Creating a mobile app is becoming essential for small companies and startups to adapt to what society demands and to be able to provide immediate responses to their customers.
But success in this business is not guaranteed; it takes more than a great idea to create an app that benefits you. For this reason, we have described the eight essential questions that every entrepreneur should ask himself before entering the exciting world of creating iOS and Android applications.
1. What are your motivations for creating an app?
You have to describe what has motivated or prompted you to decide to create an app in a few words. Wanting money or more recognition for your brand are good reasons, but not enough. You need to have a clear vision and a passion for what your app will do and the problem it will solve for your potential customers.
2. When you share your idea with others, does anyone want to be a part of it?
When you start to share an idea you consider impressive in your environment, does someone want to join as a founder? Does anyone intend to invest money, talent, or time to carry out the project? Even if that collaboration never happens, it is essential to check if people are willing to help you in exchange for just seeing that business idea grow.
3. When you talk about your app, do you generate curiosity or a response?
It is not about writing a whole page describing your idea. On the contrary, you have to explain in just a couple of lines what your goal is. If you generate a minimum of curiosity with those few words on the part of whoever listens to you, you are on the right track. It’s about selling your idea and getting the audience’s attention. Remember that all the conversation created in mobile applications is online, so if you cannot impress in real life, it will be much more difficult for you to do so online.
4. How much money do you have to create your application?
The cost of a mobile app depends on various factors. If you are clear about your objectives, income model, and expectations, the ideal is to bet on a complete app without fear of investing too much. It is advisable to make a sound financial plan before starting your app, especially if you intend to present the idea to investors.
5. Why will your application be particular?
In a continuously growing market, what is going to make your app stand out?
You need to have explicit knowledge of your unique elements and the user experience? What will your target market and your competition be? It is essential that, if they already exist, you show the developer which applications you have taken as a reference to build yours. The professional will be able to contribute their point of view when creating something different.
6. How will you make everything work?
This question has several parts; it all depends on how complex you want your application to be and, therefore, the more money you are willing to invest in it:
- What kind of app do you need?
- What design do you want it to have? (Simple, personalized interface, replicated from a web or you do not need plan).
- What will be the income model of your app? (Free app with advertising, paid app, purchases within the app)
- Do you need it to have multiple languages?
- Will users have their profiles?
- Do you need an administration panel?
- Are you going to create an app with a login system?
Once you answer these questions and depending on the available budget, you can add as many functionalities as you wish: geolocation, RSS, social network, augmented reality, electronic commerce, streaming…
7. How will you cope with adversity?
Even if you have answered all these questions and have planned everything to perfection, there are still chances (although much lower) that your app is not what you expected. Therefore, you must be prepared to face adversities typical of any business. When the going gets tough, are you willing to work harder for your project? The first version of your application may not be perfect. But it is essential to have strategies for renovation and improvement of the initial project.
8. Are you willing to give 100% to your project?
You have to decide if creating an app will be a similar project to your work or it will be something you will dedicate yourself to full time. Although the stakes may be higher, leaving everything to one idea dramatically improves the chances of success. In any case, you must decide on creating your app
