However, this hasn’t deterred the market from growing. The twist here is that when you develop an app, you do not compete with the mobile apps in your domain alone. You have to compete with multiple other apps which are equally vying for the screen space. How does one make sure that they make a successful app? There are some key points to consider and in this blog, we will list them for you.
So, read on.

Audience Identification

The very first and literally the most crucial point to consider before you start any business, let alone a successful app business is to know your audience well. Now, there are the standard primary and secondary ways to do it. You either go and do the market research or you browse the internet and get the requisite knowledge. Whatever way you choose, you have to be thorough about your audience. The ideal way is to work on an audience caricature first. You do not have to go by what all the standard templates say because they indulge too much in words and can be far removed from the kind of filters which your social media advertising platforms or your app store or play store would offer at the time of targeting.

Hence, think like a common man. A common person who would be installing your app.

Another very critical thing here is that you need to understand the fact that you can be biased towards your app. Hence, always take general opinion from people around you to understand how well you are creating a customer profile. Talking to people about the idea will help you understand not just the needs and wants but also help you cross-check your audience profile. 

The audience profile will be divided into Psychographic and Demographic characteristics. Please be sure that you take as many points into consideration as possible. It may seem futile now but when you will be doing something as insignificant as deciding the colours of your app’s UI, you will understand how absolutely relevant an Audience profile is.

Value Proposition

The recent COVID-19 pandemic saw how even the most successful apps fell flat on their face. Now, we do not expect you to take that as a generic basis and work towards your value proposition. The reason we mentioned it is that you should take the value proposition very seriously and try to make it as situational agnostic as possible.

For instance, let us take the example of Swiggy. A food delivery platform which got significantly hit by the pandemic. But, their proposition was flexible and hence they quickly switched to delivery of essentials.

Let us take the example of another app. A story based app for kids which tries to teach the kids through storytelling. We aren’t talking Byju’s here- just to clarify. So, this app tries to replicate the traditional work of the grandparents where they tell stories to the younger ones. A good proposition, but not so much in India where we still believe in a well-knit family system.

So, you see! The value proposition doesn’t have to be good in silos. It has to be good with respect to the audience you are looking at catering. 

Another example that we can take here is the game of Candy Crush. This successful app literally came out of nowhere and took on the giants like Temple Run-another famous mobile app. Fast forward today and Candy Crush is still there on almost all the phones of the 35 to 60 age group people.

Let us try to explain why!

Temple Run and Candy Crush were both aimed at providing relaxation to the tired minds. Temple Run did it in a very challenging manner, plus one had to keep focussed on the screen which did result in headaches sometimes. Candy Crush, on the other hand, was pure mindless entertainment and relaxation. While one can say that the value proposition of both these games was more or less the same, yet Candy Crush was way closer to the audience’s need than Temple Run!

We need to understand that with today’s audience, downloading an app isn’t a challenge, it is the retention that is the challenge! Thus a successful app’s value proposition will have to be modelled accordingly too.

Business Model Clarity

We have discussed being clear on the pricing and business models in several of our earlier blogs. We will discuss it yet again because the possibilities are endless and it is really easy to lose one’s way in them. Every successful app business, however, has always succeeded in making the most of the relevant ones. One reason for this is that these apps made sure that they changed with the market trends.

For instance, let us take the example of popular newspaper apps such as Economic Times. The ET app was amongst the first to go full throttle on monetising. The moment mobile ads were launched, the app had it. The moment the team saw that Facebook had started using in-stream ads, the app partnered with the brand and started generating more video content.

The point we want to make here is that before you start making the app, you should know how you are going to monetise it and still leave some room for any developments that may happen later!

Since every app is unique, you may start by writing out the advantages and disadvantages of the business model you are choosing. Once that is done, go with the one which has the minimum disadvantages.

We know that this sounds like a pessimistic approach to have but when you start, you need to focus on cutting down your losses so that you may sustain for the initial few months. Once your sustenance is sorted, you can look at profits and scaling up too.

Scope and Feature Finalisation

Building on what we mentioned in the section above, scope and feature finalisation is essential for making a successful app at multiple levels. A lot of this will be done with regard to the audience one is serving.

Putting in too much into the app isn’t really a solution because that inadvertently ends up killing the user experience. Also, while sometimes it may take the attention away from the main value proposition, other times it can be a lost cause too. Let us take the example of PayTM mall to understand it better.

PayTM had literally established it well as the preferred payment method for an average digitally active Indian. Then the firm thought that maybe they could consider competing with Amazon and Flipkart and introduced PayTM Mall which had a similar value proposition as the others. However, PayTM mall tanked and despite all the marketing and development resources employed in it, all of that had to be rescinded.

Now, we are not trying to dishearten you here but we want you to understand that too much isn’t the right thing to go by. A successful app is the one which plays well on its main features instead of piling up multiple others. 

Always remember why you made the app in the first place and focus on it. 

Technology Selection

The way a mobile app is built will play an important role in determining its overall success. This is because this initial development will pave the way for all the modifications and maintenance which could be done later and also define the kind of systems the app can work on. There are three main options to consider here:

Platform-Specific Native App

These native apps are coded for either iOS or Android. Native apps used to be a thing earlier but now given the flexibility and how quickly people switch their phones and also OS, Native apps do not retain much of their original fan base. If, however, you are very sure of the platform that you want your app for, do go ahead with a Native app development because it comes way cheaper and can be done way faster; plus the user experience is very good too!

Cross-Platform Native App

These apps use shared SDKs but they run natively only. React Native and Flutter are some of the common technologies used for coding cross-platform native apps. These apps are decently cost-effective and are ideal for those who have restricted budgets but still want an app for all the OS.

Hybrid App

A Hybrid app, as the name suggests is compatible with all devices and operating systems. They are quick to deploy and easy to update. The cost-effectiveness is not so much though for obvious reasons.

The reason we mentioned all the three app types here is so that you may make an informed decision prior to your app development.

UI/UX Design

The UI/UX design is another key criteria which define an app’s success. This is because if the app isn’t easy to use, people would not want to give it another chance.

The UI/UX design bit holds true for both B2C as well as B2B apps. The UI/UX is not just about downloads, it is more about long term retention.The longer your app is used and stays on the customer’s phone, the better is your business and your chances to earn revenue.

Also, managing your app’s UI well can also help you create a path where you can prompt the customer to either engage in in-app purchases or share your content or whatever is the goal of your app.

The Right development team

It might sound like a generic thing to say but selecting the right team is crucial to fulfilling the goals to make a successful app. The right development team will not just ensure that you have the relevant resources in-house but will also allow you to do easy upgrades later.

Try and build a team which is skilled across functions instead of having just one skill-set. This will help you to make major shifts in your development program seamlessly too.It is also important that the entire team is aligned on the goal and scope. While this may seem like a trivia but if the team knows what is the end goal, their ideas and thought process will also work accordingly.

App Performance Analysis

Needless to say, once you have published your app, the analytics will have to be monitored too to see how well it is performing.

A successful app becomes successful over days of optimisation and control. Research has found that one of the main reasons for abandoning an app in 2019 has been its inability to modify itself as per the user journey.

And it is not just about journey mapping, it is also about usability. For instance, if you do not analyse how your app is doing, you may end up ignoring the probable bugs or glitches that it has resulting in poor user experience and hence uninstall.

Marketing Strategy Formulation

The biggest step towards this will be understanding and finalising how much you are willing to spend on the promotions. Given how the algorithms have been changing, it is really really difficult for one to market their product organically.

Also, it is not just about spending money, one needs to be sure of the audience that they will market to, the kind of creatives that will go out, how the ROIs will be mentioned and a lot more.

Plus, the launch strategy needs to be in sync with the marketing activities. The ideal marketing strategy for a successful app launch is usually divided into three phases, namely- pre-launch, launch and post-launch. 

