Have an idea for a mobile app? Let's implement it correctly!

Today, the mobile app market is already breaking all records. The corresponding stores offer a huge amount of software for any tastes and interests of the consumer market. But here we are talking about a niche with very high potential. It seems that saturation of this market segment will never happen, because the demand for such software products always remains at a very high level. And if you have a specific idea, why not implement it in practice?

But here it is important not to rush, so to speak, headlong. In order not to waste your own time, efforts and considerable money, it is necessary to initially conduct large-scale research. This is what will confirm the relevance of your idea and show its prospects and demand in the market. Of course, you can act at random simply believing that you will succeed and your software product will find its buyer. But practice shows something different: mobile applications, the development and launch of which cost thousands of dollars, turned out to be completely unclaimed. And those who acted at random and accurately hit the user's interests, made good money on their software, can literally be counted on the fingers of your hands.

If you do not want to take risks and work in vain, then we suggest studying our material. As part of today's review, we will detail the action plan for those who plan to develop their own mobile application. We will tell you what steps will need to be implemented in practice so as not to miss important points. We will provide a number of additional recommendations that will allow you to determine whether your mobile application will be successful in the market even before starting work. The information provided will help you assess the scope of the upcoming work, your own investments in them, as well as assess the prospects of the idea and spend money as efficiently as possible.

Step-by-step guide to processing the idea of a mobile application

So, let's assume that you already have an idea for a mobile application. We will not talk about how to directly implement such a project, that is, carry out its development, testing, launch on the market. Now we will tell you what needs to be done before all this. That is, at the stage from the emergence of the idea to the beginning of its implementation. So, in this case, you will need to implement 10 main stages:

1. Assess your own capabilities.
2. Study the market.
3. Analyze forums and thematic communities.
4. Develop a business concept.
5. Find an investor.
6. Select developers.
7. Develop a promotion strategy.
8. Launch an MVP.
9. Publish an MVP in app stores.
10. Assess potential success using special metrics.

Let's dwell on each point in more detail so that you understand what work will need to be done in each case.

Assess your own capabilities

Before moving on to the direct work associated with the creation of a software product, you it is necessary to clearly understand what you have at the moment. We are talking about opportunities and resources. To understand this, answer the following questions:

• How much free time can you devote to developing your software product?
• Do you see your application as a source of primary income, so to speak, as your life's work, or do you want to receive passive income from it?
• How much work can you do yourself, that is, without involving third-party specialists?
• How much money are you willing to pay the developers and third-party specialists you will involve in the implementation of the project?
• Is your idea worth the time, nerves and material resources?

If you answer the last question positively, you can delve further into this topic. If you realize that your ideas are wrong, then it is better to stop at this stage./p>

Study the market and competitors in detail

At this stage, you should understand whether there will be demand for your product in the modern market and what solutions in the same segment are already presented to users. If you do not carry out the appropriate research, then all your subsequent strategies may fail. The first thing you should start with is analyzing your competitors. Here you need to study all those applications that are similar enough to your idea. The most convenient and fastest way to do this is to use keywords. Moreover, the search should be conducted both in the context of applications oriented to work with the operating system iOS, and on Android devices.

Here you should choose 5 best options that are as similar to yours as possible. Then you can use the SWOT analysis method, which involves identifying the strengths and weaknesses of competitors, as well as potential threats. In this case, you need to evaluate the following points:

• the unique selling proposition of competitors, that is, you should identify their key advantages;
• evaluate the external solution, that is, design, ease of use, the presence of original technologies, graphics;
• weaknesses, as an option, unsuccessful solutions (you can prevent them in your own product);
• channels for attracting the target audience that your competitors use;
• the monetization method that they use in practice;
• application ratings, as well as user reviews (will help identify the strengths and weaknesses of the product).

Having the most complete information after a detailed study of the market, you will be able to adopt working and effective strategies, as well as eliminate failed solutions and even minor flaws in your product. That is, immediately think about how you can eliminate existing problems.

Work through forums and thematic communities in detail

In order to test the effectiveness of your idea, such platforms as social networks, forums, thematic communities will be one of the best solutions. The vast majority of the target audience is concentrated here, and simple and easy-to-use ways of interacting with it are provided. That is, you can directly ask your potential users questions, finding out their interests and determining for yourself whether your product will work in the market.

This solution will be especially useful and convenient if you have several ideas and you do not know which of them will work better. Communicate with your audience, find out about them. And only after that you can make the final choice. In order for the audience to be more willing to contact you, come up with some kind of reward, as an option for the most active participant in the discussions. For example, you can promise to implement the winner's idea in the game.

