Mobile App Development – Mistakes to Avoid

The digital revolution is already upon us and as we see the Internet of Things on the horizon, we are moving into a new dimension of digital connectivity. Elon Musk has launched thousands of low-orbit 5G satellites and Starlink provides lightning-quick Internet coverage around the world, this is an exciting time to be alive. 

Mobile apps

One of the latest popular digital products is the mobile app; more and more business owners are turning to developers for customised mobile app design and construction, and in this article, we point out a few common mistakes to avoid when looking to create a mobile app for your business.

• Poor market research – Designing a mobile app isn’t a question of diving in; rather you sit down and collaborate with a leading Australian iOS app developer, a team of front and back end developers who know how to carry out effective market research. This tells you where your target groups are and the diverse range of services you can incorporate into your app design. 
• Failure to include the user experience – Sometimes, when designing a digital product, you can forget about the UX, user experience; this is a big mistake and the interface will likely not be user-friendly. Your goal should be to try and create a smooth UX, then your app will be popular.
• Ignoring all-device capability – You will automatically lose a growing sector if your app is not optimised for all devices. Desktop PC, laptop, notebook, tablet and smartphone, your app should show seamlessly, portraying your organisation in a professional way. 
• Skipping in-depth testing – If you try to keep costs down, you might decide to skip the in-depth testing, which could mean that bugs and crashes that have yet to be discovered and fixed. Building an app is complex and the more sections you add, the more that can go wrong; in-depth testing is the only way to be sure you have found all the bugs and crash points.
• Neglecting security – Cyber-crime is on the rise and you have to protect your customer data at all times. Hackers are very adaptive, using many techniques to steal digital data and when you use an award-winning developer, their team of cyber-security technicians use penetrative testing to see how your app stands up to serious attempts to gain access.
• Poor product launch – Much like opening a retail outlet, launching a mobile app is a great marketing opportunity; hire a PR agency to handle this and make the most from the event. Of course, you would market the launch on many digital platforms, with possibly a live event that can be streamed on all your social media pages, which maximises your exposure.
• Failing to research the developer – There are good app developers and there are great app developers and your choice can be the difference between success and failure. Find app development forums on the Internet and throw their name out there and see what kind of response you get.
• Inadequate budget – Trying to work to a low budget means cutting corners and, in the end, this will cost more than if you increased your budget at the outset. The old saying, you only get what you pay for, certainly applies in this instance. A good developer would be in the middle ground when it comes to prices, while they should also be transparent with their pricing. By all means, get a couple of quotes for comparison and remember that the service you receive is more important than the cost.
• Failing to gather user feedback – The only way to be 100% sure that customers like the app is to ask them. User feedback should be an aspect of the app development and once it goes live, the development team takes all comments onboard. Let us not forget that an app is never ‘finished’, rather it is a constant work in progress that can be added to at any time.
• Accepting the first proposal – After a short meeting, the app developer would deliver a project proposal for your consideration and without being able to compare, you are at a disadvantage. Talk to at least 3 developers and see what each comes up with, then you can make an informed decision.

There are many benefits to designing a mobile app for your customers and we hope that you avoid the above common errors and that you are very satisfied with the final product when it goes live. Of course, the work is not finished when the app is available on Play Store, as testing and debugging has to take place.