There are more than 28 million small businesses in the United States. So as a business owner, how in the world can you stand out from the crowd?
That is one of the biggest questions you need to address so that your business can grow. Well, one of the best ways you can make this happen is by creating an app for your business.
But it can be tough to know how exactly to make that happen.
So that’s why we’ve created this post all about the 7 steps to creating an app for your company. Check it out below!
1. Decide on Your Goals
Before you even think about getting on your computer, first set some goals. Without goals, your app building process will be disorganized and unclear.
It’s like going on a vacation without planning where you’ll stay, what you’ll do and how you’ll get there. The first step in the app building process is making a plan.
Think about these questions when you’re getting started. What problems is your app going to solve? What will your app do?
How will it help your users? What will you do to make your customers want to download it?
All of these questions are crucial to think through before you start developing. If you don’t have a clear plan, it will be super hard for your employees or an outside development firm to understand your vision.
2. Do Some Research
Once you’ve decided on the basics of your app and what it will do, it’s time to do some research. Whenever you’re developing a new product or idea, this is a crucial part of the process.
Look online and in the app stores to see what type of competition is out there. This is important because you’ll see what you’re up against. But it also is a great way to get ideas of things you should or shouldn’t include in your own app.
Read reviews of your competitors’ apps. What are people complaining about? What did people like?
Download them yourself and check out the functionality. How is the user interface? Is there a great feature that you hadn’t thought of before?
Once you’ve done this research, it’s time to see if your app ideas are going to work. Get on the internet and research to see if it’s possible to have the functionality you’re thinking about.
You can also run these ideas by an app development firm. They will be able to tell you if your ideas will work or not.
3. Time to Wireframe
When it comes to designing an app, your next step is to create a wireframe. A wireframe is basically a storyboard of your app.
You’ll create a mockup of every screen someone would be able to see in your app. This includes the home screen, the menu, and each of the menu items.
Going through this process will help give your idea more clarity because you will see where there are any holes. The good news is that there are lots of websites out there that can help you create a great wireframe.
Check out TechinDroid for more helpful app development articles.
4. Start on the Backend
Now that you have your wireframe created, it’s time to start on the actual development process.
Start with the backend technical side of things. This includes your APIs and data diagrams. Where will your app be hosted?
These are all things you should consider.
Look for a DIY app builder if you want to try this on your own. However, if it’s over your head, don’t worry! There are services that will do it for you.
5. Design Time
Once the backend is all built, you can start to focus on the look and feel of the frontend. This is often referred to as your user interface or UI.
Even if you have the best working app in the world, people aren’t likely going to use it if it’s ugly. That’s just the nature of technology. People like their tech to work well and look nice.
If you’re working with a graphic designer on your app development, you’ll collaborate with him or her to get high-resolution skins. A skin is a design based on your wireframe.
If you’re doing it yourself, look for a WYSIWYG editor. This simply means a what you see is what you get the software, where you can drag and drop to make things work.
In everything you do with your app design, think about your users. You’re creating it for them, not for you, so think about what they would want in the design.
6. Add Testing to Your List of Steps to Creating an App
Your app is built. The backend and frontend are both ready. So now it’s time to test it out.
Get a group of people, preferably users, to check out your app. Have them click on every link and check out every single page. Check everything for typos and any low-resolution images.
Now is when you want to find any mistakes because it’s still easy to fix them. It’s much better to notice mistakes at this point in the process than after your launch, so encourage your testers to be very thorough.
7. Launch It!
Last but not least, it’s time to release your app. You’ve made it!
Now that you’ve tested your app, it’s time to market it and release it to the public. Most companies decide to release their apps on both the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store for Android devices.
For the Google Play Store, all you have to do is add your app to the store and you can instantly start selling it.
The iOS store is a little more strict. Their team will review your app before it goes live. This can take up to a week.
Final Thoughts
Well, there you have it! The 7 steps to creating an app for your business.
Now it’s time for you put these tips to use and get started.
And if you have any questions, check out our blog. We are here to assist you!