There’s an app for just about everything nowadays. If you haven’t got one of your own, you’re out of the loop. Everybody thinks that they’ve got a million dollar idea that they’re sitting on, but most of us never do anything with it. It used to be difficult but the internet has opened up the floor to anybody. You can develop a successful app and make some big money if you just put your mind to it. With users moving towards apps rather than mobile websites, it makes sense to create one of your own. The market is certainly there, you just need to find something that will tap into it. Perhaps I’ve made it sound a bit too easy. Obviously, you won’t be able to make an app and sell it just like that. If you are considering trying it for yourself there are a few basic rules that you should follow if you want to create a revolutionary app.
1. Offer Something
This might sound like I’m stating the obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people forget it. Anybody can create an app, so the market is saturated with thousands of them that are just plain rubbish. When you come up with an idea, sit and down and have a proper think about whether it actually offers something that people want. It might be a solution to a problem that you have, but if nobody else experiences the same problem, they aren’t going to buy your app. Something that can be used in a variety of situations will usually be a winner. Anything too specific won’t be worth buying if you can only use it very occasionally.
2. Relevant Notifications
The key word here is relevant. Notifications are a good way of getting customers to use your app more regularly, but if you take it too far then people are likely to delete it. We all know how annoying it is to have your phone buzzing every five minutes with pointless notifications trying to get you to buy in-app purchases. If the notifications alert the customer to something interesting or important, they won’t mind being disturbed. If it’s just useless information it will quickly become an annoyance.
3. Track Errors
An app that doesn’t work properly isn’t going to get very far at all. The chances are, you’ll check it thoroughly before you release it, but don’t stop there. Make sure that you are constantly checking for errors or improvements that can be made. Ensuring a good user experience is one of the most important things. Use ASP.NET MVC exception handling to identify and log errors so they can be dealt with immediately. Customers will forgive you for having issues as long as you fix them quickly. If they can’t use the app properly for weeks while you fix bugs, they aren’t going to recommend it to friends.
4. Test The App
You absolutely love your app, you made it after all. The likelihood is that you are going to be its target market, so you can’t trust your own opinion. Test the app on as many different people as possible to get a real idea of how it’s going to be received. Also, make sure that you don’t just try it on one demographic. Just because a load of men in their early twenties love the app, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be a big seller. You’ll have a target demographic in mind, of course, but don’t limit yourself too much and try to make something that appeals to a wider audience.
5. Have A Thick Skin
Just like any other business, you are going to face hurdles. Some people will tell you that your app is terrible and it will never sell. If you let this affect you, then you won’t get anywhere. Take criticism on board and see it as a positive thing. Use it to improve the app and then try testing it again. Giving up at the first sign of resistance is a sure fire way to fail.
6. Feedback
Once you’ve done all of this, it will be time to launch the app properly. It’s a good idea to put a feedback form on there. That way, customers can tell you what works and what doesn’t. If there are certain aspects of the app that are getting a lot of negative responses, then release an update and fix it. Within a few weeks, you should be able to iron out any major problems and build a brilliant app.
[Image credit: Image 1 / Image 2]
