idea

If you’re reading this, you probably have a good app idea but don’t know what to do next.

By Robert Kazmi

Luckily, this post will walk you through what you need to do to get your good app idea developed and launched.

The market for apps is thriving and there is plenty of room for your app idea if you go about it the right way. By 2022, consumer spend in app stores is forecasted to hit $157 billion. However, there is a lot of competition to get your app in front of your target users because by the year 2020, there will be an estimated 5 million apps available in the app store. So, you need to make sure that you develop a high-quality app from the very beginning and don’t take any shortcuts if you want your app to be able to compete with all the other apps out there.

Keep reading to learn how to make sure you launch a high-quality app that users download and don’t uninstall. Being rated a top app development company, we’ve had the luxury of seeing what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to app development and we’re happy to share with you what we’ve learned from our experience working on 500+ projects in our 11 years of existence so that your app surpasses the competition.

Work Out the Details

The first thing you need to do is sit down and fine-tune the details of your app. Put pen to paper and jot down the following:

  • Who are your target app users and what are your buyer personas? HubSpot has a  great buyer persona template that you can get here.

Find the Right Team

Finding the right team is usually where app owners tend to take shortcuts. It may be tempting and affordable to go with a freelance developer and designer but in reality, you need a strong team to develop your app idea. The right team will analyze risks and opportunities concerning your app and will build it the right way so that you can scale it and have it run efficiently when you release it.

When looking for an app development team, be sure to look at examples of their work and whether or not they have DevOps services to ensure that your app runs efficiently. A good app development company will give you a free consultation and a great proposal full of details on how they plan to ensure that your app is a success.

It’s important that you know what type of app developer you want to work with to enlist the right team for your great idea.

Build an MVP

MVP stands for Minimum Viable Product and is essentially an outline of an app with the necessary functionality for you to test it out. A lot of app owners start with this because it gives them a feel for how their app will work and it’s also great to have if you need investors for your app.

The necessary framework that comes from an MVP allows you and your app development team to analyze the functionality and viability  of your app before developing the complete app. It also allows you to have users start testing out the app with the core functionality and gather input and reviews before you finish developing your app. With an MVP you can have something for users to test in a short amount of time and for a smaller investment.

Prioritize UX

The number one reason people uninstall an app and don’t use it is because it has a poor user experience (UX). When choosing an app development team, be sure to vet their work very carefully and ensure that the work they do has an emphasis on UX. Also keep UX in mind when you’re deciding if you’re going to implement ads and make sure that registering to use the app doesn’t throw too many questions at users. All of these things can hinder the success of your app when it hits the marketplace.

Make a Marketing Plan

You’re going to want to start marketing your app before it hits the market so it’s good to identify your marketing plan early. Here are some things to consider when it comes to marketing your app:

  • Identify influencers in your app’s niche and give them early access to the app so that they can tell their followers how great your app is.
  • Start growing your social media presence to create buzz and gain followers using engaging content and relevant hashtags.
  • Find relevant online newsletters and email blasts to get the word out about your app hitting the marketplace soon.
  • Publish guest posts on like-minded blogs that either you or a freelance writer produce to get word out about your upcoming app.

Final Thoughts

Having a great app idea is a start. But there are a lot of things to consider and plan for if you want your app idea to reach its fullest potential. Identifying the details, finding the right team, building an MVP, prioritizing UX and creating a strong marketing plan are all going to help your app idea be successful. Remember, don’t take any shortcuts so that your app can thrive and so your great idea can come to fruition.

Do you have any questions about getting an app idea developed? Or have an app you’d like to re-launch? We’d love to hear from you!

Robert Kazmi brings a deep understanding of building high-growth, replicable, predictable, and profitable global technology organizations to Koombea. Over the last 20 years, Robert has successfully kickstarted many companies–as well as divisions within larger Fortune 500 enterprises–growing them to hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenues, and transforming declining organizations to high-growth engines. 

App idea stock photo by elenabsl/Shutterstock