Please note, a pre-launch strategy needs to be defined really strongly because this is where the buzz will be created. Once your app is in the app store, you are just vying for a screen space just like many other apps which are running their ads.

Periodic App Updation

App updates ensure that your customer does not uninstall your app. Not just it ensures the basic hygiene of your app performance but it also ensures that you are able to personalise the experience for your users.

An mobile app update is the flexibility which will allow you to tweak your business models, your revenue streams, your UI/UX and everything else. You can choose to either schedule periodic updates for your app or you can make them random as per the requirements. But, do make a goal of having so many updates in a set period of time or else, you will miss out on doing that.

Never forget that the lack of up-gradation is the most important reason for mobile apps being uninstalled. Watch the space your mobile app takes in the device memory. Facebook does that a lot and hence it keeps improving on its app-space optimisation. Yahoo mail had this major concern too and suffered a lot of uninstalls hence. But, then they upgraded and improved and the loyal users still have yahoo mail app on their phones.

Feedback Consideration

A lot of mobile apps do not bother to respond to the reviews on the app store or a play store. But the most successful app teams do it.

There is literally no app in this world which will not get negative reviews from someone or the other. It is definitely not possible to please everyone but a successful app takes the feedback into consideration.

You will see that every good/successful app has all the reviews responded to with the details of the update that will be done or have been done. Not just this builds the trust of the existing user but it also ensures that the new user does not get put off by the negativity.

User Retention Strategy

We had mentioned earlier in this blog and we will mention it yet again. In today’s world and the increased fickleness of a customer’s mind, app installation isn’t an issue. The problem lies in retention, It hardly takes a prospect a few seconds to uninstall an app if they do not find it relevant.

So, the focus has to be not just the downloads but also the fact that you are able to capture the screen space of your customer for a long time.

A good way to ensure user retention is to make your mobile app interactive and to keep your customers updated about what the next update holds in store. Not a lot to do in this regard but even a small notification can be crucial to holding the attention!

Hope these pointers helped. We have had more detailed articles about each of these points which were written earlier. Should you wish to have some clarity on any of them, feel free to write to us or you can simply refer to the articles too!

The post How to make successful Mobile App appeared first on Vibeosys Software Pvt. Ltd..

Understand Mobile App Analytics and The Use of Tools!

Well, honestly if you are using the basic analytics of your store, there wouldn’t be much to talk about. But, then the information that free analytics platform would provide will be limited too. However, enter the analytics tools and one may get really insightful information. For instance, you may get to know about the overall app heatmap, stating where exactly the user spent the most time, what kind of content was preferred more. While a basic analytics platform will tell you the page the user stopped at, a heat map will ensure that you know the exact point which made them stop. Such insight can be greatly useful in understanding which parts to promote the most.

A step further in this direction goes in the form of analytics tools that provide Artificial Intelligence based solutions. Tools such as Aiden, not only perform behavioural analysis of the users but also analyse and understand your app’s behaviour and purpose in general. Then, it checks the level of sync between the two. Thus coming up with suggestions for you to further improve upon your app’s efficiency and layout.

Finally, there are other tools as well which can give you a plethora of information on in-app analytics, which button to be made into what, the kind of colours to be used, etc etc. The range of features available is simply vast but considering that this blog isn’t really about all that, we will not turn back to what this blog intends to do- telling you the Right Metrics to determine your app’s success.

But, on a parting note for this section, some of the best app analytics tools which we suggest would be Kochava, MixPanel, Adobe Analytics, Amplitude, Amazon Pinpoint and AdMob by Google.

Measuring mobile app success metrics

So, here we go listing out the vital points for measuring mobile app success metrics for you! Read On!!

App Downloads

The very primary indicator of the success of your mobile app which shows right there on the app store too! It goes without saying that higher the number of app installs, the better would be its overall market acceptance. However, even though we put this metric as the first one, it is still a very surface-level indicator. Why is that so? Well, that is something you will figure out yourself as we proceed in this blog.

Active Users on Your App

Now, this metric is pretty different from the app downloads one but it holds its own importance given it shows how many people are active on your mobile app in real-time. It is pretty much the same as the Google Analytics section about Active users on your website.

Tracking the active users on your mobile app at any given point of time can help you with scheduling your updates accordingly. Another benefit of it would be, in case if your mobile application promotes other brands throw showing ads on it. This way, you will be able to maximise your overall revenue. For easy reference, active users are put under the two categories of Daily active users (DAU) and Monthly active users (MAU). The DAU in our opinion would be the kind of audience you would want to profile and target for a better marketing campaign optimisation. DAU has become an important parameter in measuring mobile app success.

Tracking the active users on your mobile app at any given point of time can help you with scheduling your updates accordingly. Another benefit of it would be, in case if your mobile application promotes other brands throw showing ads on it. This way, you will be able to maximise your overall revenue. For easy reference, active users are put under the two categories of Daily active users (DAU) and Monthly active users (MAU). The DAU in our opinion would be the kind of audience you would want to profile and target for a better marketing campaign optimisation. DAU has become an important parameter in measuring mobile app success.

The Stickiness Ratio

This one can be called the subset of the active user metric since the stickiness ratio is defined as the number of daily active users over monthly active users. The logic is simple. If the ratio is high then it means that people who install your mobile application, also stick to it and find it useful. A lower stickiness ratio means that while your marketing campaign did well and resulted in people installing the mobile app, your mobile app didn’t figure out as utilitarian for those who installed it and hence you need to work on that area.

Average Visit Time and Screen views per visit

Both of these metrics define how engaged the users are with your mobile application. The longer the time a person spends on the app or the higher the number of the screen views per visit means that the user likes your mobile app. A lower average visit time with an increased screen view per visit, however, may be a potential red flag which you may have to work upon. This is because, such a ratio would be an indicator towards that the user is browsing and hasn’t found anything as useful yet! This point is an important eye opener in analysing how your mobile app is engaging to the end users. Measuring mobile app success has been by product of it.

App Session Intervals

This metric measures how frequently a user returns to your mobile application. This is also another parameter to define how engaged your users are in general. Shorter the intervals between two consecutive visits, higher is the level of engagement. As we write this, and while you are reading, we are not sure how many times you must have checked your social media mobile apps already! While this wouldn’t reflect so well on our blog but it would mean that those mobile apps did a great job making you prioritise them over this piece. 

A good trick to improve upon your app session interval metric would be to make your mobile app a part of the user’s daily routine. Maybe you could have a demo bot engaging with them all the time or have a puzzle or any other game which could keep the user occupied. Though make sure that your mobile app is made well for the disruption that would happen in between and hence once the user logs back, they do not have to start from the scratch!

App Retention vs Churn Rates

App retention is a measure of how many users return to your mobile app after the first visit and churn, well that is the number of people who do not. So, the question is- which one should you focus on Improving?

Well, both because we said improving and not increasing! So, increase your retention rate while cutting down on your churn and how to do that? Just like the way we made you read this sentence!

Make your mobile app interactive, engage your users, work on the layout, get them to participate in contents, basically add some thrill to their usual routine! And how to do that- well, that is something we wrote in the “Best practices for a mobile app” blog.

Event Tracking

Now, this metric is more of a specific case but is equally important in order to measure the effectiveness of the extra efforts which you had put in to make your mobile app a success. Even if not the additional events such as contests, quizzes, etc, you may also want to see how many people shared your content, how many people copied the link to something on your mobile app and shared it further or how many shared your app itself. In addition to that, making a purchase on your mobile app, clicking on the ads in your mobile application or even reaching up to a certain level on your app would be the things you would want to keep track while measuring mobile app success.

Store Ratings and Reviews

On the store of course! The higher the ratings and the better the reviews, the more successful your mobile app is. Also, these two in specific significantly help with app store optimisation too. Make sure that you respond to all reviews- positive or negative. These responses would give you the additional window to put in your favourite high performing keywords as well. Industry wide definition of measuring mobile app success is only based on reviews and ratings received for the mobile app.

