6 Factors to Keep In Mind When Making Your First Mobile App

Apps are powerful resources for tapping into new customer bases and regions while deepening your connections with existing clientele. When executed properly, a new app can become an enormous strategic win for your brand or business. To be successful, however, you should approach your first app with a realistic timeline, prepare to build a working prototype, and carefully pick your team.

Advice For Your First Mobile App

App development is a complex process. Without the right road map in place, your project can quickly derail. Keep the following recommendations in mind as you work on your first app:

1. You typically need three to six months for development. There are dozens of factors at play here, so it’s rare to see an app finished in a single month or two. One of the most significant factors at this stage is how the developers build the app. Creating a hybrid app can save you time and money in the short-term, but this decision generally grows more expensive over time as Apple or Android issue major software updates and you return to the app to fix problems. The alternative is to build the app natively. Working natively unlocks greater functionality and reduces the number of issues you run into long-term. The trade-off here is that building natively takes more time at the beginning but saves you money in the long run.

2. You should build a prototype first. Many companies struggle to build the perfect application for their customers on the first try. To improve your chances of success, make time to create a prototype with your developers. Your prototype should be a bare-bones version of what you envision for your final product. Once completed, distribute it among your team and a sample of your target audience to collect feedback. By soliciting feedback early on, you can determine which ideas are worth pursuing, which ideas you should add, and which ideas you can cut.

3. You need time for Quality Assurance (QA). The amount of time needed for reviewing the app varies, but it’s critical to your overall success. The QA process requires input from your company and the developer’s team, but you also need additional time if you plan to launch on the Apple App Store. Apple has an entire team dedicated to reviewing apps before they reach the store. In general, this iOS QA process could take two days or two weeks depending on how many apps are in the queue ahead of you. If the Apple team finds an issue and kicks it back to your team to fix, you’ll need to resolve the issue before re-submitting the app and back to queue again.

4. Few apps are “simple.” We often hear first-time creators say, “Oh, this is a simple app that shouldn’t take long to build.” In practice, few apps are actually simple. Simplicity really depends on the backend you want to develop. The complexity of your backend is influenced by many factors, including:

• Chat functionality
• Customer service functionality
• Payment gateways
• 3rd party integrations
• Security levels
• Layered user permissions
• CRM integration

With every layer you add, your app grows more complex and takes more time to build.

5. Consider your team. Your own internal team can directly influence the course of the project. Questions to ask include:

• How many people in your organization need to sign off for each phase of the project?
• How many people need to be in the room during meetings?
• How quickly can your team provide details and respond to messages from the development team? 

The more people you have involved and the more time your team takes to respond, the longer the overall project. 

6. Pick someone reliable early on. There are many people and companies in app dev around the world who are looking for a quick dollar. We’ve heard many horror stories about companies that hired a dev team and didn’t have anything close to a finished product after six months of work.

Make sure the developer you pick is reputable. Ask these questions before signing a contract:

• Who are your references?
• Are your references verified from a third party like Clutch?
• Have you worked on projects similar to mine?
• Can you show me an example of a similar project you completed? 

Take note: If you pick a bad developer early on and decide to switch to someone else, your new developer will likely want to start from scratch. Unless your previous partner documented their work extremely well, most development shops prefer to start projects from the beginning. This will tack on extra time for the overall project.

Building Your App

Creating your first app is exciting, but don’t fall prey to common misconceptions. When you understand the app development process, you can have a better working relationship with your dev agency, resulting in an outstanding final product for your customers.