Want to show the world your very own unique creation of an app? But don’t know where to start or which way to go or what process to use? 

Developing an app is more than just coding. It is also about designing, integrating and testing the app. As a beginner, it is natural to feel confused, especially when app development market has a very competitive environment. So you might want to do learn more about the market dynamics before investing a huge sum of money to build an app and then have that backfire on you.

You should rather focus on the intricate steps to build and launch an app before focusing on just the end result. 

Of course I am not saying that you won’t make mistakes as a beginner but you should not blow up the entire project by hurrying. Developing an app takes time, efforts and patience, as well as a huge sum of money. So make a smart move to build, launch and advertise your app.

Let me guide you to the step-by-step details on how to develop an app and ultimately market it:

HOW TO DEVELOP AN APP?

1. Innovative Ideas:

developed yet, with new features and functions. You can pen down your ideas and its core appeal and purpose in a piece of paper.

Many developers do not create their own app but usually update an existing app which hasn’t been updated by the app publisher for a very long time. The app developer’s usually study the app and come up with some new features that they noticed that the app requires or by the user’s feedback, and create a whole new app just to serve the same purpose and keeping the users happy.

2. Do a Market Research:

Market research is an important and intricate step that you should never avoid or ignore for developing an app. As I have said before, app development market is very competitive in nature and so you need to know where you stand and what you should do. 

A thorough market research will not only help you understand how the entire thing works but at the same time it will motivate and will influence to take initiative to improve the current market. 

Before creating an app better than the existing one, you need to learn and research certain things about it.

• You need to add keywords in the name of your app. Many a times it happens that developers forget to mention the keywords in their app name. So search for all those apps which have the same functionality as your app and list down all the names. From that you can see the common name which has been used again and again by different app developers. Choose that word as your keyword and add it in the title of your app.
• Now go through all the features of the existing apps and read thoroughly about them. You can always download the app if the description is vague and use all the features it provides and understand which feature it is lacking or which feature is not working well and where the improvements should be made. This will help you develop you to know what features your app should have.
• Study all the monetization schemes of every app. This will help you to understand how your app will be monetized and what monetization schemes users actually prefer.
• Know about the app publisher. The app publisher can be a single individual or a big development company. Usually individual app developers provide the users with their social media account links (Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn). Study their work and understand how they created the entire thing.
• Check the last update of the app. If the app has not been updated for a long time, then that is an opportunity to create your own app with the same function but with better features. That way, users will prefer your app than the previous one. But if the app is updated frequently, you need to know that, that particular app is your competitor.
• Check the number of downloads of that app. You can check the statistics of the download through different tools like Sensor Tower or Mixpanel.
• Last but not least, read the reviews and the ratings of the app. Feedback is a much necessary component for developing an app. Your users will straight out give criticisms if it’s not up to their expectations. Take those criticisms on a positive note. You can avoid failures of your own app if you read the reviews and ratings of those existing apps properly.

3. List Down Your Features:

After a thorough market research, you now know what features to add and what to avoid. Jot down all the features and their functions and even how you will monetize them (do this now so that later you wont be confused). Listing your features will give you a clear idea what you want and what features is essential to be there in the app.

4. Create a Wireframing, Mockup and Prototype for Your App:

I will discuss all these in separate points.

• Wireframing– Wireframing is a like a blueprint, a two-dimensional skeletal illustration of the user’s interface, which shows the users how to use the product (app). It shows how all the contents of each screen and functions of the app to the users. There are two types of wireframes: 

1. Asimple sketch using paper and pen or marker.
2. A digital wireframe using different tools (free or paid) like Adobe XD , Sketch, Miro, UXPin, Azure RP, and many others.

• Mockup– Mockup is more in-depth version of the wireframe, with better UI visual details and more stylistic. It includes colours, layouts, style and colour of buttons, graphics, etc. It contains different screens and its functionality and where each button is placed (navigation) and how it is used. In Instagram, we find a screen for a feed, for explore and search, activity of the user, their profile, chats/messages. 

It gives the basic idea as to how the app will look like and how it will function. The stakeholders can preview and get a clear picture of how the design and the style chosen for the app before a prototype are built. You can use tools like Sketch, Figma, Mockup Digitally, Framer X, etc.

• Prototype– Prototype is the early model of the app that is to be produced to test the concept and functionality of it. Creating a prototype before actually developing the app saves money as it will help you to understand how the app will work in real life and you can make changes or alter certain features and can also debug the app to avoid any problems.

You can hire graphic designers to create the UI of your app. You can use the design in your presentation and show the stakeholders and pitch your ideas. You can also use various tools or pre-done design templates like Dripple, The Mantra, Crypto, etc. You can also learn how to design your own app but that might take time.

5. Create an App Marketing Plan:

You need plan out how you will marketise your app when it is launched later. But before launching your app you can also think of some pre-launch methods to let the public know about your app and give their feedback to you.

• You can start by building a landing page and a pre-launch email list. People can learn about the services your app will provide from your landing page as it gives concise information about your app. Its okay that you don’t know how to code. You can use some drag and drop landing page builders like UnBounce, Instapage, Leadpages, Hubspot, etc.

You can add a call to action (like “Buy Now” or “Click Here”)in your  to get updates about the app, once it is launched. You can collect the emails by signing up for any email service providers like Mailchimp, Constant Contact, GetResponse, etc.

• Many developers document their journey and what is it like to make an app. They just simply share their stories through videos or podcasts and keeps the users updated about what they are planning and what they will achieve, keeping the audience intrigued.

After the app is launched, you can use other paid marketing strategies to launch your app, such as Pay-Per-Click (PPC), Social Media Ads, Banner Ads, Influencer Marketing, Blogging, etc.

6. Build the App:

• You can build the app by learning how to code but only if your have time in your hand.
• Hire any app development company to build the app for you. Big app development companies usually cost more as they take their time and have their won huge budgets. They will also provide with consultation and even marketing services.
• Use an app builder without coding. Simply you need to just use templates and make changes later. You can also use platforms like Appy Pie, Good Barber, AppSheet, etc to build an app. 

After creating, with necessary testing and checking of bug-free services launch your app to the world. 

7. Update your app according to feedbacks:

Feedbacks, reviews and ratings from the users will help you to make necessary updates of your app. If they are having problems regarding certain features, you can look through ways to make it easier for them use. Improving and updating your app will make the user feel that their demands and needs are fulfilled and at the same time it will help you to stay in the competitive market. You won’t fall out of the game and competition between you and the other developers will persist. More updates will cause the ratings to go up and more customers will be keen to use your app.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I think more than creating an app, maintaining it is more difficult. If you frequently don’t update it or advertize it, no one will be interested in your app. After all there are other apps that have the same features and functions. You need to grab the audience’s attention towards your app and explain why your app is much better and unique than the rest. 

Like I said before, developing an app is a difficult and time consuming process but if you can successfully launch your very own unique app, you have unlocked your beginner’s level and will level up to bigger challenges. So Good Luck on your journey to develop a mobile app.