You believe you have an app people will enjoy and appreciate – but you’ve never built one before. You’re not a developer or well-versed in the mobile application space. Nonetheless, you still want to turn your idea into reality. Where do you start?
How to Start Your App Idea
Building your app is similar to how an entrepreneur starts their business. Let’s walk through the key steps you’ll need to take to go from having an idea for an app to launching in the app store.
1. Start with defining your app
Start shaping the body of your app by writing a product requirement document (PRD). It’s a written document that details the app, from the vision and purpose to the features and tech specifications. It’s a helpful thing to have especially when you’re figuring things outs.
As you continue to create a skeleton for your app idea, reflect and ask yourself questions, such as:
- Who is my app for?
- What problems/issues will it solve?
- How is it different from pre-existing apps?
- What can your app provide that others lack?
- Which platforms will the app be available on – iOS, Android, or both?
2. Analyze the market
Now that you have a solid outline, you must analyze the market. To start with, is there even a market for your app, meaning, are there people who will be willing to download and use your app? If so, who is in that market?
The first step to answering this question is defining your target audience. Determining the users who will benefit from your app is crucial in app development. It will serve as your compass throughout the production and launch phase. Use demographics, psychographics, behavioral, and geographic segmentation to help narrow your scope.
The second step is to note who you’re competing against. Learning more about your competitors will help you understand if there’s room for you in the market and where you can fill the gap. Research the strengths and weaknesses of rival apps and see where you can make a unique impact.
3. Get funded
Once you’ve settled on your app idea and confirmed it has a market need, it’s time to start looking for funding. Use our cost calculator to get an idea of how much you’ll need to develop your app idea before you get too far.
You have a few options here. You may opt to bootstrap, meaning you will use your personal funds to cover the costs of app development.
But if you need large sums of cash fast, looking for outside investors is best. There are many ways to find them:
- Your network – Use your connections (family, friends, colleagues, etc.) and reach out to them to help support your app.
- Angel investors – These individuals have large sums of cash and are willing to invest in small businesses.
- Venture capitalists – These are a group of investors who invest money in high-growth startups and can be actively involved in running the business. They will likely only be interested in investing in an app if there is a high potential for a hefty return on their investment.
- Incubators & accelerators – These programs help build, develop, and nurture businesses. They can provide you access to their resources, connections, and funding to help your business grow.
- Loans – Depending on your situation, you might be able to get a loan from your bank to help with initial funding. If you have an existing business, you can apply for a business loan. Otherwise, you will need to apply for a personal loan. Alternative lenders may also be able to help you get upfront cash, although at a higher interest rate than a bank loan.
- Crowdfunding – Publish details of your project online and raise money from willing and interested people.
4. Pick your monetization strategy
This step goes hand-in-hand with the above one. After all, revenue is essential in helping your app thrive, whether you are using your own funds to pay for its development or relying on investors. Here are different ways to monetize your app.
- In-app purchases – Most commonly used for gaming apps, this is where users pay to unlock or add virtual goods.
- Ads – This is a popular-used monetization strategy. Ads can be in the form of banners, pop-ups, and affiliates.
- Subscriptions, Freemium – A common practice is having a free version of the app that only has basic features. But users can unlock the premium features when they pay a monthly subscription.
- One-time fee – You can also let it be a paid app from the start. Once a customer purchases the app, they can access all the basic and premium features without any ads.
5. Find the right partners & developers
App development is a huge undertaking that requires many skills and duties. So bringing in a trusted partner who can bring in skills you lack can be helpful as you develop your app.
Unless you’re an app developer yourself, it’s a better idea to hire and work with the right developers who can build your app exactly how you envisioned it. They can bring your idea to life and will work to ensure your app is fine-tuned and fully operational.
6. Create a minimum viable product
Once you’ve assembled the right team, you can start working on a minimum viable product (MVP). An MVP is a prototype of your app that includes only the necessary and fundamental features. You use an MVP to test the app with a small audience so you can see any bugs, interfaces, and features you need to fix or add.
7. Finalize your branding
You probably have some ideas for branding, but now is the time to really focus on it. Work with your business partners and designers to establish your branding and how you will market the app to your audience. Create a unique name, logo, icon, and visual identity for your app/business to help you stand out from your competitors.
8. Get set up on the app stores
Create developer accounts on Apple and Google. You’ll need an account on either platform to publish and sell your app. The fees for Apple are $99/year. The Google PlayStore has a one-time fee of $25.
9. Protect your idea
Make sure you protect your app on all fronts. This may include copyrighting, trademarking, or applying for patents. To keep your code and framework under wraps, you can have your team sign NDAs and non-compete agreements to safeguard your app and its entire framework.
Start Building Your App Today
If you’re looking for developers you can trust to turn your app idea into a reality, we can help. At Confianz, we have a team of developers who can transform your idea into an intelligent mobile app. We work to ensure maximum efficiency and scalability for your app and your business.
As a mobile app development agency, we provide unmatched full-stack mobile application development services globally to a wide range of business verticals & help them enhance their market reach, growth and ROI. We develop custom mobile app for iOS and Android.
Confianz Can Help You Build a Mobile App
Anticipating the cost of developing a mobile app prior to commencing the project can spare you from a host of issues. Additionally, it enables you to prioritize the crucial elements of your app. Make use of our Mobile App Cost Calculator to obtain an estimate of the expenses involved in building your desired mobile application.
Get in touch to learn more.
