5 STEPS To Developing A Successful Mobile App

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents ...................................................................................... 2Getting Started ........................................................................................... 3The 5 Steps to Developing a New App ................................................. 6 Step #1—Plan ..................................................................................... 7 Describe your Business Goals ........................................................ 8 Identify Your Customer’s Needs in an App .................................. 8Step #2—Design ........................................................................................ 9 Create a Design That Meets Your Goals + Customer Needs .. 10 Determine App Requirements ........................................................ 10 Get Help with Design and Development ...................................... 12Step #3—Build ........................................................................................... 15 Code the App ...................................................................................... 15 Choose a Mobile Platform ............................................................... 16 Test the App ........................................................................................ 16Step #4—Launch ....................................................................................... 17Step #5—Engage ....................................................................................... 20 Create an Engagement Strategy ..................................................... 21 Learn What Your Customers Like .................................................. 21 Contact Customers Regularly .......................................................... 22 Use Fresh, Relevant Content ........................................................... 23

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GETTING STARTED

Are you ready to create a new mobile app for your business or organization? If so, then you’re probably wondering…how do I get started?

While developing a new mobile app can seem intimidating, it doesn’t have to be. Our step-by-step guide can walk you through the entire process, from beginning to end.

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GETTING STARTED

What Does an App Need to be Successful?

Successful apps have a few common traits:

1. Theysolveaspecificcustomerorend-userneed.

2. Theyalignwithyourbusinessstrategiesandobjectives.

3. Theyprovidecontextualcontentandcommunications.

4. Theydelivermorepersonalizedexperiences—themoreyouusethem.

What Are Your Goals for Developing a Successful Mobile App?

Ifyouwanttodevelopasuccessfulmobileapp,you’llneedtodefineyourgoals.Thisisthefirststepoftheprocess,andwe’llwalkyouthroughthisphase.

How Long Will It Take to Develop?

Dependingonthecomplexityoftheapp,andwhoyouchoosetodevelopit—anappcantakeanywherefrom30daysto1year(orlonger)todevelop.1

How Much Will It Cost?

Anappcancostaslittleas$50,000todevelop,orasmuchas$1million—dependingonthecomplexity,andhowyouchoosetodevelopit.2

1 State of Enterprise Mobility Survey. Kinvey, November 20142 State of Enterprise Mobility Survey. Kinvey, November 2014.

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What Factors Increase the Cost and Time for Development?

Whyistheresuchavarianceincostandtimetodevelop?

Thebiggestdrivertothelengthoftimeittakestodevelopanappisthefeaturerequirements.Themorefeaturesyouwantincludedintheapp,thelongeritwilltaketocreate—andthehigherthecost.

Otherimportantcriteriathatinfluencethetimeandcostofdevelopmentare:

• Operatingsystems—howmanyoperatingsystemswilltheapprunon?

• Customization—doestheappneedtobe100%custombuilt,orcanyouuseapre-builtappand“whitelabel”it?(Thismeansaddingyourownlogo,branding,andfeaturestoabasicappthat’salreadybuilt—whichwillsaveyoutimeandmoney.)

• Integration—howmuchintegrationdoyoureallyneedfortheapptodelivertheintendedexperience?

In general, the more features, customization, operating systems, and integration required—the more expensive it will be to develop the app, and the longer it will take.

GETTING STARTED

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THE 5 STEPS TO DEVELOPING A NEW APP

There are 5 basic steps to developing a new mobile app successfully:

• Step 1—Plan your business goals and user needs.

• Step 2—Design the app, including how it should look and operate.

• Step 3—Build the app to make it work.

• Step 4—Launch the app.

• Step 5—Engage your customers with personalized content and targeted communications.

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Describe your Business Goals

Everyapphasabusinessgoal.Whatisyours?Ifyoudon’tclearlydefineyourbusinessgoalwiththeappatthebeginning,you’llneverachieveit.Do you want to:

• Increaseproductsales?

• Buildlong-termrelationshipswithcustomers?

• Improvebrandawareness?

• Getcustomersintoyourstore?

• Simplifythepurchaseprocess?

Anappcannotbesuccessfulifyoudon’tclearlydefineitsbusinessgoalsbeforeyoustartthedesignanddevelopmentprocess.

Byaligningyourbusinessgoalswithyourcustomers’needs,youhave a much better chance of creating a successful app.

Identify Your Customer’s Needs in an App

Howdoyouknowwhatyourcustomersreallyneedinanapp?Bystudyingthem,observingthem,andtalkingtothem—beforeyoustartappdesign.

Findoutwhatyoucanofferyourcustomersthroughanappthatexcitesthem—andkeepsthemcomingbackagainandagain,forthelong-term. Isitrewards?Freebies?Deals?Coupons?Entertainment?“Insider”info?Easeofaccess?

Avoidthepitfallofmakingtheappintoaduplicateofyourwebsite—whichcompaniesoftendo.Thisisabigmistake,andwillnotworkinmostcases(althoughthereareexceptions).

STEP #1—PLAN

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STEP #2—DESIGN

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Create a Design That Meets Your Goals + Customer Needs

Nowthatyou’veestablishedwhatyourcustomerneedsinanapp,andyou’vedefinedyourgoalswiththeapp,youcanusethatinformationtodesignasuccessfulapp.Designinganappstartswithcreatingasolidlist of requirements.

Determine App Requirements

Whatarerequirements?Requirementsarealistof:

• Whatyouwantthemobileapptodo

• How you want it to look

• Howitshouldinteractwiththecustomer

• Whatdevicesyouwantittorunon

• Whatothersystemsordatabasesitneedstopulldatafrom(ifany)

Forexample,youmightwantyourretailt-shirtsalesapptobeableto:

• Show125differentproducts

• Offer10uniquecolors

• Offer12differentsizes

• Allowcustomerstopersonalizethemessageonfront

• Pay through a mobile cash register

• Earnrewardsforeveryt-shirttheybuy

• Offerdiscountcouponsfornewdesigns

• Integratewithyourcurrentcustomerandproductdatabases

Ifyou’vealreadycreatedarequirementslist,thenyou’llsaveyourselftimeandmoneywiththeappdevelopmentprocess.

However,ifyou’veneverdonethisbefore,orareunfamiliarwiththeprocessofdesigningtheuserexperience(UX),thenitwillbenefityou toinvestinagoodcompanythatcanconsultwithyouthroughthedesignprocess.Theycanhelpdeveloparequirementslistforyou.

STEP #2—DESIGN

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Themoredetailedyourrequirementslist— andthecloseritmatchestoyouroriginal businessandcustomergoals—themore successful your app will be.

Starting List of Questions

Ataminimum,yourrequirementslistshouldanswerthefollowingquestions:

1. WhatdoIwantmyuserstodowithmyapp?

2. Whowillmostlikelybeusingtheapp?

3. Wherewilltheylikelybeusingit?

4. Whatshouldtheapplooklike?

5. WhatdoIwanttheapptodoformybusiness?

6. WillIbesellinganythingontheapp?Ifso,what?Howmanyproducts?

7. DoIneedtheapptohaveanyspecialfunctions(suchasiBeacon, ashoppingcart,eventregistration,etc.)?

8. WhatdevicesandoperatingsystemsdoIwanttheapptorunon? (iOS,Android,Microsoft)

9. Willmyappneedtoaccesscontentfromotherexistingsystems (suchasWordPress,apointofsalesystem,oracustomermanagementdatabase)?

STEP #2—DESIGN