The 5 Things You Should Do For App Development Success

The 5 Things You Should Do For App Development Success

by Gina M Blush

With over 1,000,000 apps currently available in the App Store, transitioning your app from idea to development may deem to be one of your biggest challenges. That is unless you heed the following advice.

When I hopped onto Apple's App Store in the ancient days of 2008 (which coincidentally was the year of the store's initial launch) I felt like a starving person placed in front of an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Suddenly, here was smorgasbord of apps - newspapers, magazines, games, business, sports, health and fitness, travel and kids - which I couldn't seem to download fast enough. But boy let me tell you how times have changed!

According to the latest data from AppleInsider, there are over one million apps available in the App Store; 500,000 of which have been specifically designed for the iPad.

When the store was initially launched there were only 900 apps available! That's an increase of more than 900 thousand apps over the course of the past 46 months! And, while that is pretty impressive all on its own, there's more!

The App Store is expected to develop another 25,000 to 30,000 apps (on average) per month. With thousands more app ideas being dreamed up by average people from all walks of life - people just like you and me - and scribbled on the back of a paper napkin every day around the world.

Regardless of how well thought out the app, transitioning it from idea to development is one of the greatest challenges any novice developer will inevitably face.

Especially, for those that don't have the proper know-how or technical aptitude, which is why reading the following information - step-by-step - promises to be worth your while. All right, here we go!!!

#1 - Determining What You Want to Achieve

When embarking on the exciting journey of having your app developed, the first thing you should determine - regardless of whether you're a novice or expert - is what you want to achieve.

Having well thought-out goals, at the outset of your venture, is one of the best indicators for confirming whether or not the app's development process is heading in the correct direction.

#2 - Outline Your App's Purpose (and price)

In today's app-driven world, almost all users expect that a developed app contain many benefits, including providing them with a good user experience.

Would you like to be in on a little secret? The keys to ensuring your app's success are simplicity, usability and reliability.

At this point, you may additionally want to determine what price to set your app at, and whether or not you'll offer in-app purchases.

According to Distimo's 2013 Year in Review (published December 17, 2013), 77% of the App Store's revenue comes from in-app purchases, while the remaining 11% is from paid apps.

#3 - Appropriately Naming Your App

Never underestimate the importance of ensuring your app's name properly reflects the service it provides; no matter how catchy the alternative.

While appropriately naming your app can sometimes be a chore, it's one that if done correctly can afford your app increased sales, as well as reinforce the service or product brand you're intent on building.

As a general rule of thumb, you should choose an app name that has meaning, is professional, makes sense and signifies what your app is intended for.

#4 - Locating Quality Support

Locating quality support can make the difference between getting your app idea developed and it becoming lost in the crowd.

Unless you're an absolute pro at developing apps (and even then) it is advisable that you hire a professional mobile app development company to transition your app from idea to development.

In January of this year, apps accounted for 47% of a user's total internet experience, while another 8% of users were seen accessing the internet via their mobile device's browser. This data, according to the same source listed above, accounts for a total of 55%.

With this type of presence it's more important than ever to hire a professional mobile app development company to create a seamless application that will be easily picked up by the App Store.

An expert app developer will be able to additionally meet your specific deadlines and finish your mobile app on time while remaining within your stipulated budget.

They would also be able to skillfully showcase your apps' best features, while doing away with any unnecessary frills, which may be extending your project's deadline and costing you excess money.

#5 - Test, Test and Retest

Whether your app help users track their fitness level, connect with friends, find cheap gas or send emails it's generally a good idea that you test, test and retest the following four areas:

• Functionality - This includes testing your app's forms, file manipulation and search engine, as well as all media components to ensure they're seamlessly working together.

• User Experience - This includes testing an app's navigation and accessibility. Having an app that keeps crashing or is inaccessible may prove to be more trouble than its worth.

• Security - If your app is intended to be secure - such as in banking or shopping - you will want to ensure that it's cross site scrip, SQL injection and DDoS are tested for security.

• Load - Whether your app is being used by one or a million users at the same time it should remain at the same speed to ensure that your app doesn't get uninstalled.

A Parting Thought

One size does NOT fit all! There are no hard and fast rules for dictating whether or not your app will succeed; however; following the aforementioned advice can help to ensure that your app doesn't get lost in the crowd.