10 steps to Making Your Mobile App Idea A Reality

Since I started working on a mobile app Spontime , I have been receiving tons of questions every day: 'where do I start', 'how to find a good developer', 'how much does it cost', 'how to know if it is a good idea', 'how to get the first users' etc. Well, unfortunately there is no single answer to these questions - it all depends on what kind of an app you are building, if you have a team, or your budget. However, there is a path you can follow to make sure you do everything right and in order. There is nothing worse than developing the whole app only to realize that there is almost the same app on the App Store. Or developing a bad quality app with non-experienced developers which you are not able to release (wasting 3-5 months and thousands of dollars). Or simply an app based on a bad idea - there are already too many of them.

Well, luckily there are many people as well as companies that have good ideas for mobile apps which will help them to make it big within their industry. You may want to serve your customers better with your app or reach an entirely new set of customers, however, you may find that you are unsure of the steps that you need to take in order to make your idea a reality.

Below are the top 10 steps you should follow in order to take your app idea and turn it into a reality.

Step 1- Write Down the Features

Start turning your idea into a reality by writing out some notes. Before you take any steps toward creating your app, you need to write down the features that you want to include. At this point, you can write anything down because this list is not going to be set in stone.

While you are writing the list, think about what your goal is in creating the app as well as who the app is for. You will want to write your list out several different times until you have a list of exactly what you want.

You are going to need this list when you begin discussing the development of your designers, developers, co-founder, or investors. It is important for you to ensure that anyone who is going to see the list signs a non-disclosure agreement beforehand.

The list should be simple and clean, it should be easy for everyone that is going to be involved in working on the app to understand.

Making sure that your app has not only unique features, but popular features are going to determine whether or not your product is successful.

Step 2- Start Researching the Market

After you have compiled your list of unique as well as popular features, you are going to start taking a look at the competition, the market needs, and the trends. You will want to make sure that there are no apps on the market that are similar to the app that you are wanting to create and if there are, make sure that you take a look at the rating, reviews, and feedback. By doing this, you are going to be able to determine what users think is missing from the app.

From there, you will be able to add new features to your app which will not only ensure that it is unique, but it will also ensure that the app is attractive to your prospective audience.

After you have done the market research, you are going to want to update the list of features that you want your app to include.

Step 3- Identify Your Target Audience

If you want to launch a successful app, you need to make sure that you know who is going to be using your app in other words, who your target audience is. You will want to identify some of the demographics of your potential audience, such as the age group, where they are from, their profession, whether or not they are existing customers, or any other demographic that you feel you need to know.

Once this is done, you are going to look back over your feature list and ensure that the features you want on your app actually cater to the people who will be using it. Your entire focus at this point should be on ensuring that your target audience finds value in the product that you are going to be offering them because it is those that purchase your app which will decide if you are successful or not.

Step 4- Determine How You Will Monetonize Your Product

Of course, you are going to want to be rewarded for your hard work by earning money from your app once you release it and there are a few different ways that you can do this.

You can get sponsorship, offer in-app purchases, offer a subscription, or focus on user data. You are going to want to take some time to understand which of this is going to work best for your app, in the market that you will be releasing it in, and with the customers that are going to be using it.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that they will launch a paid app, however, this simply does not work any longer because there are so many free apps. Instead, you may want to offer a free app where you will offer in-app purchases to the customers which will unlock more functions.

You have to be careful when doing this because due to experiences that many users have had in the past, they simply are not interested in any in-app purchases.

User data is going to help you to earn money indirectly and it is becoming more popular, however, some customers are not comfortable with this. Of course, you can always get a sponsor which is going to work for apps which have a social mission.

When you are choosing how to monotonize your app, you will want to choose a couple of ways that you believe would provide you with a profit.

Step 5- Draw A Rough Sketch

Maybe you have never drawn a rough sketch before, but doing so will help you to ensure that your app idea is completely polished and you may find that you think of more features that you want to include. This is also going to help you determine how navigation will be handled.

