The Age of Digital: Building a Successful App People Actually Use

Mankind has come so far. In a span of a few decades, humans have managed to put a lot of things and essentials into a flat, handheld computer that they can bring anywhere — their smartphones. This innovation has ensured that people can easily access what they need with just a few taps. They get to see the world easily. They can talk to their loved ones no matter where they are in the globe. It is a need in this day and age. What truly makes smartphones functional besides their capability with the Internet is their assortment of apps.

Apps come in many forms and sizes. They can help you navigate the roads, provide a space for social networking, and entertain you through games. Many enterprising people have actually taken advantage of the behavior change. You can also get the same benefits if you come up with a good app. Below are some of the pointers to keep in mind when building one.

What’s the use?

There should be the first motivation behind the app. If you are solely motivated by the potential ad sales, you are bound to fail. You want to create something beautiful and useful — that even you would use. What you should do is find a need in the market — a gap that has not been filled yet. From there, you can come up with a few ideas that will serve as your basis for your app. For starters, it can be as simple as a mind puzzle game or a navigational app that helps drivers go about tight roads.

Who is the target audience?

If you are already considering the potential ad space that your app can sell to advertisers, you should prove first that there is a market for your app. In this aspect, you should identify the target audience that will use your app. You can choose the main target audience, and from there, identify the subgroups that will possibly use the app you are building. Get insights from them, especially when it comes to their behavior, likes, dislikes, and conversations they follow online.

UX and UI: Making sure the app’s perfect

Your app will become a hit if it is actually usable. That means you should make sure that your app is easy to use. This is where you will need the help of a user experience expert. Once the UX is finalized, you should then work with a user interface professional. UI is basically the materialization of the UX. It takes care of the design and aesthetics of the app’s navigational factors and usability.

Test, Test, Test

Testing your app should be a priority. Do not just test it once or twice — test it until you have perfected it. This is where the principles of A/B testing should come in. You should also use aids to make sure that you are guided accordingly. For one, if you are launching a navigational app, you may use a GPS simulator.

Building a smartphone application can be easy, especially if you are working with a reliable developer who has great methods when it comes to testing. Assemble your team and make sure that the app you will create will actually make people’s lives easier.