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Businesses are rapidly deploying new applications without fully considering the crucial aspects of the process. They join the app trend, assuming that identifying the required app and providing instructions to the development team will suffice. However, overlooking certain elements can result in businesses lacking the necessary applications to meet their expectations. Allow me to present four phases of application development that can greatly benefit your business.

1. Conceptualization Ensure that your mobile application adds value. In the haste to develop apps, companies often underestimate the time required to evaluate which applications are truly needed by their customers and which ones will help them achieve their objectives. Neglecting this step increases the likelihood of an app being poorly received, resulting in wasted costs.

Based on our experience, following these steps can help businesses focus on developing the “right” mobile app:

• To accomplish your strategic goals, it is vital to recognize the specific business hurdles that require attention. These obstacles can vary from customer concerns to internal operational difficulties. By exploring different scenarios, you can determine the areas where an app-based solution is needed.
• For each scenario identified, it is essential to conduct user research to gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by end users. This research will help define the specific features and functionalities that a new mobile application should possess to effectively address these issues.
• Subsequently, it is recommended to conduct market research to identify existing apps that already tackle some of the identified challenges. This step allows you to evaluate whether your concept for a mobile app brings something novel, enhances existing solutions, or provides an enhanced user experience.
• By the conclusion of this process, you should have generated ideas for mobile apps that can bridge a gap in the market and offer significant value to your customers.

Prepare Yourself: Establishing the Essential Foundation After determining the scope of your project, it is time to lay down the groundwork. This phase involves making three crucial decisions:

• Financial Planning: It is crucial to evaluate the impact of the app on your overall business objectives and allocate a suitable portion of your technology budget for its development. Factors like time investment, the importance of the application in your growth plans, and prevailing market conditions determine the project timeline.
• Platform and Technology Selection: Depending on your target audience, you need to decide the type of mobile app you want to create. This decision is influenced by various options in mobile application development, including native, Android, iOS, or hybrid. Considerations such as the devices you intend to target (mobiles, tablets, wearables) and the operating systems supported in your IT environment will help guide your choice.

In addition, you must explore different platform alternatives to build the app. You can choose a low-code or no-code platform and utilize your internal team for app development. You can also collaborate with a specialized third-party team that holds expertise in mobile application development and can provide guidance for your overall app strategy.

• Team Composition: Whether you opt for a no-code/low-code platform or traditional custom-coded app development, it is advisable to consider engaging a third-party team to handle the technical aspects. This team should have the necessary expertise and experience to ensure timely and cost-effective delivery.

During this phase, it is important to evaluate available app development firms and select the one that aligns best with your requirements. It entails choosing a team that displays the skills to build the desired app while meeting your expectations in terms of design, quality, and security. Execution: Design, Development, Deployment This is the phase where your app begins to take form. Despite the common assumption that design, development, and deployment are easily understood, several often overlooked aspects require attention:

• App Design: Neglecting a comprehensive user survey and UI design can lead to a challenging user experience that negatively impacts app retention. Businesses should not compromise on essential elements such as user experience research, documentation, maintaining a consistent design system, and creating an intuitive user interface.
• Leveraging Automation: While custom mobile app development can be a time-consuming process, certain aspects of testing and deployment can be automated. Automation ensures thorough checks across the entire codebase whenever new code is introduced, minimizing the risk of unforeseen issues in previously functional features.

Iteration: Gathering and Implementing Feedback Before a full-scale release, apps typically go through multiple testing cycles. During this stage, it is crucial to establish a well-defined process for collecting and evaluating feedback. Common methods for collecting feedback include:

• Asking targeted questions to gather specific data on users’ ability to effectively use the app.
• Analyzing and categorizing user behavior to identify usage patterns.
• Conducting A/B testing on different features to make data-driven decisions

The key is to promptly incorporate feedback and conduct further iterations of testing. A quick feedback loop ensures that non-functional elements are addressed before they overwhelm the system. To facilitate a smooth feedback loop, shorter development cycles, quality assurance measures, and automated deployment are essential. Pro Tip: It is not necessary or advisable to implement all user feedback immediately. Businesses should evaluate each suggested change on a case-by-case basis, as they may impact the final product. This approach helps make informed decisions when assessing and implementing feedback. App development is a significantly intricate process that goes beyond mere code writing. A faster time to market for your app is meaningless if it fails to deliver value to end users. To create the right apps for your business, it is crucial to comprehend and invest effort in all four stages: design, preparation, execution, and evolution.