Also, sometimes if the rating isn’t as good, your honest responses would show that you care enough to respond and hence would still build a level of trust amongst your target audience.

In addition to these, some mobile apps have the option for in-app feedback too. Make sure you take them very seriously because in-app feedback comes from users who are active on your mobile app enough to care to give feedback. These are the users who will put in a good word for you or kill your mobile app if their experience is bad. So these would need extra pampering!

Heatmaps and User Recordings

Touch heatmaps record the areas which are visited most by the users. User recordings on the other hand, unlike what the name might suggest monitoring the kind of interaction the users have with the mobile app. Both of these together will show how well the people are engaging with your mobile app and if there is any change that needs to be made and also where. Analysing heatmaps is a vital step in measuring mobile app success.

App Abandonment

The next thing to consider would be the number of people who uninstalled your mobile app before even signing up. These people would come under the metric of app abandonment ratio. Needless to say that this has to be low. Also, app abandonment ratio could be a pointer towards the mismatch in your marketing campaign claims and what your mobile app eventually offers. So, the best way to reduce mobile app abandonment would be to ensure that the campaign and your mobile application are totally in sync! Yes, it is that simple!

Funnel Tracking

Well, this one involves measuring the user churn at every step. This is one metric which focuses more on the operational parts of the mobile app. Given that it involves measurement at levels, funnel tracking will help the team understand which levels are ticking the users off. This could be at some conversion points or simply on some pages. If, however, you are able to segregate where the users drop off usually, you may be able to make changes there and increase your retention score in general. User retention becomes another vital point in measuring mobile app success.

Is your mobile app viral?

Well no, Viral isn’t about the downloads. It is about how many people chose to share your mobile app or invite others! Did you get us right? And we think that if you did get us, we don’t really have to say a lot on it now!

CPA-LTV-Revenue Targets

Simply no form of business can be justified without taking into account the financial aspects of it. Hence, the cost per acquisition (CPA), lifetime value (LTV) and the closure of the revenue targets would be the things which you will have to take into account. At the end of the day, the mobile app is so that you may make money. Thus, if your revenue targets aren’t being met well, you will have to rethink it all!

Conclusion

Making a mobile app is a task in itself, making sure that it becomes a success is a challenge even bigger than that! A lot of effort and money goes into the entire process and it is human to expect results out of it. Measuring the success of your mobile app at every stage is thus critical. You can simply not overlook it! 

That being said, while we have tried to include every relevant metrics in this blog if you feel that you would want to discuss further or have any other suggestions or questions, please feel free to drop in an email!

The post Measuring success of mobile application appeared first on Vibeosys Software Pvt. Ltd..

At Vibeosys Software, we have worked with a lot of small and medium businesses and startups. Hence, we know the kind of budgetary constraints that a lot of such firms have. We have thus, tried to make this blog as relevant to all budget types as possible with special focus on stingy budgets.

So, here we go!

Spread word of mouth

The very first and probably one of the most important organic ways to improve the app’s promotion is to get in touch with the target audience. You do not really have to plan for this but for all the people that you meet, the events you attend or even casual discussions you have in your peer group, drop the topic for your mobile app. You can have your family members or friends talking about it too! Write about the mobile app on your social media pages, tell your college friends about the challenges you faced during its making, have workshops in college, or simply volunteer at such organisations to spread the word of mouth. While this might not yield results directly but once these people see your ad, the probability of them downloading your mobile app would increase manifolds.

In addition to this, you may also purchase databases which may come at minimum price and run an email campaign about the mobile app. If you have an audience base from earlier, mail them, Share newsletters! Might be a bit of hard work but creating newsletters with hand and then sharing them around will not just make the receiver feel special about it but it will also build your app’s personality for the probable users. Basically, this step is all about talking to people to let them know. Spreading the word of mouth is what we can call it.

And guess what, for those who help you out in this pursuit, reward them! For that matter, handing out free coupons before your mobile app gets launched is a common practice across Europe and the Americas. Not very sure how relevant that would be for the Indian market given its penchant for free mobile apps, yet if you are looking at in-app purchases or app level purchases then it would be a good thing to do!

Contact the Influencers

Remember how once upon a time, a magazine called digit used to be the word for all the new games that have been launched and a lot of technical advancements in the world of the computer. Well, Digit was the influencer of the not so internet savvy era. Now, we have influencers. There are just so many technical influencers who make videos about mobile apps. Not just them, there are a lot of people who make prank calls or do any such similar entertainment stuff but have a huge following. Well, their following could be your prospective audience base. So, get in touch with them and have them promote your mobile app. Some of these influencers would work on a barter, others would ask you to pay. Whatever you do, remember that you will have to negotiate hard there and since you are going to make a big business there, we are sure you will negotiate well. A small case here would be of Meme-chat, an app which was promoted by most of the actors from TVF, they literally meme-d their way into the promotion by having meme-lords share their mobile app and talk about it!

Leverage the Power of Your Website

Now, this is where we would refer to another one of our older blogs. If you have subscribed to our blogs then you must be remembering the one where we talked about the importance of websites vs mobile apps. Well, one point mentioned there was that one simply cannot do away with the website given how people first check Google and then if they find the content there to be convincing enough, come back and download. Now again, this will not hold so much true for photo editing mobile apps or beauty mobile apps but they will be sort of an outlier to this discussion. Most mobile apps require the backing of a good functional website to ensure that they get the customer trust. Plus, a website is a gateway to SEO and you wouldn’t want to miss out on that!

Also, you can put up a download link on your website for the users to download your mobile application immediately should they find the content convincing; again something you will not be able to do if you don’t have a website!

Get Featured in App Reviews/Blogs

We will be honest here but this will require some running around the mill. The best and easiest shortcut to this would be to start answering questions on Quora. Now, DuckDuckGo isn’t really an app but it did leverage the power of Quora to boost installs. A number of beauty-related mobile apps or even offline clinics partake on such question and answer platforms to ensure footfalls and not very surprising but almost everyone who uses Quora has had some of their most relevant traffic from there.

In addition to this, there is this thing about article submission where you can submit domain-specific articles on websites backlinking to your mobile app or website. Plus, there are so many websites or people who write reviews on mobile apps. You can have your mobile application included in them too. This is one of the important ways to promote mobile apps.

Mention it in Your Signature!

Yes, while some of you may think that this is too much but believe us when we say, self-publicity is the best publicity. Branding is one of the ways of promoting mobile apps. So, be it your social media handles, your email signature of even if you have a business card- just please include the name of your mobile application. Of course, you will have to make it quirky or the logo to be bright but it would be worth it. Every mail that you send or for every person who visits your social media handle would be reminded of it. Somehow a lot of people miss out on this. But those who do not, make the most out of it. Take the example of Ankur Warikoo, the founder of Nearbuy. Nearbuy was doing just fine till Ankur started his Warikoo Wednesdays and started telling stories about Nearbuy on LinkedIn. The installs picked up after that because people were following Ankur Warikoo and then getting impressed and hence downloading the mobile app.

Try out Alternative App Stores

The world isn’t all about Android and iOS wars. There are other people too and a lot of them refer to GetJar, SlideMe, Opera Mobile Store, AppsLib, Amazon Appstore and AppBrain too! So, promote mobile apps on these app stores as well. Promoting mobile apps includes making availability on every possible store.

Apply for Paid Awards

Paid awards have multi-fold benefits in promoting mobile apps. First, those who go through your mobile application will get to know you. Second, if you win, you will have a medallion to show against your mobile app’s name and will get a lot of coverage too. In addition to this, a lot of these awards provide incubation for the winners which again will be a great benefit to get out of this entire thing.  Some of the best awards with you can apply to are Appy Awards, Best App Ever Awards, AppCircus Competition, Apple Design Awards, Ericsson Application Awards, The Webby Awards, Best Mobile App Awards, and OZApp awards. The two Indian firms specifically which offer long term incubation of over 5 years in India are Marico and Aditya Birla. So, you could look at them too!

