5 STEPS To Developing A Successful Mobile App

CONTACT | Stacey Morse | Senior VP of Sales & Marketing(855) MOBLICO | stacey.morse@moblico.comwww.moblicosolutions.com

PUBLISHED | October 2015

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents ...................................................................................... 2Getting Started ........................................................................................... 3The 5 Steps to Developing a New App ................................................. 6 Step #1—Plan ..................................................................................... 7 Describe your Business Goals ........................................................ 8 Identify Your Customer’s Needs in an App .................................. 8Step #2—Design ........................................................................................ 9 Create a Design That Meets Your Goals + Customer Needs .. 10 Determine App Requirements ........................................................ 10 Get Help with Design and Development ...................................... 12Step #3—Build ........................................................................................... 15 Code the App ...................................................................................... 15 Choose a Mobile Platform ............................................................... 16 Test the App ........................................................................................ 16Step #4—Launch ....................................................................................... 17Step #5—Engage ....................................................................................... 20 Create an Engagement Strategy ..................................................... 21 Learn What Your Customers Like .................................................. 21 Contact Customers Regularly .......................................................... 22 Use Fresh, Relevant Content ........................................................... 23

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GETTING STARTED

Are you ready to create a new mobile app for your business or organization? If so, then you’re probably wondering…how do I get started?

While developing a new mobile app can seem intimidating, it doesn’t have to be. Our step-by-step guide can walk you through the entire process, from beginning to end.

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GETTING STARTED

What Does an App Need to be Successful?

Successful apps have a few common traits:

1. Theysolveaspecificcustomerorend-userneed.

2. Theyalignwithyourbusinessstrategiesandobjectives.

3. Theyprovidecontextualcontentandcommunications.

4. Theydelivermorepersonalizedexperiences—themoreyouusethem.

What Are Your Goals for Developing a Successful Mobile App?

Ifyouwanttodevelopasuccessfulmobileapp,you’llneedtodefineyourgoals.Thisisthefirststepoftheprocess,andwe’llwalkyouthroughthisphase.

How Long Will It Take to Develop?

Dependingonthecomplexityoftheapp,andwhoyouchoosetodevelopit—anappcantakeanywherefrom30daysto1year(orlonger)todevelop.1

How Much Will It Cost?

Anappcancostaslittleas$50,000todevelop,orasmuchas$1million—dependingonthecomplexity,andhowyouchoosetodevelopit.2

1 State of Enterprise Mobility Survey. Kinvey, November 20142 State of Enterprise Mobility Survey. Kinvey, November 2014.

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What Factors Increase the Cost and Time for Development?

Whyistheresuchavarianceincostandtimetodevelop?

Thebiggestdrivertothelengthoftimeittakestodevelopanappisthefeaturerequirements.Themorefeaturesyouwantincludedintheapp,thelongeritwilltaketocreate—andthehigherthecost.

Otherimportantcriteriathatinfluencethetimeandcostofdevelopmentare:

• Operatingsystems—howmanyoperatingsystemswilltheapprunon?

• Customization—doestheappneedtobe100%custombuilt,orcanyouuseapre-builtappand“whitelabel”it?(Thismeansaddingyourownlogo,branding,andfeaturestoabasicappthat’salreadybuilt—whichwillsaveyoutimeandmoney.)

• Integration—howmuchintegrationdoyoureallyneedfortheapptodelivertheintendedexperience?

In general, the more features, customization, operating systems, and integration required—the more expensive it will be to develop the app, and the longer it will take.

GETTING STARTED

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THE 5 STEPS TO DEVELOPING A NEW APP

There are 5 basic steps to developing a new mobile app successfully:

• Step 1—Plan your business goals and user needs.

• Step 2—Design the app, including how it should look and operate.

• Step 3—Build the app to make it work.

• Step 4—Launch the app.

• Step 5—Engage your customers with personalized content and targeted communications.

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STEP #1—PLAN

Your first step to developing a successful new app is to plan your customer needs and business goals. Now is the time to ask:

What do I want to get out of this app?

What does the app need to accomplish to be considered a “success”?

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Describe your Business Goals

Everyapphasabusinessgoal.Whatisyours?Ifyoudon’tclearlydefineyourbusinessgoalwiththeappatthebeginning,you’llneverachieveit.Do you want to:

• Increaseproductsales?

• Buildlong-termrelationshipswithcustomers?

• Improvebrandawareness?

• Getcustomersintoyourstore?

• Simplifythepurchaseprocess?

Anappcannotbesuccessfulifyoudon’tclearlydefineitsbusinessgoalsbeforeyoustartthedesignanddevelopmentprocess.

