Developing a company app is always a great idea, provided that you are able to follow the right steps. It should not be forgotten that behind the app there will be the good name of the company and therefore it must be perfect.
Creating an application is not as easy as it seems, which does not mean that you should give up on translating your ideas into an app, but that you need to take into serious consideration the 5 necessary steps to create a product without errors.
Analysis
The first necessary action to create a successful app is undoubtedly to clarify your ideas and give them a sense that can bring them to reality.
The analysis of the initial idea is a simply fundamental step of the entire process. In which market sector am I moving? Why do I want to create an app? Will it be functional? Will it meet the needs of my customers or users? How will it satisfy them?
These are some of the questions that need to be answered in the analysis phase of the idea. It will be necessary to accompany all this with a study of your competition in order to better understand the market segment you are moving in. Looking at the big players in your industry allows you to make the right moves and, above all, avoids many costly mistakes.
Design
Once the ideas have been clarified and put into perspective, it will be necessary to start designing in a more specific way. Is it better to focus on an app for Android or for iOS? Or maybe both?
And then evaluate whether to make it paid or freely distributed. In the design phase, you will need to have already answered all the questions and have a clear reference business plan.
It will also be necessary to establish the “tone of voice” you want to give to your communication. The style of communication identifies the company, becomes a brand mark and influences the app.
At this point, it will be necessary to establish which technology to apply in order to make the app effective and appealing. Flutter, for example, is a framework that belongs to the Google galaxy and allows the development of native apps for Android and iOS using non-native programming languages, while Cordova provides “empty apps” that can be “filled” with features suitable for hybrid applications. These, of course, are only some of the technologies available to developers, but already in the design phase, it is necessary to take into consideration which tool will be used in the next phase.
Development
At this point, we have the ideas and the project, so we need to put everything on the table and begin the actual development phase.
In this crucial phase, we need to focus on technical functionalities, user experience (abbreviated as UX), and the available budget.
Caring for the UX is simply fundamental: the app’s intuitiveness, ease of use, interaction capabilities, and usability are all characteristics that make the difference between a successful app and a failure. If the design phase is well studied, even with a roadmap for future implementations, the functionalities will be organized in an effective UX.
The customer will identify the app as an extension of the brand. If the app is slow, confusing, not functional, too complicated, and confusing, the brand will be associated with these unpleasant words.
It is also important to have a top-level aesthetic development. In other words, the user interface, the visual interface, must present the product at its best and represent the brand impeccably. The app must, therefore, be developed in a functional, clear, appropriate manner for the set objectives, respecting company values, and also pleasing to the eye.
Testing
This step actually begins simultaneously with the development phase and continues long after it is closed. Testing is a continuous necessity to verify each step of the development.
To eliminate any errors or system bugs, it is essential to carry out continuous checks, and having a selected group of people use the app prototype is a very intelligent move for this purpose.
The testing phase is very important because this is where ideas will turn into reality. After design and development, it is only by “putting the prototype to the test” that we can verify whether the initial ideas have been fulfilled.
When we have confirmed that the objectives we set in the analysis phase have been achieved, and there are no more errors in the app, we can proceed to the final step.
The Publication
Once the prototype has passed the testing phase and has been approved, the most exciting phase of the entire process begins: the launch of the app on the market.
Therefore, it will be necessary to let the world know that your app exists and publish it on the reference stores for Android and/or iOS devices. As the saying goes, advertising is the soul of commerce.
To achieve good results, it is therefore necessary to aim for advertising that reaches the right target audience, launching it at the right time, also creating ADV campaigns and perhaps even demos that illustrate the app’s functionality.
All necessary strategies, both classic and innovative, can be implemented in order to publicize the release of the application: from press releases to social campaigns, from creating a website or blog that tells the story of the app to everything else that seems like an ideal choice to advertise the new product in line with the company’s values.
Once the app has been published, it will still be necessary to build a relationship of trust with the user and always maintain this relationship at its best. The life of the app does not end with its publication, but it will be necessary to provide customer loyalty and to make the presence of the brand as close as possible to the users. The underlying idea, which is part of marketing strategies, is to stand out from the competition and to be remembered by the users who use our products.
To this end, many companies create landing pages on their website, social channels, or other tools to ask customers for email addresses in order to keep them up to date on the app and the brand in question.
Write to us now to not miss this opportunity!