Search Engine Optimisation

Well, it will be a sin to not mention this. You know how it is done and since we have mentioned about having a website for your mobile app already, we are sure you will be able to take it up from there! Just please do this without fail!

Join Relevant Groups

Be it social media groups for developers, relevant business groups on LinkedIn, your domain-specific groups or just the offline groups where developers meet, make sure that you are a party to them. Not only will this promote mobile apps but the kind of technical discussions there will help you understand what the audience wants and what all is under development. Such insights can be of specific use when you would write the ad copies for your campaigns. A to the point copy and you will be able to improve your CTR just like that! Try joining public groups which are free, it will also help in promoting mobile apps on public URL. This will help in SEO backlinking.

About Advertisements and Your App Icon

Well, there are a few guidelines for you when you go about choosing your app icon. Make sure that it stands out uniquely. At least cover the basic hygiene that it shouldn’t resemble any other mobile app. Try and use not more than 2 colours to create contrast and finally- be creative! Also, yes, trying out its visibility against multiple wallpapers will only help in ensuring good visibility for the app on the users’ phones.

Now, coming to the advertisements. First of all, the platform on which you should bet your budgets will depend a lot on the kind of purpose your mobile app aims at solving. If it is a mobile app about beauty, go for Instagram. If it is a B2B mobile app, LinkedIn will work for you. For any other type of mobile app, Facebook will be your best bet. However, make sure that about 20-30% of your overall budget is dedicated to Google too! While the leads or installs you will get there will not always be the best but the quantum of installs you will get will definitely boost your overall campaign results.

And yes, your ad copy will have an important role to play in promoting mobile apps. So, depending upon the platform again and also the purpose that your app will solve, go for either display or text ads!

Another trend that has recently caught up is the promotional videos where the founders post a creative video; sometimes using placards to mention things and then eventually ask people to download their mobile app. This could work for you too but make sure that it goes well with your brand’s persona.

App Store Optimisation (ASO) – Crucial for mobile app marketing

We finally had to touch this topic! So, in addition to the usual App SEO, there are a lot of things which can boost your app store optimisation. One would be getting the right photos/screenshots of your iOS mobile app and ensuring a good video about how it functions. 

Of course, you should detail out it’s functioning in writing too but, the visual bit cannot be and should not be neglected at any cost. Screenshots on app store, sell around 40% of your mobile app and hence its the best way to promote mobile apps.

Also, in your description, you may also include pre-book options. So, you can think of giving out some free vouchers or any gifts for all those who pre-book your mobile app. This will create a buzz for your iOS mobile app, much like a-la-Beera beer mode! 

For more information about app store optimization techniques, read here.

Be ready for PR

For promoting mobile apps, be ready for PR, because you never know when your mobile app will go viral and also, it is always better to be in touch with the media guys. While some of you might think of hiring a PR agency on board, let us advise you against it. A decent PR agency will charge a decent amount for decent coverage. In that too, the first three months wouldn’t have any significant coverage. So, steer clear of that money waste. If you really want to spend that money, spend it on your campaigns instead, get installs, create a buzz and then approach PR. Meanwhile, keep writing guest posts for online high domain authority blogs of relevance and even posts for the local sections of your regional newspapers or even the national dailies. If you are lucky, the national ones will publish it. But the local ones, they are always short on good content so that would be your low hanging fruit.

All that, but make sure you have a company profile and founder profile ready all the time. You never know when a journalist might contact you!

We have said a lot and yet there is so much we can still say. You see, creating a buzz isn’t always about putting in money. If we look at it from a larger perspective, it is a lot about getting people talking, about making the conversations happen. While all that we mentioned above would be the absolute essentials, yet there are few things like interacting or commenting on other people’s posts, making a brand out of yourself, updating your mobile app regularly, responding to reviews whenever they come etc too which can help you promote mobile app well.

Marketing is all about understanding the user’s psyche and every good marketing campaign has nailed just that! If you are looking at such a discussion for your app, feel free to call Vibeosys Software anytime! We will be happy to help.

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The reason is simple, there are just so many parameters one could improve upon for better user experience. Plus, the competition is so huge that app makers usually lose focus on what is the most important feature and end up including a lot of side features too, just to make sure that the user stays.

While it might sound like a good idea yet, it isn’t half as good because the budget overshoots soon. An app isn’t like a website where you decide the number of pages and finalise the cost structure. Mobile app development is dynamic and hence the budget goes dynamic too. Thus, it is very important that you fix up a budget and work around it.

Also, it isn’t uncommon but most of the firms who go for mobile app development are either early-stage startups or small and medium businesses. The implication of that is that both of them are cash strapped. So, when one is running on a tight budget, the focus is always to reduce cost. Now, while not planning well may make your budgets shoot up, there are some mistakes which you can avoid or some strategies which you may implement to ensure that you are able to reduce the overall app development costs.

This blog addresses the latter i.e. what should one do in order to reduce their mobile app development cost. Let us first look at some of the mistakes one needs to avoid in this pursuit. This will be followed by the strategies one can implement for the same.

Avoid following Mistakes while planning about mobile app development cost

Mistake 1. Wrong UI/UX and QA Testing Cost estimates

The very first mistake that most startups end up making is, a lot of times the features being added will change during the course of development and hence the UI/UX cost will vary accordingly too. While this would be tough to avoid completely, yet a better way would be if you go over the wireframe again and again instead of making the changes once the development starts. 

You need to understand that mobile app development isn’t like writing on the board. Any change means going back again and changing a lot of features because most of them are interdependent. Now, would you want to take up that extra cost? Not really!!

So, whatever you need to change, change at the wireframe stage itself.

Also, the testing bit! Be it an android app development or an iOS app development, the testing will be done for each individual device. The biggest confusion on this happens especially in the case of Android apps which run on literally n number of devices. So, if you are making an Android app, be sure that you have covered all the possible device types!

Now, ideally, we should have given you an example to explain how detrimental a wrong estimate at this stage could be. But, honestly, no one really tells it. So, for easy reference, talk to any of the people you know who are developing mobile apps. They will tell you what the experience is like. That would give you a better understanding of this scenario that we talk of.

Mistake 2. Not Taking into account the cost of updates

Ok so, we have mentioned ample times that you need to plan for your updates. While this cost will not be a fixed one but it would definitely be recurring and will come in different proportions given the kind of update that is to be done. So, when you make your initial budget itself, plan it for at least 6 months post the mobile app launch so that you may take into account the update creation costs too.

And again, just to clarify, when we say the cost of updates, do include the cost for testing as well.

Mistake 3. Not Being Able to Decide Between Native and Hybrid mobile app development

This might be a new concept if you have just started thinking of creating an app and so let us define it for you. A native mobile app is the one which is built from scratch and is developed for a particular platform. A hybrid app, on the other hand, is the one which is developed for multiple platforms. The implication is that a native mobile app development cost will be charged per platform, i.e. two times if you have it created for android and iOS both. For a hybrid app, on the other hand, the mobile app development cost is simply a one-time irrespective of how many platforms you choose to run it on.

This might be a new concept if you have just started thinking of creating an app and so let us define it for you. A native mobile app is the one which is built from scratch and is developed for a particular platform. A hybrid app, on the other hand, is the one which is developed for multiple platforms. The implication is that a native mobile app development cost will be charged per platform, i.e. two times if you have it created for android and iOS both. For a hybrid app, on the other hand, the mobile app development cost is simply a one-time irrespective of how many platforms you choose to run it on.

Now, this would mean that everyone should go for a hybrid mobile app but that is not the case. This is because the Native mobile apps have better performance and overall user experience.

