be considered as a compromise between the two.
Conclusion
Creating a mobile app requires conscientiousness as moving ahead without complete knowledge of the development process may lead to costly mistakes and require a restart of the project. Those new to mobile app development should devote the time to familiarize themselves with the pertinent factors to ensure a proactive start. Being comprehensively informed of the process before the initial development meeting will put you in a formidable position.
