In 1997, the Nokia 6110 included a game called “Snake,” which many consider the first mobile app in history. It was a simple premise, centering on an ever-growing line (the titular snake) that threatens to consume itself.
Like the snake itself, the history of apps in the intervening years is long and full of twists and turns. Some developments were positive, as future-facing app developers looked toward streamlining the user experience and making apps more accessible. Other developments weren’t so successful, adding complex and unnecessary design elements that hindered the user experience.
Therefore, the questions many companies and startups ask are: How do you ensure that you get a great app? How do you sidestep a misfire? And, as you begin the process of working with mobile app developers, what can you do to help along the process?
Let’s investigate.
Contents
As You Hunt for a Developer, Prioritize Experience
As mentioned in the intro, the mobile app industry has been around for a while – approximately two decades. If you want to ensure you’re getting the best possible app, you want to find a company that has a healthy mix of experience and forward-looking innovation. In other words, they should have a storied past with an eye toward a bright future.
Awards are generally a good indication of a company’s eminence and innovative streak, so look for an award winning app development company to partner with for your mobile app project. In the link above, you’ll find TheAppLabb, a great example of an experienced, award-winning company doing innovative stuff – look through their portfolio to get a sense of what a quality mobile app developer can deliver.
Know Thyself: Business Objectives and Core Purpose
Defining very clear business objectives is a must; before app developers can help you build out the structure and finer details of the app, you need to define the why behind the app.
The application’s core purpose should align with your organization’s core purpose, which will help you define your core business objectives.
Transition From Business to Technical
Once your app’s core purpose is congruent with your organization’s purpose, mission and vision, ensure that the technical side of things smoothly interfaces with those items.
This means that objectives and smaller goals should be broken down and clearly mapped to technical requirements. These requirements start with and an end-to-end flow of the application, features and tech stack chosen. If you’re unsure how to accomplish that, don’t sweat it; if you’ve chosen the right mobile app developer, you can rely on them to execute this process.
Think About the User Experience
The users, be they employees or customers, need to experience a pleasant and seamless interaction with the app. Their time spent with the app should be positive, and they should want to return to it often.
This starts with app experts focused on the human experience who understand how to deliver superior UX. But, also be sure to have focus groups on all sides to ensure that all aspects of the experience are covered well.
Determine Which Features Will Work Best
If you are unsure which features to focus on or implement, keep working with the focus groups on both the employee and customer sides. If results are unclear or if any doubts are in place, please be sure to conduct mass reach outs with surveys to get a clear and collective user voice.
Soliciting advice from your potential customer base helps you tweak the mobile app to ensure you’re creating something in-tune with your user needs.
Not all mobile apps are created equal. If you want to make certain that your project dollars go toward a user-friendly, accessible and appealing app, follow the few simple steps above.