Hence, when you decide what to do for your mobile app, make sure you weigh in these two options and then make an informed choice.

Mistake 4. Ignoring The cost of Adding Latest Features

This one is pretty much an extension of the point which we had mentioned earlier about planning well for your mobile app. Now, as we said, it is going to be tough to make sure that no sudden features get added and hence the best bet is to minimise such occurrences. A corollary to this would be the fact that one should be ready and hence account for the expenses that could come upon this account later. 

Inclusion of such an expense and it would be easier to ensure that your overall budget doesn’t overshoot.

Mistake 5. Not Considering Implementation costs

Sounds very strange that one could even miss it but people do tend to forget including the cost of implementation. Let us take the example of an e-commerce app which will have features like payment gateway, wishlist, product categories etc. All of these features will have to be implemented, maintained and improved. 

One tends to miss out on the cost of implementation because it is sort of a hidden one. But, just because it is hidden, it doesn’t mean that it is non-existent. Hence, make sure that you have accounted for the same in your budget

Strategies to reduce mobile app development cost for startups

We have talked about strategizing enough. So much so that we even have a comprehensive blog about making your idea into a successful app. However, since we are talking about reducing the mobile app development cost in this one, let us reiterate on some crucial points below.

Plan Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

One of the best strategies for a successful mobile app launch is to make a minimum viable product i.e. a product with fewer features at a low cost and then keep updating it over time depending upon what all features are the users looking at having. This strategy not just avoids any kind of time wastage but also ensures that the expense happens in trenches and not at once giving you control over the overall finances. Plus, since an MVP allows the audience to warm up, the kind of insights thus generated will help you plan your update types even better in a more relevant manner.

One can take the example of Enlight Pixaloop which initially offered just the basic features and even came in free. But, over time, it kept improving upon its features and now it is no longer a free mobile app. However, since it has already established itself in the market, people readily pay to have it on their phone.

Use Ready made Templates

We had mentioned in one of our previous blogs about how white labeling your code could be a great way for mobile app monetisation. Now, let us look at it from the other side. Instead of coding your mobile app from scratch, you can simply take a template and start working on it.  Not just would it save your time, it will reduce the overall mobile app development cost. Now, if you may ask if any mobile app developer has done that before? Well, see all the games which are an extension of the original Candy Crush, well all of them have worked on the same basic template, only modifying it to their specific theme at a later stage.

Access Mobile-Specific Features

Well, a simple no brainer but we are still mentioning it just so that it doesn’t skin your mind. Do not spend on having features which you can simply plug in to get from the phone. Features like camera, GPS, call options etc are some things which you can take up from the mobile phone itself. To be frank, every app does this. If you do not, well then maybe you are being a bit careless with your money.

UI/UX Simplicity

This could be called an extension of the MVP point but honestly, a user gets impressed only so much and some of the best and widely downloaded mobile apps have the most basic aesthetics. Be it Facebook, your average photo editing apps, Whatsapp, Instagram, any news app or any mobile app that you can remember right now- if it is famous, its UI/UX is probably the simplest. Hence, until you are developing a mobile app for an interior designing or an art firm and hence need to focus a lot on the look and feel, keep the UI/UX simple!

Hire Skilled Testing Resources

We cannot emphasise it enough because if even a single bug reaches your audience and a few negative reviews pour in in the initial phases, your mobile app and all the money and effort that you had put in will be lost- all at once.

And as we finally close this, do not rush into the process. Of course, you have deadlines to stick to but trying to finish it fast by pumping in more money wouldn’t make sense. Every step in the mobile app development process takes time and hence you need to let that happen. Plus, the hushier you get, the higher would be the probability of mistakes happening. And these mistakes come at additional costs.

Having said that, we feel that we have said enough so that would be all from our side. Should you have any questions though, feel free to call us or drop in an email!

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It goes without saying that having the right idea, an idea which works on providing the solution for a need or a want or in other words fills a gap is critical to having a good app. It would not be an exaggeration to say that fifty per cent of the mobile app development work is done well if the idea itself is good enough.

However, once the idea has been finalised, the main work begins- the work of execution or mobile app development. From where the progress graph becomes asymptotic. While one tries to achieve perfection in whatever execution steps are taken, yet there is always something which either needs to be completely avoided or kept on the back burner for a while to achieve the best results. The law of marginal utility comes into play and with whatever resources are at hand, one tries to and has to make the most of it. 

It is for this reason that in this blog, we will talk about the best practices for mobile app development. So read on.

Follow the mobile app development guidelines

The very first and super crucial. This step comes with the consideration that you have already finalised the platform on which you would be launching the app. Considering the development for both iOS apps and Android apps is significantly different, we are assuming that at least the very basics of the mobile app development would be clear.

However, it is not about just that. Please make sure that you have gone through the mobile app development guidelines thoroughly. It is important because first, it would help you ease out the development process and second, at the time when you will finally want to take your app live, it will help you sail through the approval process without any unnecessary hiccups and procedural delays.

For easy reference, you can access the guidelines for Android as well as iOS app development here Google Android Guidelines and Apple Developer Guidelines

Concept and Beta Testing

We had mentioned about this in our earlier blog as well and we will mention it here again. One needs to understand that an app is not like a product on either of Amazon or Flipkart where one may still take chances with the seller or ask for a return or replacement if things do not go well for the first time. An app, if installed once and if found not working well is uninstalled forever. Hence, it is very important to make sure that when a mobile app gets launched, it is its best version. Any glitches or bugs means tonnes of negative reviews from random users. While it would be only a few agitated ones, those negative feedbacks will ensure that not many install it later, thus killing your app’s future well before it started. For startups, this step is actually the must to do given that in the early stages, they are bootstrapped and hence cannot update and upgrade on any trust lost with one bad review.

Also, it is important to manage expectations and hence when you write the app’s description or put an intro video, make sure that you clearly spell out what all can the app help with. Any mismatch of expectations there and the app would be on the path towards negative reviews again. 

Usability

When we talk of usability, we mean the layout of information on the mobile app that it intends to give, the overall design and other elements which have been placed to make the overall app of use for the ultimate user. Always make sure that you include an initial demo when the user uses the app for the first time so that they know what to expect when and from where. Also, lay down any features or options which you think the user might miss but are of the essence to the entire functionality. If possible, tell them how they can prioritise things for a more personalised experience. 

For instance, let us take an example of MakeMyTrip travel website and mobile app. How would you feel if all of the hotel information is provided all at once. It wouldn’t really solve a purpose but it will clutter your screen. Instead, what MMT chooses to do is that it first provides the hotel name and price for easy filter, then it provides you detailed options for your chosen hotel and finally gives you options to opt in for a combo. Not just this makes the overall experience better but with  each step, MMT increases the probability of a higher value product being sold. Finally, make sure that the icons are the right size or else working on through them would be difficult.

Reduce Search Effort: ease of Navigation

The obvious extension of usability comes in the form of ease of navigation. A mobile app which is hard to browse around to get the work done is never preferred. It may sound surprising but in the world of websites competing with mobile apps for the services at the offer, a mobile app with a lesser functionality but better navigation would be preferred over the others with poorer functionalities. 

Take the example of Just Dial mobile app, it was just because of its tough navigation that people do not really install the mobile app and either utilise its website or other websites like Sulekha or individual service providers. Providing with search options and filters could be one option which you can always put to make sure that your user is happy with the kind of navigation at the offer. 

Another very common instance of easy navigation is how we are so accustomed to clicking on the top left to check for more options and prefer sort and filter options at the centre top. Any app which goes for an alternate way i.e. either they have a toggle to show the options or go for a different positioning take time for the user to familiarise themselves. And while the most high on utility apps would still stick, if your value proposition isn’t as good, the app might as well get deleted soon.

