Top 3 Things To Know Before Building an App
As we enter the New Year with new resolutions and goals to strive towards, it’s important to take time to reflect on the experiences and challenges that last year has presented us. With that in mind, here are the top three things an entrepreneur should know before launching an app.
Validate your Idea
There’s no way around it, app development is expensive. Implementing every feature and functionality is nearly impossible without massive amounts of capital. However, before a single line of code is developed, there are ways to gauge whether there is any demand for your product.
Standing up a simple landing page with a basic understanding of your idea and email capture is the most effective way to garner interest in your product without huge upfront costs.
By capturing the emails of people who are interested in your platform, you can begin to curate a list of users that are likely to download the app as soon as it is deployed as well as a list of potential beta testers. You can even begin to start email marketing campaigns to keep your potential users engaged while you develop the product.
Know your Platform
Once you feel as though you have validated your idea and acquired enough funding to develop an MVP, Minimum Viable Product, the real technical hurdles start to present themselves. Instead of guessing or assuming the medium in which your end users will interact with your app, there are tools available to determine which platform is the most effective to develop on first.
Integrating Google Analytics into your landing page can give you granular information about the visitors that access your website. Knowing what Operating System and devices the users that access your content can give you insights on which platform to develop on first. Depending on the traffic you receive, it may make more sense for you to develop your platform as a Web or Android app instead of iOS first.
Finding the Right Talent
Now that you have validated your idea and have clear direction on the medium in which you want to develop your app, the next step would be to build your core team.
In this market, there are plenty of developers out there who can help you build your app, however, depending on your budget and timeline, finding the right developer can take some time. Recruiting someone who has already built similar products and understands how to minimize the technical debt for your platform will help you save time and money in the long run.
It’s important to keep in mind that there is a lot more than development that goes into launching a successful app. Establishing a marketing budget and strategy is paramount to generating buzz and awareness about your platform. Surrounding yourself with those who can help you accomplish these tasks is critical for the success of your app.
In Conclusion
Developing an app and creating a business out of your platform is hard work. Gone are the days where a simple flashlight app can generate thousands of downloads and users. Apps are still very much profitable these days, but a lot more groundwork is necessary before building a product that millions of people will interact with.
