Five tips for making a mobile app for your business

Nate Vickery has simple steps for small businesses on leveraging a mobile app.

Most consumers are borderline obsessed with their smartphones. In fact, according to the latest eMarketer research, an average American spends nearly three hours on a mobile device. Furthermore, new data on mobile app usage from a recent Forester Research study indicates that people spend around 85% of their time on smartphones using native apps.

While only a handful of applications make up the bulk of this usage, it doesn’t change the fact that users still search for new apps on a daily basis. Mobile apps are no longer reserved for big name brands; these days, more and more SMBs are following the mobile trend. Even though creating an app from scratch is certainly not easy, there are some steps you can take in order to simplify the process and bring your app idea to life.

1. Consider outsourcing

Let’s get back to Forester Research once again; according to the firm’s recent survey, almost 40% of decision makers said they hired third-party developers to build customer-facing apps for them. Additionally, most small companies are working on a tight budget, so the cost of developing an app is usually the main concern. Developing rates vary, depending on the experience of the developer company, the size of their team and, most importantly, where the company is based. The US-based developers are definitely the most expensive, while Indonesia has the least expensive developers. Some online app makers also do a decent job if there is a lack of developing funds.

2. Create a marketing strategy

A strong marketing strategy should be in place from the very first day of the development process, but most marketers seem to ignore this until it is too late. In fact, Marketo reports that around 34% of marketers do not have a well-documented marketing strategy. It is much easier to market an app from the beginning than trying to raise interest several months after launch. Think about it this way – you would not start a business without having a marketing plan in place, so do not try to launch a new app without one in place either.

3. Test the prototype

Once you have the beta version, it is time to test the app. The next step is fairly obvious – just ask your friends, family and colleagues to help you review the prototype. Ask them to identify the flaws, dead-end links and to give you honest feedback. If possible, invite them to your office and have them try it out in front of you, monitor them and take notes for future reference. Your goal here is to polish your concept before it goes into the design process, because it is much harder to change things around once you start designing the app.

4. Keep everything simple and user-friendly

Consumers make snap judgments – according to psychologists at Princeton University, an average person forms a first impression in one tenth of a second. Therefore, your app has to be visually appealing in order to stand out in the overcrowded market. However, keep in mind that when it comes to business apps, less is definitely more. Visual appeal aside, the app has to be simple enough for consumers to find what they want and complete any action within seconds. People want simplicity and great user experience, so packing your application with useless features will do you no good.

5. Revise and refine

Once your team finishes the design skins, it is time for another round of test runs, because it is the first time you have your complete concept in place. Perhaps use something like Solidify to import your app designs and test the flow from screen to screen. Once you collect and compile the feedback, you will be able get some new ideas and polish the app; you can always ask the designer to change the layout, or even make some changes on the back end. Even when you launch the app, your work is not done, because you have to monitor that app constantly and make a few improvements here and there at least twice a year.