Another very common instance of easy navigation is how we are so accustomed to clicking on the top left to check for more options and prefer sort and filter options at the centre top. Any app which goes for an alternate way i.e. either they have a toggle to show the options or go for a different positioning take time for the user to familiarise themselves. And while the most high on utility apps would still stick, if your value proposition isn’t as good, the app might as well get deleted soon.

Don’t clutter your mobile application

While we have talked about how the right things have to be at the right place, the things of priority have to be at the home page etc, yet it does not mean that you end up cluttering your app’s interface. A cluttered app means a confused user and a confused user means that the app doesn’t get used or is eventually deleted. Thus, make sure that the app’s interface remains clean always. Remember that the screen is only so much and so your content has to be in accordance with that too.

However, we will want to clarify that this option will not apply to every mobile app type. For instance, be it a consulting app or the mobile app for a content platform like Quora, there is only so much sleekness you can offer because the audience is there to devour the content. However, there is a difference between putting up content and cluttering. If the user experience is seamless and the interface looks pleasing to the eyes- no matter how much content or options you have put it, it is a job done well!

Offer Assistance

While we did talk about having a search bar or filters on the app for easier navigation, yet a personalised touch of a help centre is always good to have. Depending upon the kind of resources you have, there are multiple options at the offer. You can have a direct call to action for a phone call to be made or for an email to be sent or simply a list of FAQs. There are basic chatbots also now which can be integrated with your app and help solve basic customer queries. Those are worth a shot too just to make sure that they work well.

Oh yes, if you are thinking of installing a bot on your app- either go for a simple FAQ bot which gives options directly or have a person working on the chat window. Anything is between (usually sold in the name of Artificial Intelligence) usually ends up affecting your user experience poorly.

Limit User Input

Always remember that the user wants to type only when they are chatting. Any other kind of typing on the phone is nothing but a pure inconvenience. Hence, make sure that when they use your app too, there aren’t too many which they have to type out. Be it credit card details, billing information or anything else, try to minimize the input. Prediction assistance, capturing data saved on the phone (after due permission of course), spell check, text prediction etc are some of the ways to ensure that.

Assure Security and Trustworthiness

It is not unusual for us to download an app only to be overwhelmed by a barrage of permissions to give. Now, we as users know how uncomfortable this gets and yet a lot of us tend to make the same mistake while creating an app. The word is- please do not. Rather, a better way to go about it would be to ask for permission only when required. For instance, you can ask for credit card information while the user is making a purchase or if they are taking a photo or trying to access one, you could ask for access to the gallery. Make sure that the permission policies are transparent and the users have full control over the information they want to share. You may also choose to include direct links to your privacy regulation page.

Integrate Behavioral Gestures

More of a value add, however, gestures can be of great assistance in improving the overall customer experience. You can include gestures such as pinching, swiping, scrolling etc in your mobile app for multiple actions that have to be performed. For instance, a left swipe can be used to delete while right swipe can be used to save a piece, similarly, they can be used for sharing or deleting too.

Efficient Onboarding: GTM Strategy

This has to be on point or else all the work done would go down the drain. We live in a world of social media and hence in no way possible can we afford to overlook the power of digital marketing. Make sure that your mobile app development consultancy has a thorough foolproof plan for this stage. Set quantitative and realistic targets for your app download campaigns. Make sure all the parameters are adequately covered.

It is important to note here that the overall user experience will also have a major role to play. The UX needs to be aligned with the user’s need and preferences. Personalisation is actually the key to provide users with a meaningful experience. Also, try to reduce the number of steps for sign up. Showing a video tutorial of how the app works or how a new upgrade will solve the purpose can be of key assistance to the user. Such things form the part of what one calls progressive onboarding.

This part is especially more critical for small and medium scale businesses or early-stage startups who, more often than not have limited budgets on hand. At Vibeosys software, having successfully launched multiple such mobile apps for startups and SMBs, we know how to make the most of whatever is at hand!

Plan out your updates

This sort of forms an extension of the Go to market strategy because updates and upgrades form a critical part of making your app stick on the user’s phone. Plus, if your mobile app is doing decently well, an update can be an incentive for the user to hold on it even longer. The update/upgrade can be a bug fix, additional features, some freebies or any other thing.

Even if not that, regular updates make sure that your mobile application keeps working fine and reduces the overall cost of maintenance by reducing the risk of sudden contingencies.

Develop for disruption

It is a bit too much to expect that a user would provide their undivided attention to the mobile application and leave all other things to first complete their action on it. This means that multiple times, an app would be closed right in the middle of an operation. Make sure that your mobile app is able to help the user return to the exact page where they left when they access the app again. Making them start over completely would definitely not be a good experience to leave a user with.

With all these best practices for mobile app development being mentioned here, we feel that you are all set on a path to develop a good app. At Vibeosys software, we pride ourselves in being one of the best mobile app development companies. It is our endeavour that our knowledge base is able to help out all the users on the internet and help them with their pursuit. If however, you still have any questions, remember that we are just a phone call away.

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Now, one would say that basic marketing should be enough but unlike Google’s world of SEO and PPC, app marketing is a different ball game altogether. Plus, this domain is relatively new and hence to find someone with the necessary expertise is tough.

What we want to say here, in short, is that taking an app idea and converting into a business idea isn’t easy, but it isn’t impossible either. All one needs is to have the right expert guiding them throughout the process.

Why This Blog

At Vibeosys Software, we have been helping startups convert their app idea into a full-fledged revenue-generating business model. We do get a lot of questions about the ideal approach. Having worked on multiple apps now, we felt that it would be a great idea to put all of it together in one place so that, whoever searches, knows at least the basics well. As a mobile app consultancy, that was the least we could do. So, read on to know the key points one needs to understand in order to make their app idea turned into a successful mobile app.

Idea Discussion

With the kind of information that the internet has on it, each and every one of us has an idea which we feel is worth the money and could turn into a great business idea. The optimism is good but sometimes we tend to become naive and touchy about it. One needs to understand that not every idea is or has to be good. There is a reason why so many startups fail. Also, it is not always about filling in the need-gap or providing what the audience would want.

With the kind of information that the internet has on it, each and every one of us has an idea which we feel is worth the money and could turn into a great business idea. The optimism is good but sometimes we tend to become naive and touchy about it. One needs to understand that not every idea is or has to be good. There is a reason why so many startups fail. Also, it is not always about filling in the need-gap or providing what the audience would want. Steve Job’s dialogue about “You tell them what they want” sounds good because Apple is successful now. But, it does not necessarily fit in for the supremely dynamic global markets. Hence, the very first step towards making an app idea a reality is to discuss it.

The very first question becomes to answer- Why do you want to build a mobile application?

It is very important to know the answer to the question because the entire foundation for the process will be laid out on this. We have found, in our experience with multiple startups that most teams aren’t clear on this note. There is just a vague idea of what they would want to achieve. As an entrepreneur, one needs to understand that it isn’t just about making the app today. One also needs to be sure of what would happen in the future. How would one react if things go wrong or a competition springs up?

Ideally, if you know the answer to these questions, you should be able to sum it up in one sentence. If you cannot, then you probably need to think it over. Which brings us to the next and probably the most crucial stage about Researching.

Research The Market

Having worked with so many early-stage startups, we understand that to have an answer about why the app is needed isn’t as easy as it may sound. A lot of research and understanding goes into it. Ideally, a good mobile app consulting company can help you at this phase but you can do it yourself too.

Two important takeaways from this stage would be- 

• The answer to why the app
• A set of features which the app should have

Let us discuss the bit about Research along these lines

There is always a vague idea about why an app is needed or why a team of people are required to develop the app. Detailed research entailing all the possible literature and study of other similar apps or solutions/websites in the domain can help one get a fair idea of what is already there and what more could be added. It doesn’t have to be about understanding the additional value add item. Through such research, one can also learn about what did not work for others and what are the probable audience’s preferences. Such insights can be especially important to finalise the Do’s and Don’ts for the mobile app’ features and launch at a later stage.

