Top 10 Tips for Successful App Development
Startups and enterprise business work differently on a variety of levels, from business models and corporate culture to delivery expectations. While enterprises usually have established brands and budget guidelines, startups face time and budget restrictions. Despite their differences, when it comes to app development, the end goal is the same: build an application.
Regardless of your business size, these 10 tips will ensure the application you build is a success.
1. Know your application's purpose
With millions of software platforms and mobile applications already on the market, two big questions will determine your app's point of difference.
- What is my customer's pain point?
- Does a solution already exist, and if so, can I provide a better one?
Once you clearly understand pain points and purpose, market research is essential to ensure the app has product-market fit. In 2024, this process often involves using AI-driven tools to analyse market trends and customer feedback, giving you deeper insights for strategic decisions.
2. Identify your target market
A successful market research analysis will identify and thoroughly understand your target market. Using big data analytics, AI, and machine learning helps gather and interpret market data more efficiently. These technologies allow you to identify customer segments and personalise experiences in your app to cater to specific user needs.
You should identify:
- Demographics (age, gender, location, income, education, etc),
- How they think (personality, attitudes, values, interests, behaviours),
- Their desired action (buy, donate, advocate, etc.),
- Their challenges (that you can solve),
- Motivations (for engaging with your application), and
- How best you can reach them (what channels do they use?)
It doesn't matter if you are a startup or globally recognised brand, paying attention to your audience is crucial when ensuring your application has product/market fit.
3. Keep your design simple, yet distinguishable
Any good app designer - particularly iOS developers - will tell you that uniqueness is essential for an application to reach its full potential for commercial success. But it's not just about making things look pretty. They have to be intuitive and easy to use. As the world gets faster and the average attention span decreases, ensuring your users aren't constantly blocked by inefficiencies is vital for your application's success. Simplicity means adopting a minimalistic design approach that focuses on essential functions. Leveraging modern design tools and frameworks (such as Material Design for Android and SwiftUI for iOS) can help streamline the user experience while maintaining a unique brand identity. Don't overcomplicate things for the sake of aesthetics.
4. Reuse existing code and content, when possible
In 2024, reusability extends beyond just visuals and content. The use of cross-platform development frameworks like Flutter, React Native, and Kotlin Multiplatform has matured, allowing developers to reuse a significant portion of code across iOS, Android, and even web platforms. This not only reduces development time and costs but also ensures a consistent user experience across different devices.
5. Make your app compatible with different iOS and Android versions
Supporting a range of OS versions and device types remains critical. Cross-platform tools and cloud-based testing services (e.g., BrowserStack, Firebase Test Lab) have made it easier to test apps on multiple devices and OS versions. However, developers should also consider emerging technologies like foldable devices and AR/VR integration to stay ahead of the curve.
6. Create a high-performing app
Performance is more crucial than ever. In 2024, users expect apps to load and respond almost instantaneously, given the proliferation of 5G and faster device processing capabilities. Modern development practices include using progressive web app (PWA) principles, implementing lazy loading for content, and leveraging cloud services to optimise app performance and scalability.
7. Test, test, test!
There's nothing worse than releasing your app to the App Store or Google Play and being inundated with negative feedback from users noting a key piece of functionality is missing, or not working as expected. To avoid a potential PR nightmare, or worse, complete failure at launch, extensive testing should be conducted throughout the build process, especially before release.
In 2024, Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, automated testing frameworks, and AI-powered testing tools have become standard. These allow developers to conduct real-time testing throughout the development process, identify issues early, and deliver a polished product at launch.
8. Determine your monetisation strategy
There are three main ways you can monetise your app.
Offer a freemium model
Revenue is generated based on advertisements. It is important to ensure you don't embed too many advertisements. This can result in user frustration to a point of abandonment.
Offer in-app purchases
Users attain your app for free, then either:
- full functionality is restricted to paying users only;
- full functionality is available for a short trial period with payment required for continued use;
- all features are available free with in-app advertisements that can be removed upon payment.
- This is a popular method, allowing users to experience your application before making a purchase decision.
Offer the app as free to download and feature in-app advertising
Basic functionality is free, with premium functionality or features offered at a small cost. This can encourage repeat purchases.
These methods remain effective in 2024, but user expectations around these methods have evolved. Today, integrating non-intrusive ad formats, offering subscription models with added value, and leveraging AI to recommend relevant in-app purchases can significantly enhance user engagement and revenue.
9. Plan a promotion strategy
An effective promotional strategy is essential. This strategy should incorporate social media, influencer marketing, content marketing, and AI-driven personalised advertising to reach potential users. Additionally, optimising your app for App Store and Play Store searches (ASO) and using data analytics to track campaign performance are key tactics to ensure success.
If no one knows about your app, how will they know to download it? It doesn't matter if you're a startup or seasoned enterprise, you must communicate before you can expect results. If you don't have a marketing professional on your team, you may wish to consult with a marketing or PR agency to build a successful promotional strategy.
10. Invest in ongoing support and development
The idea that an app is ever “complete” is more outdated than ever. With rapid OS updates, new devices, and changing user preferences, continuous development is a necessity. Businesses leverage cloud-based services and AI-driven analytics to gather user feedback, monitor app performance, and implement iterative improvements, keeping the app competitive in the long term.
Listening to consumers can ultimately help you better serve their wants and needs, resulting in higher engagement with your app. WorkingMouse offers a strong support program for all our clients, post-development. Our support begins before development kicks off; we provide all new partners with a copy of our way of working, so they have a clear vision of our process.