Developing a business concept

When you have more or less familiarized yourself with the market and assessed the prospects of your own product, you can move on to the direct development of a business concept. This is necessary so that you can present your concept to potential investors in the most favorable light. This stage involves the implementation of a fairly impressive volume of tasks, which can be divided into the following separate blocks:

• Create a portrait of the target audience. You must clearly understand who your product is aimed at, who it should attract. Here, gender, age, region of residence, interests and preferences are taken into account. Moreover, you must understand what your future users want to see in your product and then offer them exactly this. And you also need to divide the target audience into those who will use your application for free and those who will bring you income. Alternatively, if you are launching an application for children, it is reasonable to assume that the parents will make the payment. They will be your target paying audience.
• Functionality of the software product. Here it is also necessary to make a division into the most important points and additional ones. You will need to implement the main functions in the application right away, while the rest can be finalized later. Alternatively, you can choose a method such as MoSCoW. Here, the functions are divided into 4 separate groups: Must, that is, those that must be here without fail, Should — those without which the program will work, but their presence is highly desirable, Could — functions that would be interesting to the audience, but by and large you can do without them, and Won’t — this is something that can be added to the software, but in the more distant future, as an option, at the stage of its scaling.
• We create a unique selling proposition. At this stage, you should clearly spell out how your product will differ from other similar products existing on the market, and why the consumer audience should pay attention to it. Based on this, it will be possible to subsequently develop a marketing strategy, attracting users, stimulating them to perform certain conversion actions.
• We choose the most suitable monetization option. Even free applications should generate income, otherwise what is the point of creating them. It is especially important to take this into account if you are not planning to work with your own money, but are determined to attract investors. There are several possible options here. So, you can charge for downloading the product, which is suitable for premium applications. You can also use the launch of third-party advertising and receive income from advertisers. Recently, such a monetization option as freemium has also been often used. We are talking about the fact that the application itself is made free, and paid options are included in it. The last option is a subscription. This is relevant for cases when it is planned to use updated content that can interest the user audience. All these methods can be combined with each other or used separately.

The work ahead is quite serious, but at the end you will have a kind of business plan that can be offered to investors for review. Moreover, its developments will become the basis for your future actions to create a software product.

Finding an investor for the project

Most of the mobile applications that appear on the modern market are the result of startups. That is, this is a product that is created by proactive, creative people who do not have enough funds to implement their ideas. And then investors come to the rescue. These are people who invest money in software solutions and, accordingly, expect income from them. And here the following solutions can be used:

• Accelerators. Many investors from time to time hold special startup competitions, identifying the most promising ideas that can subsequently bring good income. If you have a great idea, then with a high degree of probability it will attract the attention of people who know a lot about business.
• Crowdfunding platforms. We are talking about platforms where you can interact directly with users and ask them to invest in your project. That is, in this case, money can come from different people. But in return, you must offer them something. As an option, this could be a percentage of sales, the opportunity to download the application first and use its full functionality for free, etc.
• Business angels. This is the name given to investors who provide you with start-up capital, but ultimately expect a share in the project. That is, in this case, you will have to share your income with them.
• Private companies. Basically, this is an organization that specializes in the development of mobile applications. If they see an interesting option for themselves in your startup, they can buy it, ensuring their own presence in this niche as well.
• Venture company. These are not individuals, but organizations that will provide you with funds in exchange for a certain share in the project. Often, in practice, it works as quickly as possible, since such companies strive to make a profit from investments as quickly as possible.
• Bank loan. This option for obtaining funds to launch your own application is also quite real, but for products that are guaranteed to work. In this case, you will need to have a carefully thought-out business plan, literally in numbers proving the prospects of the idea. Otherwise, the bank will not risk its funds.

Here you can systematically move from one stage to another, hoping that one of the investors will still be interested in your idea and will provide the necessary amount of money.

Choosing a team of developers for a mobile application

Even if you yourself are well versed in programming or web design, it is unlikely that you will be able to implement a full range of work on your own. Firstly, in order to get a really high-quality product, you need to be an expert in your niche. And secondly - the implementation of the project will require a lot of time and effort if all the work is done by one person. Therefore, with a high degree of probability, you will have to look for performers. Here you also have the opportunity to use several options:

• Search for freelance performers. This option is suitable for small projects. When you need to attract literally a couple of people. But here you need to find good specialists, and also ensure their interaction with each other.
• Formation of your own team. In the event that a more complex project is ahead, which also involves work in the future, that is, after the launch, then it is better for you to have a team of people who will be constantly at your disposal.
• Outsourcing. This type of performers is suitable for those who are just starting their work in the market and who do not have a team. For those who will find it difficult to find freelance specialists due to the rather narrow specialization of the project or in the event that literally one or two performers are missing.

Here you just need to assess your own capabilities and choose the option that will be most effective in your work. In any case, it is worth betting on performers who thoroughly understand all the nuances and will be able to implement your project with the highest quality.