In addition to this, one also gets an idea of the features that are being used most by the audience and the features which are hardly used ever. This can help one plan out the entire structure well.

Brainstorming over the App Idea

Once an idea of the probable feature set has been drawn, the next question is about how all that needs to be put up into an app. This is where the brainstorming starts. One needs to understand that there will be n number of ideas but to have them all in one app would be tough. Hence, this stage is all about discussing what all features will have to be launched in the very first stage followed by the subsequent upgrades. 

Now one may ask, why plan for upgrades when one can put in all at once. Well, this is a very strategic move given how things do not end at just the app install. One needs to plan out for the app stickiness too. Upgrades aren’t always about performance, they are about ensuring that the app stays and hence this point needs to be included during the brainstorming session too.

Now, while deciding the feature sequencing as to which one needs to be launched at which stage, an ideal way would be to consider the risks associated with not having one. The ones which have the least risks involved given their absence are usually deprioritised. 

Finally, there will be just so many suggestions about what to do and what not to do. Not to blame anyone but in the digital age, with such easy access to information, almost everyone is an expert. You need to filter out that noise thus. No matter what one says, the primary goal and functionality of the app cannot be changed at a whim and there should be no deviations from that. The side benefits can be leveraged upon but that would come later.

In addition to this, various app monetization models will also have to be discussed at this stage. This is essential because the layout will eventually be decided basis that. So, one will have to decide over whether they will want to have in-app banner ads, in-app purchases or collaborations or any other monetization model deemed necessary for the said domain

Dedicated brainstorming sessions help you with that and the outcome is the final feature set which now needs to be wireframed as one enters the design and development stage.

Wireframing (Prototyping)

This is the stage where once the features have been decided, one starts working on how the layout would look like. While one can say that they would directly go for development but more often that is not, that isn’t a good idea.

A wireframe lays out all the probable app designs and views at the same time giving an idea of how the app would look while being used. In addition to this, a wireframe also helps with laying out the workflow for the app too and hence if there are any deadends or blockages, those could be avoided too.

Making a wireframe is less expensive and less time consuming when it comes to making iterations. The same, when done during the development stage, would be really time-consuming plus would potentially burn a hole in your pocket.

Concept Testing

This is the stage where we strive to build the minimum viable product in order to validate the concept of mobile app development. This is better and an earlier stage as compared to GTM testing or focus groups because it makes sure that when your app finally goes live on the app store, it has all that the user could probably need. The approach towards concept testing usually involved three major steps and the evaluation is done to check for the first impression, the ease of navigation and overall satisfaction.

The First impression stage involves the users being asked to list out the tasks that they feel the mobile app will help them accomplish. A detailed wireframe of the mobile app is then shown to the audience and things like what stood out, what they didn’t pay attention to, would the functionality be enough for them etc are talked about. 

The next stage involved understanding the group’s path that they follow across your app. The outcome of this is the amount of ease of navigation that could be experienced by the users and the features which they prioritised over others. These two things combined will give an idea of what features should be placed right at the home page and what should be relegated to other pages.

The final stage is about getting the opinion of the focus group in general. This will entail asking them about what they think about that app, how likely are they to install it, will they want to recommend this app, do they actually feel the need for this app, which other apps will they deprioritise if they want to install this app on their phone in case of limited phone memory etc.

The ultimate result of this stage for startups are amazing. Some of early stage startups stop at this stage. As it helps them to showcase their product for the venture capitalist. In case the idea is powerful and find good funding then they continue. This is common in silicon valley startups and now common in India as well. We at Vibeosys Software help startups at every stage, to validate their idea with various in house tools.

Mobile App Development

Once concept testing is done, the next question is about developing the app idea into a full-blown mobile app. The key questions that come in the initial phase of this stage are about the budgetary requirements and selection of the platform for mobile app development. This again will have a lot to do with the target segment that is being selected or the geographies too for that matter.

The development platform selection will be a key decision to make because a lot of choices about the developers to use, the overall budget, the mobile app development guidelines, the timelines for the launch, the kind of monetisation models to be used will depend on it.

A lot of such things will have to be keyed in before the mobile app development process starts. Also, we would advise you to lay strict but achievable timelines during this phase.

Beta Testing

The next question that needs to be answered is, how does one prevent their mobile app from failing? Well, that is what beta testing is for. Beta testing creates a simulated environment to test how well your app would perform under the given conditions. It helps one avoid any kinds of bugs, low system performance, feature malfunctioning etc among other things.

There are multiple automation testing tools available in the market which can help developers test the app or website well.

While one could do manual testing as well, our suggestion would be to go for a combination of manual as well as automated testing to be extra sure.

Go To Market Strategy

The last and final thing about making your mobile app idea a success is to have a strong go to market strategy. A good mobile app consulting company will help you with that. The importance of this stage is that, no matter how well you develop an app, your go-to-market approach is finally going to decide the number of installs the app would see and how long would it be able to sustain. 

The strategy, if we have to give an overview would list out first your target audience, then the modes of communication to be used, the kind of marketing budget that would be required, the type and frequency of upgrades, the advertising platforms to be used, the collaborations and review groups to be required and any other kind of offline marketing steps that would be required.

Such a plan would also clearly lay out the necessity for any business collaborations should that be required. We mention this in specific because a lot of mobile app consulting companies tend to miss out on this, but you should always remember that it is easy to piggyback on somebody else’s success.

This stage would also talk about how would one raise funds the mobile app. One needs to understand that the mobile app will not start monetising and generating revenue immediately but the kind of expenses that would be required for the maintenance and upkeep will have to be required. Thus, one will have to have some kind of funding. Ideation and finalisation of the pitch presentation would thus be a key thing to work upon.

So, this was a lot on what an ideal mobile app consultancy should offer you so as to take your app idea and finally convert it into a successful business model. We understand that some of you may have concerns over the idea getting stolen. Hence, always sign an NDA before disclosing it to any third party.

All that being said, at Vibeosys Software, we are always happy to help. And remember, we are just a call away.

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The most common types of IT outsourced functions are website development, custom software development and mobile app development, website maintenance, technical support, database development, database management, telecommunications and IT infrastructure support.

A lot of IT firms, be SME (Small Medium Enterprises) or StartUps, mid or large scale, have now taken up outsourcing in some form or the other. While some firms outsource just basic testing, others might as well outsource the entire product development of vertical management. It is obvious that if outsourcing has become such a trend, there has to be something which is driving it. So, this blog talks about the advantages that technology outsourcing has for businesses.

Cost Control

The most obvious benefit is of course cost control itself. Sometimes it so happens that a new vertical or even a new feature has to be developed. In such a case, one can either build all the capabilities in house or outsource it. Also, sometimes such requirements aren’t permanent or get significantly reduced over time. In such a case, building a permanent capability in house doesn’t make any practical sense. Outsourcing however can solve the purpose by becoming a limited time development project followed by a maintenance one, the cost varying accordingly.

In addition to this, one can monitor the kind of resources being added, how many of them have to be added etc among other factors. Also, it goes without saying that the firm which will be finally selected for the project would be the one within the budget. Thus, cost control gets guaranteed.

Reduced Operational costs

Technology experts or even the staff for certain technologies such as the emerging AWS or Azure cloud technologies, machine learning etc have their resources coming at really high prices. Now, not every firm would want to invest so much in these resources. The reason for this reluctance could be purely strategic or even budget related. However, the work cannot and should not stop because of these constraints. In such a case, outsourcing comes to the rescue again.

Trained and Qualified Resources

It is not necessary and also, practically not possible that one person would be qualified enough to handle each and every project. Plus, sometimes, when bidding for bigger projects, certain qualifications are required to have in the team. In such a case, outsourcing becomes a better option to go for because one gets a pool of qualified, certified and trained candidates to choose from.

