The development of an app does not take place overnight. It is a process that takes several months. Various project phases are run through from the app idea to the finished app. Many idea providers imagine app development to be too simple and then run into various complications in the middle of the development phase. Errors are almost inevitable in a project. That is why we are sharing our experience from various projects with you in this article and would like to help you reduce errors in the development of your app. In the following, we will introduce you to the five most common mistakes in app development.
No Business Plan And Poor Preparation – A Classic Mistake
A business plan is used to organize and structure your ideas. This includes the determination of the target group, the analysis of the market, the selection of the development team, and the financing of the project. So that you can successfully bring your app to market, you should think about who you are developing the app for and whether these people need your planned features at all. To find out, we recommend that you first get feedback from your friends and acquaintances before engaging a development team. Here we have the following questions for you that you should ask yourself at the beginning:
– What added value and what unique selling point does my app offer?
– What are the needs of my customers?
– Is there already a similar app on the market?
– What are my goals?
These are questions that will help steer your project in the right direction.
It is known that when you are facing an important event in your life, you should be well prepared. This also applies to app development. Now that your app idea was well received by your friends and acquaintances, you should now approach the whole thing professionally. We are still a long way from the development and are in the preparatory phase. We recommend that you conduct sufficient primary and secondary research here. In the primary research, an empirical survey is carried out. This will help you determine if there are enough people who find your app interesting. Desk research, on the other hand, involves examining existing resources associated with your app. You can use it to find out whether a similar application already exists and whether it is successful.
At this point, many idea providers make the mistake of not drafting a business plan or getting down to business without preparing. For the success of your app, it is essential to research at the beginning.
Missing or Late Marketing – A Mistake With A Big Impact
Another mistake many people make when developing apps is neglecting a marketing plan. You often don’t think about a marketing strategy at all or think too late. Imagine that after a long time and with a lot of effort you have finished your app, but nobody knows anything about your great app. You can prevent this scenario by developing a marketing strategy from the start so that people will download your app from day one in the store.
So the marketing strategy is there to make your app successful right from the start and is, therefore, a must for every company behind the app. Do not stop working on your app after development and always ensure that your app is usable. For example, you can implement offers, push notifications, and other functions in your app. So your marketing strategy is related to the development of your app.
Inadequate & Underrated Testing
Through targeted testing in the conception and development phase, your application is continuously improved. But many people underestimate this process and invest little time in testing. Testing is particularly important in the development phase because it influences the usability of your app. Because the rule is that the more you test your application, the more feedback you will get to respond to criticism. This procedure practically ensures the quality of your app. An unusable app is penalized by users with poor ratings. We, therefore, recommend that you carry out regular tests with large groups in both the conception and development phases. This means that the development is optimized again and again through feedback loops and the test phase is accelerated at the same time. The earlier you start testing, the easier it is to correct errors in app development.
Lack Of Communication
Before starting the project, all features and the complete design of your app should be clarified as precisely as possible. This takes place in an exchange between the client and the development team. Good communication prevents misunderstandings. If there are any discrepancies, your project will take more time. For the client and the development team to work well together, it is advisable to use tools such as Microsoft Teams. This tool has numerous functions such as chat, data exchange, and calendar. It is also advantageous for you if your development team develops according to the Scrum procedural model. Because this process divides your project into several intermediate steps, with the client having a great deal of involvement. After each intermediate step, there is a new version of the application and the client can then examine the result. As a client, you can thus contribute to the success of your app yourself. Ultimately, transparency between client and developer is crucial at this point. Because only open communication on both sides leads to the success of your app.
Incorrect Cost Accounting
When calculating the costs of your project, the areas of app design, app development, and app marketing make up the largest part of the budget. Here you have to expect that most of the money will be spent on these three areas. The costs vary depending on the extent of the project. When comparing prices, you can assume that a high-priced offer will give you a high-quality product and a low-cost offer will give you an inferior quality product. As in other areas of life, the golden mean is good advice here too. Unfortunately, an exact cost estimate is hardly possible, as other factors such as the implementation of features, maintenance work, customer service, fixing errors in app development, and the introduction of new functions can affect costs. To avoid incorrect cost accounting, you can get advice from experts in agencies. The experts in app design, app development, and app marketing can use their experience from previous projects to help you determine the budget you need.
Conclusion
You now know the five most common mistakes in app development. Take this list with you as a kind of warning for your project. We speak from experience and give you good advice to design a plan for your app before and after development. This is the only way to minimize the chance of mistakes.
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