You need zero technical skills in order to do this, but you will have to have some sort of an idea about how navigation works.

Step 6- Get Estimates from A Developer

After you have created your rough sketch and you know what features you want, you will want to start looking for a developer that is going to be able to build your app for you. You do not want to hire just any developer but instead, you want to hire one that can create a high-quality app for you at a price that is right for you. I have looked for the developers on various Facebook groups, Upwork.com, Angel.co, and of course - word of mouth. There is nothing better than a good recommendation from someone you trust.

Compare local developers to remote developers and make sure that you ask them a lot of questions to ensure that they completely understand your idea. Cost is an important part of your decision - since the developer will probably be working on the app more than 500 hours, each 10$/hour makes a difference. However do not let it dictate your decision - quality of an app is extremely important, and although you may burn much more capital on a more experienced developer, it may be worth in the long term. Of course, the best scenario would be finding a tech cofounder who would build the app together with you and work only for the shares, but it is not always possible - or simply you may not want it.

A good developer is going to be able to provide you with a few suggestions as to how you can improve your app. Make sure that when you are getting proposals from several different vendors, they are providing you with a timeframe and the cost so that you can compare them.

Always make sure that you look into the developer's past performance. Read testimonials, look at previously charged prices as well as how long it took them to complete the job. If you know someone who has technical background - ask them for their opinion about your candidate. You also want to consider their eagerness when it comes to developing your app.

By doing all of this you will be able to select a developer and begin working toward creating your app.

Step 7- UI/UX Completion

Once you have selected your developer, you are going to want to have a designer complete the UI/UX. Begin by asking them to create a detailed wireframe which will allow you to see what each screen is going to look like as well as the flow and function. Again - finding a good UX/UI designer is a live or die for your app. The times when you could release a crappy app and 'make it' are gone - the competition is too high to encourage users to use your app if it has a non intuitive user experiense or is not visually appealing.

After you have reviewed the wire frame, you will decide if you want to add or remove any of the features.

Next, you will want the designer to add in color, fonts, themes, as well create visual appeal. This will give you an almost finished idea of what your app will look like as well as how it will function. After this has been completed, you will want to ask your developer to reevaluate the timeframe, the development path, as well as the cost of completing the project.

If you find that the price has increased, you will need to get more funding or remove some of the features. Make sure that you are paying your developer a fair price.

Step 8- Development and Testing

Now it is time to have the developer build the app. The developer should be able to send you a progress report every few weeks as well as the app (as they are developing it) in order to let you test it and provide them with feedback. It is essential that you test the app as it is developed in order to ensure that you are getting an app that is high quality.

By testing the app regularly, you are also going to be taking charge of the timeframe and the costs associated with the development. You will be able to determine if any changes are needed as well. You may want to have a few of your friends help test out the app as well.

If you do decide that you want to add features while the app is being developed, make sure that you discuss these with your developer and get an estimate of the time that will be added to the timeframe as well as the costs. If the increased cost will fit into your budget, have the changes made, if not, you will want to wait until the next phase.

Step 9- Launch and Marketing

When you have decided that you are satisfied with the app and it is ready to be launched, you will do just that. Launch your app on the Google Play Store and iTunes App Store. After the app has been launched you will begin marketing.

You may decide that you want to go to an app marketing expert or you can start marketing on social media. The easiest way for you to start marketing is through social media. You should also ask bloggers to try your app and review it or you can write a press release.

Step 10- Start Gathering Reviews and Get Ready to Start the Next Phase

After you have launched the app and have marketed it, you are going to want to gather some data from those who have used the app. You will want to understand what they think of the app, focus on the reviews that your app gets, and pay attention to how in demand your app is.

If you receive great reviews, you can begin moving on to the next phase where you will simply repeat the first 9 steps, however, this time, you are going to focus on improving the speed and efficiency of the app.

If the app receives bad reviews, you will want to find out why and then create your plan of action for fixing the problem.

If you have any other questions - please, feel free to ask in the comment section or send me a private message - I will be happy to share my experience with more details or help any future app founders!

Good luck!