Byaligningyourbusinessgoalswithyourcustomers’needs,youhave a much better chance of creating a successful app.

Identify Your Customer’s Needs in an App

Howdoyouknowwhatyourcustomersreallyneedinanapp?Bystudyingthem,observingthem,andtalkingtothem—beforeyoustartappdesign.

Findoutwhatyoucanofferyourcustomersthroughanappthatexcitesthem—andkeepsthemcomingbackagainandagain,forthelong-term. Isitrewards?Freebies?Deals?Coupons?Entertainment?“Insider”info?Easeofaccess?

Avoidthepitfallofmakingtheappintoaduplicateofyourwebsite—whichcompaniesoftendo.Thisisabigmistake,andwillnotworkinmostcases(althoughthereareexceptions).

STEP #1—PLAN

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STEP #2—DESIGN

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Create a Design That Meets Your Goals + Customer Needs

Nowthatyou’veestablishedwhatyourcustomerneedsinanapp,andyou’vedefinedyourgoalswiththeapp,youcanusethatinformationtodesignasuccessfulapp.Designinganappstartswithcreatingasolidlist of requirements.

Determine App Requirements

Whatarerequirements?Requirementsarealistof:

• Whatyouwantthemobileapptodo

• How you want it to look

• Howitshouldinteractwiththecustomer

• Whatdevicesyouwantittorunon

• Whatothersystemsordatabasesitneedstopulldatafrom(ifany)

Forexample,youmightwantyourretailt-shirtsalesapptobeableto:

• Show125differentproducts

• Offer10uniquecolors

• Offer12differentsizes

• Allowcustomerstopersonalizethemessageonfront

• Pay through a mobile cash register

• Earnrewardsforeveryt-shirttheybuy

• Offerdiscountcouponsfornewdesigns

• Integratewithyourcurrentcustomerandproductdatabases

Ifyou’vealreadycreatedarequirementslist,thenyou’llsaveyourselftimeandmoneywiththeappdevelopmentprocess.

However,ifyou’veneverdonethisbefore,orareunfamiliarwiththeprocessofdesigningtheuserexperience(UX),thenitwillbenefityou toinvestinagoodcompanythatcanconsultwithyouthroughthedesignprocess.Theycanhelpdeveloparequirementslistforyou.

STEP #2—DESIGN

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Themoredetailedyourrequirementslist— andthecloseritmatchestoyouroriginal businessandcustomergoals—themore successful your app will be.

Starting List of Questions

Ataminimum,yourrequirementslistshouldanswerthefollowingquestions:

1. WhatdoIwantmyuserstodowithmyapp?

2. Whowillmostlikelybeusingtheapp?

3. Wherewilltheylikelybeusingit?

4. Whatshouldtheapplooklike?

5. WhatdoIwanttheapptodoformybusiness?

6. WillIbesellinganythingontheapp?Ifso,what?Howmanyproducts?

7. DoIneedtheapptohaveanyspecialfunctions(suchasiBeacon, ashoppingcart,eventregistration,etc.)?

8. WhatdevicesandoperatingsystemsdoIwanttheapptorunon? (iOS,Android,Microsoft)

9. Willmyappneedtoaccesscontentfromotherexistingsystems (suchasWordPress,apointofsalesystem,oracustomermanagementdatabase)?

STEP #2—DESIGN

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Get Help with Design and Development

Ifyouhaveneverdesignedanappbefore, andyoudon’thaveanyinternalresources atyourcompany,thenyou’llneedtofind outsidehelpforStep2—DesignandStep3—Build.

Ideally,youcanusethesamecompanytodobothsteps.However,keepinmindthatsomecompaniesexcelatappdesign—whileothercompaniesarebetteratbuilding,programming,andtesting.So,youmayactuallyget abetterqualityappinthelongrun—ifyouworkwith2differentcompanies,whospecializeineachofthese2steps.

Using Your IT Team Develop the App

Ifyourorganizationislargeenough,thenyoumayhavetheoptionofusingyourinternalITdepartmenttodevelopyourapp.Ifyou’reconsideringusingyourinternalITdepartmenttodevelopyourapp,askyourselfthesequestionsfirst:

1. Dowehaveextensivemobileappdevelopmentexperienceon ourITteam?

2. Isthisacorecompetency—orjusta“sidelineskill”?

3. Wouldweneedtohirenewresourcestocompletethisproject?

4. Howlongwouldittaketocomplete?

5. Willwebehappywiththefinalquality(vs.hiringanoutsidefirm)?

6. Whowillleadtheproject?

Don’t be afraid to ask your IT department to submit a project plan with timeline, pricing, and approach.