Multiple Capabilities in One Place

An outsourcing firm is in business because it can offer multiple capabilities, all at one place. Irrespective of the kind of experience that would be required, the number of resources required, the type of the project being done and hence the infrastructure for that, an IT outsourcing firm provides all of that, all under one roof.

Faster Implementation

Most of the technology outsourcing firms take the projects on a time bound basis and hence whatever implementation or development needs to be done is done in a time bound manner. It is not surprising that a lot of IT outsourcing firms take up the projects on an hourly payment manner too i.e. they get paid for the number of hours put in. Such a step further ensures that the tasks or the project gets completed on time.

Project Based Focus

Unlike an IT company where a team is responsible for looking into so many verticals, which may be some time not even related to each other. An IT outsourcing company on the other hand has dedicated teams to handle projects related to specific verticals. Such team selections are done on the basis of the capabilities of the people involved.

Reduced Risk

Now every business has a certain amount of risk involved. Be it the risk from changing markets, upcoming competition, government regulations, changing technologies or financial situations, all of these need to be managed. All the technology outsourcing providers assume and take care of these risks for your business. Plus, the kind of expertise that they have, puts them in a better position to strategize for the project.

Level the Playing Field

There is a huge gap in the resource capabilities of small and medium firms and the larger ones. Outsourcing their technology processes helps small businesses to compete with their larger counterparts without having to unnecessarily bear the brunt of adding costs.

Compliance and Security

There are several things that a firm needs to take care of other than just development. There are questions about the security, installation of DMZ, workstation auditing, PCI security standards etc. An IT outsourcing firm can easily take care of all these as well. Thus, all you need to worry about is the coordination and maintaining a basic understanding of how well the work is going. Rest all would be taken care of by the technology outsourcing company.

Caveat Emptor

While technology outsourcing has a lot of benefits, we feel that as a responsible firm, it is our duty to also enlist the probable risks one should factor in. The three major ones are mentioned below

Dubious Accessibility

The firms should clearly lay out points about the availability or the number of hours to be put in. An IT outsourcing company does not sit in your compound and hence coordination can be tough sometimes. It is important that all the monitoring clauses are thus well noted in the agreement to avoid any clashes or arguments at a later stage.

Loss of Personal Touch

It goes without saying that any day it is the internal team which knows the vision of the firm and the ideas for the product better. However, it is not easy to share knowledge or hand over to somebody. Hence, it is important that the KT (Knowledge Transfer) is done well.

Substandard Security Protocols

This is especially important while dealing with offshore IT companies because security protocols aren’t really universal. They vary with every nation and while at some places these would be lax, at other places these protocols would be super stringent, so much to even create a huge entry barrier. Hence, while you choose an IT outsourcing company, make sure they are well versed with the geographies you are looking at for your project.

In today’s digital world, any business that wants to remain competitive must rely on strong IT support. If you’re planning your IT infrastructure, you may be tempted to think that maintaining an in-house IT department for all technical support and services is the way to go.

However, the advantages of outsourcing can be considerable. This is especially true if you are running a start-up, or a mid-sized company seeking to grow.

A Final Look

Given how fast the world is pacing right now in the digital domain, it becomes a tempting proposition for the firms to go for developing resources in house. However, that might not be such a good idea. But, that doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t be. 

Hence, to conclude, we would say that before starting head on towards either of these approaches, sit back and think of not just the long term but the short term too.

The post IT Outsourcing – Best way to offer technology partnership appeared first on Vibeosys Software Pvt. Ltd..

But, how about reaching that step? There are multiple questions like how do I monetize my mobile app? If it can be monetized, then what could be the probable business or revenue models? What are the pitfalls that should be avoided? Can one make their app an overnight success? What should be the ideal strategies to ensure the success of such an app? What all resources would be required for an app development? What kind of functionalities could fit in the kind of budget I have? What should be the budget deployed if I have the prototype ready?

These and a lot of such questions are what getting yourself a good mobile app consulting can help. This blog talks about how on-boarding a good mobile app development consulting cannot just answer your probable questions but also ensure your app a success.

Planning the Strategy

Failing to plan is planning to Fail. The biggest hurdle towards making a good sale-able app is to plan it right and put the right strategy in place. And as surprising as it might sound, a lot of businesses fail to get that right. It is important to note that while creating an app is easy, it is tough to ensure that it gets downloaded and even tougher to make the app stick in the user’s phone. A mobile app development consulting helps you create a strategy such that it encompasses all these stages. And not just the basic strategy but firms like Vibeosys Software (yes, that is us) help you to keep your contingency plans in place as well.

And why would a contingency plan be important? Because marketing is all about A/B testing and no matter how immaculately you plan, the audience can always react differently.

Data Governance & Security

When talking about a mobile app development, one needs to note that there would be multiple security concerns involved. This is because an app stores the usage and personal data of the person using it. When privacy comes, compliance are regulations come too and any diversion can result in strict actions against the firm. And one should understand that gravity of the privacy violation from the fact that even Mark Zuckerberg was put on trial. So, if a small or upcoming firm ends up getting embroiled in any such violations, the price to pay would be huge.

A good mobile app consulting company will help you lay out all the probable compliances and ensure that your company and the app remains fully compliant to them.

Training and Organisation

A lot of the firms do not want to completely outsource the app development. Some of these firms want to work on a collaboration model too where a consulting company would help them build at least a basic understanding of the process in house. A mobile app consulting company can help you do that as well. As we had mentioned earlier too, a mobile app consulting company mostly is the firm which develops apps too. Hence, these firms can provide you with an expert consulting over how to ensure a good app development and post development success.

Mobile App Marketing

Once the app has been created, the next level and the biggest challenge comes in the form of how one needs to ensure that the app gets downloaded. This is where the marketing bit comes in. Even more important than marketing becomes the effort to ensure that the app stays in the user’s phone. A mobile app consulting helps firms to chalk out the entire long term as well as short term plans.

For this, the consulting company starts with the basics, helping identify the target audience, devising a strategy as per the budget, putting up and optimizing the campaigns, and also suggest on the various in-app options which would help with bolstering the stickiness.

Avoiding Pitfalls

Whenever a task is done, it is important to make a note of not just what needs to be done but also what has to be avoided. A mobile app consulting company makes sure that these probable pitfalls are duly taken note of and avoided. While one could say that this is a subset of an effective planning module itself but we felt that this point deserved its special mention. For instance, take the example of a social media app where one could finalise the kind of cloud space the data would take, however, planning for those certain days where the traffic could be too much and hence get the server down is what avoiding pitfalls is all about.

The Questions to Ask

Mobile app consulting companies can help one by choosing the right methods, strategies, codes and trends in order to get the best of the results. These teams are dedicated to this agenda only. Another important thing to note here is that these firms aren’t just consulting or research based firms. These are the firms which actually develop the apps too. Hence, they bring in not just the research based but also the practical experience on board. Thus, before you finalise a mobile app consulting company, these are the questions to ask or points to discuss

• Have a look at the firm’s previous portfolio and check how diverse it has been? You may also download some of their created apps and check how valid their claims are
•  Ask them about the tools they use for UI, Design, Coding, Navigation, Integration etc and see how many experts they have.
• Discuss with them cursorily about the probable strategies they could have, have a look at the case studies which these mobile app consulting companies would have had done for some of their previous clients

It is important to understand that having a dedicated app or an app presence is crucial for enterprises these days and hence some or the other kind of app or integration would be required. Making sure that you have the right strategy for mobile app development allows you to have the perfect timelines and resources set for development, testing, distribution and marketing. An expert mobile app consultant helps you with all these stages.

Now, you might think that you can develop such resources and capability in house as well, but then, sit back and think- there is a reason why this domain of mobile app consulting grew up so fast.

The post Why do I need Mobile App Consulting appeared first on Vibeosys Software Pvt. Ltd..