Developing a marketing strategy

You need to think about how your mobile application will be promoted already at this stage, that is, long before its development. This will help plan future work and assess the complexity of its implementation. In particular, the following are most often used to promote this kind of software:

• Social networks. Here you can create a stir around your product even before it is ready. Thus, even at this stage, you can establish interaction with your future audience, discuss how you see the future software, listen to the opinions of the target market on this matter. The information received may well help you make adjustments to the compiled business concept and get a product that is maximally adapted to the needs of the market.
• Landing. In most cases, there is no point in creating a full-scale website to introduce your audience to your application. A small landing page will be enough to show people screenshots of your product, describe your unique selling proposition, and place a button to download the product.
• Logo. This is a brand name that allows the product to stand out from its peers and indicates that it belongs to a certain brand. This is also true for applications. This way, you will ensure high recognition of your product, which in itself will contribute to promotion.
• Using the media, bloggers, opinion leaders. In this case, you will need to find one or another publication, people who can be called potential users of your mobile application. You will need to provide them with a test version of your program and ask them to review it or write a review.
• Search engine optimization. Unlike classic SEO promotion, ASO technology is used here - App store optimization. It involves promotion in app stores. In this case, you need to study the nuances of each of the sites and take into account their key requirements when developing a product. This minimizes the need to make adjustments later. If you do everything right, the site itself will recommend your product to the target market, which will attract the attention of a large number of users and will help increase conversion. Among the most common recommendations, it is worth highlighting: using relevant words in the title and description of the product, an attractive external design, including a logo or icon.

Most often, a combination of several methods is used to effectively promote a product. This ensures coverage of the largest possible audience and thereby contributes to the growth of the number of downloads.

Developing MVP

Minimum viable product (MVP) literally translates as "minimum viable product". That is, this is the version of the mobile application that includes a set of basic functions that ensure its operability. Such a solution will be convenient for many ideas. Thanks to this, you will be able to check the viability of your idea, attract the target audience to it, and get feedback. You can also understand how correct your bet was on a particular target audience. Moreover, you can start earning income with such a product, that is, even before the full launch of the software. You can show this version of your program to investors to prove to them that everything works and has prospects.

Later, you will be able to expand the existing basic version, gradually add additional functionality to it, assessing the reaction of the user audience to each update. Here are some examples of products with limited functionality that were implemented in practice by real startups:

• a mobile application designed to create website prototypes began its work only with the generation of the simplest black and white layouts, gradually expanding its functionality up to the introduction of interactive technologies;
• software developed for the delivery of ready-made food within the framework of a healthy lifestyle was tested using dishes prepared in partner restaurants, and only after the success of this idea was its own kitchen launched;
• an application for booking apartments by the day was launched exclusively with offers from relatives and friends of its creator within one city, and as work progressed, the geography expanded, covering almost all regions of the country.

That is, one of the best solutions for testing the very idea of a future mobile application is to launch an MVP. Take advantage of its capabilities to test the viability of the idea as a whole.

Publishing an MVP in app stores

Despite the fact that you currently have only a basic version of your application, you can already publish it in the relevant stores to check how it will work and attract a user audience. To perform this work, you must have certain knowledge and skills. In particular, you will need to implement the following tasks:

• Create a personal developer account in each of the app stores through which you plan to launch the product.
• Carefully study the site requirements and general recommendations for the products themselves and make sure that your program fully complies with them. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that the requirements for software from the same App Store and Google Play have a number of fundamental differences and this should definitely be taken into account.
• Run comprehensive testing of your product before publishing it in the app store. You must be sure that everything works as stably as possible and without errors.
• Place your application in stores. Keep in mind that the publication process takes several days. Moreover, Google Play copes with this work faster than the Apple Store. On average, you will have to wait from 2-3 days to a week.

If you are not sure that you can do all these works as correctly as possible, you can contact individuals or companies that specialize directly in placing products in app stores. By the way, they will check your software for compliance with the requirements of the sites.

Use a set of metrics to evaluate the success of the application on the market

This is the last of the mandatory steps that you will need to implement in the process of launching your mobile application. As soon as you publish its basic version, you should already have the first users. Those who will download your product, test it in operation. If they do not like something, then with a high degree of probability they will simply delete it. And if they appreciate it, then they will think about buying a subscription or making purchases within the software itself. To understand whether your product has reached the market and to undertake further work on its scaling and development, you will need to evaluate the following aspects:

• Target audience engagement. For this, you can use metrics such as the number of new users that will be added to you every day, as well as the total number of users. The first parameter will indicate how attractive your product is for the target market, and also display the effectiveness of your marketing strategy. Subsequently, it will be useful to evaluate how many of these people continued to use the application, and how many deleted it. By evaluating the total number of users, you will be able to notice a trend towards growth or, conversely, a decrease.
• User retention. Displays the number of users who returned your product literally after the first use. Here you should choose the most suitable evaluation period for yourself: 1 day, 7 days, 28 days.
• User audience activity. Here the number of active users per week, month is evaluated.
• Monetization indicators. The most important metrics here include the number of paying users, that is, those who made at least one transaction during the period under study. It is also worth considering the average revenue received from your users, as well as from paying users. It is also optimal to pay attention to the lifetime value of the customer. This is a composite metric indicating the benefit that you will receive from, so to speak, the average user over the entire period of using the software.