STEP #2—DESIGN

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Choosing an Outside App Development Firm

PREPARINGAREQUESTFORPROPOSAL(RFP)

Ifyouneedtofindanoutsidevendortodevelopyourmobileapp,you’llwanttocreatea3-5p.requestforproposal(RFP)thataskspotentialvendorstosupplyyouwithinformationabouttheirsuggestedtimeline,pricing,andapproach.InyourRFP,you’llwanttoprovideinfoon:

• Your list of app requirements (if you have one)

• Whyyou’rebuildingtheapp

• Who will be using the app

• YourmarketingandROIgoalswiththeapp

• Howyouwantyouraudiencetointeractwiththeapp

• Youridealtimelineforcompletion

• Listofinfoyouwanttoseesubmittedinresponses(i.e.pricing,timeline,approach)

• Deadlineforsubmittingresponses

FINDINGCOMPANIESTORESPONDTOYOURRFP

Nowyou’llneedtofindmobiledevelopmentfirmswhoarewilling torespondtoyourRFP.Askforreferrals,orlookatappsthatyou like—andlocatetheoriginaldevelopmentteam.Inviteeachofthem torespondtoyourRFP.Theyshouldprovideyouwith:

• Pricing

• Timeline

• Approach

• Experience

• Samples

• Recommendationsforyourapp

STEP #2—DESIGN

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STEP #2—DESIGN

WHAT TO LOOK FOR—IN A MOBILE APP PARTNER

Hereareafewqualitiestolookforamobileappdevelopmentcompany:

• All-in-oneprovider,or2specialists—thatcanhandlethedesign, build,testing

• Shortturnaround—togetyourapptomarketfaster

• Platform—cantheyprovideamobileplatformfortheapptorunon?

• Experience—doyoulikeotherappsthey’vedesigned?

• Pricing—watchforoutliers(pricesthatseemtoohigh/low, comparedtotherest)

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STEP #3—BUILD

Code the AppAfteryou’vefinishedcreatingandfinalizingyourlistofrequirements, you’re ready to begin the process of coding the actual app.

Here’s where a team of software coders who specialize in mobile development will go through the painstaking process of writing the actual software code, line by line. This is the heart of the process, and could take anywhere from 30-120 days, depending on the complexity of the app.

When development and coding are done, you’re ready to test your brand new baby app.

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STEP #3—BUILD

Choose a Mobile Platform

Behindeverygreatappisanexcellentmobile platform.Youneedbothtobesuccessful in the mobilemarket.Whatisamobileplatform? Agoodplatformwill:

• Runtheapp

• Handlecustomerengagement—followinglaunch

• Holdyourcontent—includingproducts,pricing,andmore

• Managespecialoffers,deals,coupons

• Monitorcustomers’buyingbehavior

• Runreports—totracksalesanduserbehavior

• Managetransactions,registrations,logins,etc.

Yourmobileappdevelopmentproviderprobablyhasaplatformavailable,oryoucanbuyanoff-the-shelfplatform.Thebettertheplatform,theeasieritwillbetomanagecontentandtrackuserbehavior.

Test the AppOnceyourteamofmobileappsoftwaredevelopershavefinishedcoding,it’stimefortesting.Mostdevelopmentteamsdoaqualityassurance(QA)process,thenadebuggingprocess.Youshouldalsogetachancetodouseracceptancetesting,whichgivesyoutheopportunitytomakerevisionstothenewmobileapp.2-3roundsofrevisionsisprettystandard(ifyouwantmorethanthat,expecttopaymore).Oncerevisionsarecomplete,theappisreadytolaunch.

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STEP #4—LAUNCH

When testing, debugging, and revisions are complete, it’s time to launch the app—and have live customers use it.

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Prepping for Launch

Before you start selling your app in the app store,thereareafewthingslefttodo.Forexample,whatareyougoingtocallyourapp?You’llneeda“catchy”name,oryoucansimplyequateitwithyour business name.

Youwillneedtocomeupwith:

• App name

• Description of app

• Categorythattheappshouldbelistedinattheappstore

• Listofkeywordstohelpusersfindtheappinasearch

Soft Launch or Full Launch?

Youmaydecidetodoasoftlaunchfor1-2weeksfirst,withonlyaselectgroupofhand-pickeduserswhogiveyoufeedbackontheappexperience.Thisgivesyouanopportunitytotroubleshootanyuser,system,ordataissuesbeforeaddingthousandsofusers.Oryoumightwanttodoafulllaunchandrollitouttoyourentirecustomerbaseallatonce.

STEP #4—LAUNCH

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Ready for Full Launch

Whenyou’rereadytolaunchthemobileapp toyourentirecustomerbase,beprepared forfeedbackandanylast-minutechangesthat comeup.Also,you’llwanttonotifyyourcustomers that the app is now available.

