By ndadmin on 02/06/2018
Mobile app development is not limited to a single thing, in that you can simply "learn mobile app development" and be successful developing apps.
There are layers upon layers of considerations when developing apps for mobile platforms.
First off, should you even be developing a mobile app? If so, then should you build it for iOS and Android both? Or use a hybrid framework - such as React Native, Ionic, Cordova, or something else?
Marketing folks will tell you that it's a lot more expensive to convert digital marketing campaigns for mobile apps compared to web apps.
Marketing a mobile app is typically a lot more expensive than marketing a web app.
Why? The process for the user involves, at a minimum, an extra click and then action for download. Is the extra work worth the value your app provides? How are people discovering your app? If it's via pay-per-click or Internet ad, then..you'd better factor that in.
Big ventures cover all platforms - iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS, Web, Chromebook..and an ever expanding list of platforms you need to consider. Phones, Tablets, Watches, Assistants, TV's, IOT is real, and software is expensive to develop...
Choose your platforms to support, and make sure you have a good business reason for each. Unless you're not interested in business...then, of course, the considerations are different.
Are you really interested in a mobile app?
What resources do you have for your mobile app development needs? This requires a whole lot of roles, though not necessarily one person for each role. You need to be able to:
- Have the vision
- Share the vision
- Document the vision
- Manage the people & comunication
- Design the User Experience of the app
- Design the screens of the app
- Design the software for the functionality of the app
- Develop the software
- Manage the Infrastructure required to support the app - servers, networks, devices, etc
- Test each and every feature/functionality of the app
- Verify and measure success
- Maintain and Support the app functionality
- Manage the appstore listings and feedback
- Manage the social networks and user engagement aspects
- Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve user engagement/success within the app
- Plan future initiatives
These are all fundamental to making and managing the app and it's user base. From there, making the business a success is another matter completely.
Mobile app development is not quite as simple as web development.
The ideal scenario for an entrepreneur is to combine their talents, ambition, and passion with those of an up and coming, like minded employee or freelancer, working in close physical proximity...even, perhaps, from your own office.
This option is the lottery ticket.
Some people are lucky enough to find this, others search for it. One thing is for sure, when you have good people - keep them, that is the most important.
Of course, if you can hire multiple people to fill all of these roles, then you are a true company and mobile app development considerations differ from those of a single entrepreneur.
