For most businesses in the world mobile application development has become one of the best ways to market themselves and connect with the customers. With the entry barrier low it becomes extremely important for one to develop robust apps that stand above the crowd. Mobile app development requires a very methodical approach very different from developing websites and web based applications. The apps need to meet the evolving expectations of the customers. In this short write-up we shall discuss a few things that developers must consider while creating mobile applications.
User-Friendliness
The last thing that a user would do is put precious time and effort on learning how to use the app. Thus one of the biggest considerations for any mobile application developer is to create features and functionality that are convenient to use. Many businesses have wasted thousands of dollars in developing apps that failed to impress the users and in most cases these apps fell short on the user-friendliness factor. In other words nothing counts more for mobile apps than user-friendliness. A user should be able to immediately get started with the app upon downloading it. Avoid developing apps that take time in setting up. If you do some research you will find that most of the successful apps are user-friendly.
Focus on Needs
Gone are those days when bad apps would be accepted in the market. In a highly competitive market your app need to be focused on the user and rather than an abstract idea. For example an app that tracks the movement of planets in the solar system might sound good, but how many people are going to use it? To keep users' interested in your app you need to offer them features that helps do their jobs. The best way to design such an app is to take into account the needs of the users. An app should be able to connect with the customer both in terms of its utility as well as in an emotional manner. Do a market research around the area you have zeroed on and find out what the users need and develop an app around it.
Scalability
App development is a continuous process and your app needs to evolve with time. No matter how much planning you do you can’t predict the performance and acceptance of the app when it goes live in the market. Features you thought would act as a ‘killer’ might be rejected by the users and some add-on feature might become the selling point. To cope up with such a scenario you need to make an app that is scalable where you can make quick changes to meet the demands of the users. Creating a scalable app helps you release updated version of the app when required easily.
Multi-Platform Environment
You need to keep in mind the multi-platform scenario while developing an app. It is always advisable to launch an app in a single platform and test the waters before going full-scale on multiple platforms. However as a developer you should always be ready to recreate the app across multiple platforms easily. One way to ease multi-platform development is to build ‘parts library’ that can easily be used across multiple platforms thus cutting down on the time and effort required in building apps. Along with this you need to also keep in mind the unique features of some mobile OS and try and make full use of that. iPhone’s retina display can be considered an example in this case.
Consider User Feedback
No matter how skilled or recognized developer you are you should always be ready to face criticism and take into consideration the user feedback. Each user has a different way of looking towards an app and expects different features and functionality from the app. A user leaves behind the feedback for the developers to consider. Some of this feedback when incorporated can add value to your application and make it more popular. So you need to always keep an eye on the user feedback and reviews for your app. This will help you in making improvements and becoming a serious player in the market.
These are some of the things that should be kept in mind while developing robust mobile apps that reach out to a large category of the customers. Along with these considerations you must always be read to think beyond the obvious while designing apps as this helps you stay ahead in the race.
Author Bio:
This article is contributed by ValueCoders, an software outsourcing company, specialized in web and mobile application development. One can hire android developers here for effective Android application development services.
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