Creating an app is rapidly becoming the latest fad, but like every fad, as the initial fever passes, it is all about the survival of the fittest. So if you are one of those who are in it for the long haul then there are certain challenges that you are bound to face at some point of your app development journey. It is important as an app developer to begin the journey well prepared. Listed here under is a list of seven key challenges that you need to prepare for and have a handy set of solutions right at the beginning.
This is a time when the market is flooded with a plethora of content in terms of app development and the app stores are bursting at the seams with one app after the other finding their way on to the platform. In this hullabaloo of a thousand things that we are exposed to, it is important that you as an app developer come up with an idea that is unique. A run of the mill idea would generate a run of the mill app and it is tough for such an app to stand the test of times.
To prevent this from happening, it is important that a lot of research goes into coming up with the idea for the app. Take a close look at the target market, the problem that the app intends to address, the solutions provided by the app, the existing versions, the competitors, price of the app, and most importantly what is it that the app will offer that no one else does yet.
The days of sticking to standard device size and configuration are gone as the consumers are using a variety of devices with different screen sizes, Operating Systems, varying embedded technologies, pixel intensities and more. It is not really a great idea to design and develop an app that works only on the latest platform, it needs to have the ability to transcend through as many devices and configurations as possible.
To address this particular challenge it is a good idea to think of and ideate a responsive design which can give more liquidity to the screen and hence can be adjusted as per the format and size of the screens. It is advised to have a marked testing phase to weed out the technical operational issues and it is recommended to launch a beta version of the app once the testing is over.
One of the oft overlooked challenges is to keep the whole app simple. It is overlooked because it is such a basic thing that we as developers might end up taking it for granted. An app need not make the user think; the interaction or navigation in the app should come naturally. Essentially the app needs to be self-explanatory for it to be considered good. Remember that what is obvious to you might not be so to the user.
The most effective way to evade this pitfall is by making the app simple and clear. A crisp structure, a concise app brief, tutorials etc. are just a few of the many ways in which this may be done. It’s a good idea to use thumbnails and icons to convey ideas in a compact concise manner.
While responsive design is important for the cross platform functioning of the app, interactions with the user hold an equal importance too. The new age mobile devices are loaded with a plethora of sensors opening up a big gamut of opportunities for the app developers. However, it must be borne in mind that creating interactions is a time consuming and challenging process and might prove to prolong the entire process of design.
It is a good idea to have a well chalked out plan for the interactions you want to include a long time before the design phase, in the interest of saving up on crucial time during the phase. Explore options other than tap and swipe, consider including tilting, shaking, flipping etc. to make the interactions more engaging.
The app developers have begun to care about the promotion of their apps, as promoting an app comes to the forefront as a stiff challenge. Taking your app to the market comes with a set of challenges that include but are not limited to stiff competition, stringent timelines, and lack of appropriate platforms. It is these challenges that force the developers to push the marketing or promotional aspect of the app on a lower priority.
Even if your app is the best thing to happen since sliced bread, it won’t do you any good till you expose it to the right audience. It is good to take the help of various apps available for the purpose or even better to seek professionals who can market your app banking on their experience and expertise.
It is great to turn your passion into a reality and if you are passionate about developing apps then there is nothing like it. But at the end of it there has to be a monetary value attached to your master-piece. It is important to spare a thought to the aspect of monetizing your app and the way you are going to do it. The way you choose to monetize your app depends on a lot of things including the audience and the function among other things.
Create a strategy for monetizing your app before you launch it. Get into the research mode and figure out what are the competitors doing to monetize their apps, are the users willing to pay for the app, or should you opt for advertising, or have you got a unique idea that will help you earn a revenue. It is important to develop a sound business model and then establish a price tag on your product for its sustenance.
This is a challenge that may come up only in the test phase. It is important to develop an app that would perform smoothly, without any bugs and would not eat the battery away. The challenge here is the subjectivity in judging the performance of the app, the criteria might be different for different people when it comes to judging the performance of an app. Apart from this the performance level might vary according to the device the app is being run on.
Since it is only in the test phase that the real performance issues crop up, it is a good idea to involve development team in the process of prototyping. Also, for better performance and lower battery consumption it is a good idea to set up a beta version to test the app with test users and avert any such issues in the final version.
So, if you are looking at building a mobile app for your business, you can now create it in a matter of minutes with Penguin Apps Builder.
You need no coding skills – just a great idea, a dash of creativity and less than 10 minutes of time – to create customize mobile app for your business.
So let those creative juices flow- try out #PenguinAppsBuilder Now~!