About to start out on your business app development journey? Find out exactly what makes a good app, direct from the mouths of our experts at Apps4U.
Every day, more and more apps appear in the app stores. And, as time passes, more and more businesses start to wise up to the movement and invest in one as well. With so many apps on the app stores of the world, how do you make sure yours is a success?
The team here at Apps4U are expert app builders from the UK and know what it takes to make an app that has the potential to reach the top. Today, they share some of their wisdom with you, in the hopes it might help your business succeed in the world of apps.
Good Design and Navigation
When a person opens an app, what do they want to see?
They want to see something that looks professional; sleek and modern design, one that fits with what they know a ‘good’ app looks like. As such, there can be no greater failure in the app world than a poorly designed layout. Nothing is guaranteed to repel users faster than horrendous colour palettes, old-fashioned aesthetics, and a generally ugly design.
The best way to ensure your design fits with what is perceived to be a mark of quality and professionalism is to look at successful apps and draw inspiration from them.
You’ll also need a strong focus on navigation. App users are all about convenience. They like easy-to-use apps that they can jump into and move through without much thought. Make sure your app flows well. That movement from any one point on the app, to any other point on the app, is so simple your Great Aunt could do it.
We’ve actually written about great app design before. Find out more by reading our detailed blog: Four Key Principles for Great Mobile App Design.
Distinguishing Features
To get people to download your app, you must give them a reason to do so. Why should they go through all the trouble of finding and downloading your app if it does nothing but show them an address and an email?
The secret of a good app is offering features and functionality that they cannot get anywhere else. Not only that: they need to be features and functionality that help people engage with your business and make their experience of your brand more enriching than simply visiting a website.
In-app features that can entice people to your app — and keep them coming back — are things like coupon pages, reservation systems, online shopping functionality and more. Recently, we at Apps4U designed and built an app for Carleton Canine Centre. Included within the app is a feature that allows users to view cameras setup in the doggy play areas. This means potential customers can see what the facilities are like and owners of dogs can see that their pets are being taken care of.
This kind of functionality ensures users get more out of an app than they would a mobile site and keeps them coming back.
A Stellar Marketing Plan
App development faces a problem.
You could build the best app in the world; an app that revolutionises your industry and changes the way customers interact with your brand. But if nobody knows about it, nobody is going to download it.
Exposure on the app store is limited and finding apps is difficult. Realistically, unless you manage to chart or get featured, the only way anyone will ever find your app is if they directly search for it.
Throwing your app onto the app store, after months of development and huge investment is a bad idea. You need to make sure your customers know your app is live. The best way to do this is run a stellar marketing campaign. Get the word out to as many people as possible.
To reach new customers through your app, consider a strategy of advertisements, such as placing ads on Facebook, Google, or the Android App Store — you can even advertise your app within other apps. Target the customers you want to reach.
Another factor that can boost your app’s visibility are reviews. Reviews are crucial to quickly gaining user trust and downloads. Asking returning customers, friends and family to leave a review on your newly launched app is a guaranteed way to gather more interest.
Finally, if you want to reach previous customers, send out email blasts, make sure your app is mentioned on all promotional materials and anywhere else your customer’s eyesight may land. Word of mouth is also a powerful tool for promotion.
For a complete guide on how to promote your app, check out this great resource from Kissmetrics.
Hiring the Right UK App Builders
A great app isn’t always about the end result; it’s also about the process of development. Hiring the right app development company is essential for success. You need to make sure that those helping to support your app’s creation are capable of implementing your vision and making it last.
The right app builders from the UK — those that specialise in creating the kind of app you are searching for — can ensure that development builds on strong foundations, works with your budgetary requirements and fits the needs of your users.
They can also guarantee your app is easy to support and maintain. A poor choice of app development company could leave you with a delayed launch, shoddy coding and even an app that is impossible to amend or update in the future.
Looking for the right app builders in the UK? Apps4U are specialists in creating affordable apps for small businesses. We know all about smart design, what features you’ll need and more. Contact our team today for a free, no-obligation consultation.