Notify Customers—App Is Available

How will you notify your customers that your new app is available fordownload?Youcandothisthrough:

• Emails

• Website

• Bannerads

• Store signage

• Facebookads

• Checkout process

Letthemknowwheretodownloadtheapp,andatleast1benefitthey getfromusingit(suchaspoints,discounts,coupons,orfreebies).Forexample,themessagecouldbe:“DownloadourFREEappintheGoogle PlayStore—togetmembers-onlydeals.”

Better yet, offer them a special bonus just for downloading—such as a coupon, points, or a one-time freebie: “Download our FREE app now—and get $5 off your next t-shirt!”

STEP #4—LAUNCH

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STEP #5—ENGAGE

A good app doesn’t just sit on a smartphone. It communicates with the user frequently. This is actually the most important step—engaging your customers. After all, what good is an app if no one uses it?

Many businesses do a great job of designing and creating an app—only to fail at engagement. But post-launch communication is the most important part of the process.

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Create an Engagement Strategy

Onceyourapplaunches,youhaveagolden opportunitytobuildlong-term,deeprelationshipswithyour customers.Youalsohavethechancetocollectimportantdata aboutthem—sodon’tsquanderit.

The secret to getting customers to engage with your app is:

• Learn what your customers like

• Contact customers regularly

• Usefresh,relevantcontent

Learn What Your Customers Like

Usethereportsfromyournewmobileplatformtofindoutwho’susingyourapp—andwhattheyaredoingwithit.Askyourself:

• Whoisusingtheapp?

• Whendotheyuseit(timeofday)?

• Whatdotheyliketouseitfor?Whichpagesoritemsaremostpopular?

• Wheredotheyusetheapp(car,home,work…)?

STEP #5—ENGAGE

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Build Customer Profiles

Now that you have some basic information aboutyourusers,createa“profile”ofeachgroupbymarryingtheirdemographicdatatotheirbuyinghistory.You’llprobablywanttocreate1-5customerprofilestostart.Thesewillformyourtargetmarket.

Forexample,maybeyou’resellinglotsofredt-shirtsinthemorningtofemalesages18-25wholiveinthegreaterSt.Louisarea.Butyou’realsosellinglotsofbluet-shirtsatnighttomalesages30-45wholiveintheChicagoarea.Eachoftheseisanexcellentstartforacustomerprofile—andagreatwayforyouradvertisersandsponsorstoreachtheirtargetmarketsdirectly.

Contact Customers Regularly

Nowthatyouknowwhichgroupsarebuyingwhatproducts,decidehowyouwanttocommunicate—andreward—eachtargetcustomerprofile.Tryto“touch”eachgroupatleast1x/month.Youcanuse:

• Pushnotifications

• Textmessages

• Rewards

• Points

• Alerts

• QRcodes

• Coupons

• Deals

• Freebies

Decide how you want to interact with each group if they buy—or don’t buy. Remember, constant modification of your marketing is key to long-term success with your new app.

STEP #5—ENGAGE

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Use Fresh, Relevant Content

Let’sfaceit:noonewantstouseanappthat hasthesamecontent,appearance,anduserexperience—overandoveragain.It’sboring.Andintheworldofapps,boredomisakiller.

Customerswantnew,different,bold,memorable.Abigpartofthepost-launchphaseiscreatingnewcontentthatexcitesthem—andkeepsthemcomingback,weekafterweek.

Onceyoulaunch,studyyourcustomerstoseewhatcontenttheyengagewithmostfrequently—bylookingatreportsontheirbehavior.Thesereportscanbegeneratedthroughyourmobileplatform.

Plantoswitchupyourcontentandmessagedeliveryatleast4x/year.1x/monthor1x/weekisevenbetter.

Yourgoal?Tocontinuallymonitortheprogramtotweakandenhanceit.Keepyourcustomerscomingbackwithexciting,engagingcontentthatchangesregularly. 

Running Reports from Your Mobile Platform

Youcan“keepintouch”withcustomers’changingwantsandneedsbycheckingtheirstatsthroughthereportsfoundinyourmobileplatform.You’llwant to know:

• Numberofappdownloads

• Whoopts-intoyourrewardsprogram

• Who is buying from the app

• Whoiscashingintheirdealsandrewards

• Whichcustomerprofilegroupsarethe“heaviest”users

• What’stheROIforindividualsponsorsandads

That way, you can use this information to tweak your app, your product offerings, and your loyalty rewards—to draw in better sponsors, and make your customers happy.

STEP #5—ENGAGE