In order to launch a great app startup, you need to abide by a systematic pattern. Intrigued about how to make a successful app business, despite lots of market pitfalls?
The complete 10 step process of how to launch an app covers the whole app development process.
The following elements influence and contribute to making an app successful:
- unique app concept
- usefulness
- usability
- performance
- appearance
- engagement
Step 1: Conduct the Market Research
Here is a list of tips for how to make a successful app concept:
- Study forums and questions being asked.
- Search for trends with Google.
- Gain some insight with the help of Google Keyword Planner.
- Attend tech startups, meetups, and hackathons.
- Take some time to observe the world around you.
- Conduct polls & questionnaires among potential app users.
- Ask potential users on social networks and their groups.
- Speak to business owners about their current, and potential future, pain points.
- Check vendors and organization that provide startup funding.
- Check all the top apps and top app categories of your interest.
- Check CrunchBase for mobile apps succeeding in the seed funding rounds.
- A tool like AppTweak can help you understand whether some competitive apps are in the top charts for downloads.
Step 2: Finalize an App Idea
Based on market analysis, it is possible to finalize a killer app idea. Before proceeding with a successful app strategy, these questions should be answered:
As well, it is necessary to imagine what the customers will do while using an app. This information can be sketched in a list of user stories.
Step 3: Define a Successful App Strategy
A successful app strategy lies in a well-thought-out business plan. Every single detail should be considered in the following categories:
- Goals & Plans Further
- Technological Preference
- Resources & Costs
- Marketing & Rewards Evaluation
Step 4: Designing a Catchy App
Here are the top tips on how to design a mobile app successfully:
1) Follow the design guidelines
Android and iOS systems have their own design guidelines for a good app that should be followed in order to be accepted in their stores.
2) Responsive design, as an alternative
The code can render differently on laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Responsive design is an efficient way to optimize the user experience across all these platforms.
3) Polished design
The inclusion of some tasteful graphics, animations, interactions, and sound effects can change the picture dramatically.
4) Logical and simple design elements
The KISS (keep it simple stupid) principle is a great one to apply. However, each element should add value and have a specific role.
5) The 2-tap, 5-point, and 98%-rule recommendation
- Does it take 2 taps to do what you want with the app?
- If the number of elements is more than 5, you need to redesign it.
- Every product should be designed in a way that can be used 98% of the time.
6) Branding is also important
A great logo will make your app stand out and be memorable.
Step 5: Successful Mobile App Development
The following are app development tips for building high-performing and stable product:
1) Focus on the app’s core functionality
2) Simple, intuitive registration
3) Ensure that even your MVP is secure
4) Offer relevant notifications and define tags
5) Build communication channels with the app users
6) Develop both iOS and Android app
7) Provide offline functionality
8) Sustain high performance
9) Offer it for free
10) Integrate social sharing within an app
Step 6: Launch an App Successfully
Once a great app is designed and developed, the next step is its deployment. The main objective is to integrate all the processes on a production level and conduct proper app testing before the release. Some preliminary work is required:
- Integrate analytics tools
- Conduct beta-testing
- Collect the metrics
Step 7: Succeed in the App Stores
There are three primary ways to reveal an app:
1) Top charts: these are dominated by the most successful apps with the largest paid media campaigns.
2) Selected (curated) content (e.g. what is within the current trends).
3) Search within the app store by category, keywords.
Don’t forget about the app store optimization. ASO is a general way to ensure your app is discovered by target users. This is a diligent task with keywords, descriptions, and titles to overtake your competitors.
Step 8: Promoting an App Successfully
It necessary to define how to market an app before launch and what channels to use for successful app delivery to the target user.
1) Social media promotion
2) Get press attention
3) Reach out to influencers
4) Develop a landing page
5) Post on PreApps
6) Consider alternative app stores
7) Search Engine Optimization
Step 9: Check the Mobile App Metrics Regularly
In general, useful mobile metrics can be divided into 4 categories: user engagement, customer satisfaction, customer acquisition, and app performance.
Here are the most essential mobile app KPIs: retention rate, churn rate, daily active users, stickiness, cost per acquisition, lifetime value, average revenue per user and per paying user, return on investment.
Step 10: Ongoing App Engagement and Support
Ongoing support and regular updates based on user feedback make an app successful over time. It would be good to continue with:
- Development of new features (functionality growth + further product development)
- Quality assurance (stability control + reducing the risk of errors)
- Business model review and constant competitor analysis (ensuring your business strategy and competitor analysis are up-to-date)
This is a brief summary of an article published on MLSDev blog. If you would like to learn more about creating successful apps, read the full article.