In this case, you need to choose those metrics that will be most relevant for your product and track them to assess the prospects of subsequent work and the potential level of income.

Is it possible to understand in advance that the application will be successful: additional recommendations

Following the step-by-step recommendations that we have provided above, you will be able to get a decent base for a successful launch of your mobile application on the market. But still, you will not be able to know in advance whether your product will take off or not. Here are some additional recommendations that will help you evaluate its prospects:

1. Divide all your ideas into good and bad. This will help you choose the best option. Good ideas include those that can attract the attention of a large audience and provide you with profit. At the same time, your audience should include solvent people, and the uniqueness of the project should be at a high level. Only such software will really interest people and be competitive. It is also important to evaluate the simplicity and ease of use of the product. Anything that does not meet these criteria can be safely written down as a bad idea and discarded from consideration.
2. Pay attention to the market size. This is a quantitative indicator of users who are highly likely to be interested in your product. It is one thing if you can attract hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people, and quite another if we are talking about several hundred. If you have direct competitors, check the download rates for their product and keep in mind that you will subsequently have to divide this audience, and not always in half. In most cases, what appears on the market earlier gains more recognition than products that come out later.
3. Pay attention to the market dynamics. Stagnation can affect even large market segments, and with varying intensity. Even if you choose a niche with millions of potential customers, this does not guarantee consistently high demand. That is, the risk that you will invest money in an unpromising application is quite high. Therefore, it is necessary to track the market dynamics in the area you have chosen over a long period of time. You should bet on solutions that have the greatest stability. Also, do not forget that there are people who have already made their choice and do not plan to change their familiar and easy-to-use applications for something new.
4. Evaluate the solvency of your market segment. Your interaction with the user audience does not end with the software download itself. In most cases, it is at this stage that the process of acquiring paid services begins. Regardless of the monetization method you choose, it is important for you to encourage your audience to purchase built-in subscriptions and perform other actions that can bring you income. It is advisable to assess the solvency of your audience in advance. To do this, determine what income per download your competitors' products receive. Thus, applications in the TOP earn $50-$70 on average.
5. Determine the competition indicators in your segment. If there are already products very similar to yours, if they have already attracted a large volume of solvent audience, then with a high degree of probability it will be very difficult for you to resist them. It is also important to assess what funds your competitors invest in the promotion of their product. Practice has shown inconsistently that even very good and useful applications were literally crushed by high budgets of competitors. In this case, you need to determine how old the most popular products in your category are. If they have been on the market for a long time, then you will not be able to compete with them. It will also be difficult to compete for the attention of users with those who spend a lot of money on paid advertising and promotion. Evaluate what age category your competitors are targeting. If the segment turns out to be different, then in principle you have a chance to win your fans. Another good help for you will be the presence of negative reviews about competitors' products. If you eliminate these errors in your mobile application, then quite good prospects will open up for you.

Use these recommendations, and you will be able to determine the feasibility of launching your software on the market and ensure its stable development.

Summing up

Everything we talked about in today's review points to the need for a comprehensive approach and a systematic solution to a fairly impressive volume of tasks long before launching the product on the market. This is what will help you not to waste money, but to initially create an application that the user audience will most likely appreciate so much that they will be ready to pay for it. In any case, ideal ideas are literally one in a million. And this means that you need to implement your idea as efficiently as possible, eliminate possible errors and risks. And this will require a comprehensive market analysis, familiarity with the interests of the target audience.

Significantly simplifying the implementation of all these works, automating the collection of statistics and its processing will help connecting mobile proxies from the MobileProxy.Space service to your work. Here you can learn more about the functionality of this solution, its advantages and evaluate the benefits that you will receive in practice through a free 2-hour test. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that in this case you will be allocated a personal channel with unlimited traffic. Simultaneous work on the HTTP(S) and Socks5 protocols is also organized here, which guarantees high levels of confidentiality of actions on the Internet and protection from any unauthorized access. You will have at your disposal a huge number of real IP-addresses from cellular network operators. You will be able to change the geolocation for yourself. This is the option that will allow you to bypass any regional restrictions and system blocking.

Contact the technical support service, which works around the clock, if you have any difficulties working with mobile proxies or need professional advice.

Share this article: