How to create your own mobile app? – Create & sell digital products #36

How to create your own mobile application? Do you know how to do it? Mobile applications have become a huge part of our everyday life. Despite that there are so many of them on the market, still, one can find a niche and create products, that clients will be happy to use. How to create your own mobile app? Such a process is usually associated with high costs, the dedication of working hours, and the necessity of having advanced coding knowledge. Today we will prove that even beginners can consider the possibility of creating their own application.

How to create your own mobile app? – table of contents:

1. The idea for a mobile app
2. Marker analysis
3. Description of application functions
4. Mock-ups creation
5. Graphic design
6. Creation of the application

The idea for a mobile app

Each product offered on the market had to go through the stage of idea generation. Even such applications as Facebook or Uber had to emerge initially in somebody’s head to transform into something big and profitable. How to create a unique product when there are so many products available on the market? There are several ways to do so:

• Find a problem that is nagging you and find the solution. Start with the creation of a product that you will be willing to use. If you have a problem there is a possibility that other people experience similar difficulties and search for a solution.
• Improve existing applications. Probably you already have experience in using different types of applications. Do you think sometimes what kind of functions should those applications have to become more useful and more interesting?
• Mix several applications into one. Your experiences with applications can help you to see certain functionalities available in different products, that can be connected into one, new offer. This way the users can obtain the multifunctional tool, all in one application.

Summarizing, it is not important, what is your way to find an idea, it has to respond to basic questions:

• whether the problem, you discuss, exists in reality and requires a solution?
• whether the problem occurs as often as you think and concerns enough people to be addressed and resolved?
• whether the application you create can resolve the problem?

The response to those questions should be objective and critical. For example, the Uber application has been created because its cofounders, Travis Kalanick and Garret Camp, couldn’t find transport during their stay in Paris. The problem turned out to as be serious and common spread that it required a resolution. The application made enables its users to schedule trips with a few clicks.

Marker analysis

The analysis of the market is the ideal moment to verify your idea. First and foremost you should check the possible competition and its products. The easiest way to do it is to browse Play Store and App Store. If somebody has created already an application similar to yours familiarize yourself with it and think, about how your product can be distinguished from the other. If there is no similar product anywhere in the shop there is still a chance, that you have managed to find a niche, or the product is not desired.

In the next step, it is worth asking for feedback from your target audience. Think, about who is your client and where you can find them. Take into account social media, internet forums, as well as portals and websites, they probably browse. You can prepare an online questionnaire.

Observe services such as Product Hund, from which you will find out, what kind of new products gain their enthusiasts. Other valuable insights you can gain from crowdfunding platforms, on which you can observe what kind of products are being eagerly supported by the clients.

Description of application functions

This step is a summary of all your findings. Describe, what kind of functionalities would you like to share in your application. Surely, after testing and based on reviews your products will evolve, hence at this stage, you can allow yourself more freedom. It will allow you to organize your idea and prepare yourself for the next step, which is mock-up creation. Having a description of the function of your application is another valuable starting point. You or your cooperators can go back to the initial vision if only you will get confused at some stage.

Mock-ups creation

At this stage, you don’t have to concentrate on details such as fonts, colors, or pictures. The mock-up has to become a reflection of your ideas. To create a good mock-up you can simply use a pen and paper, or decide to support yourself with professional tools such as Figma, Sketch, or InVision Studio.

The preparation of the mock-up should visualize everything that will be seen by the user during the interaction with your application. It is best to start with the main home screen and to design the navigation well. You have to divide all needed content into logical sections, and then predict, in which way the user will move around within the application. At this stage the knowledge regarding user experience will be particularly useful – we have devoted the whole series of posts on our blog to this subject.

Graphic design

Only at this stage, you should think about the visual layer of applications. Select the right colors, fonts, images, and graphics. You can make it individually or hire a skilled, experienced designer.

Why is it worth preparing the design project ahead? Primarily, the design will be the closest to the final product. Many people, including investors and business partners, may not have as extensive imagination as you. Having ready-made visualization of the application will be easier to convince them to support their project – financially or by working together.

Creation of the application

The culmination is the creation of the application. The aim can be reached in several different ways.

• Individual work – if you can code (or you have the ambition to learn this skill) nothing can stop you from designing the project independently. You have to remember, that probably it will be the most time-consuming option, but apart from the mere product, you will gain precious experience.
• Cooperation with an expert – you can start cooperation with an experienced programmer. It can either be your business partner or a freelancer, to whom you commission the task. You can find such individuals on special platforms such a Fiverr or Upwork.
• Cooperation with the company – the company, that deals with the creation of the applications is a great solution, if you expect the support and possibility to consult more experienced persons, besides the realization of the task. This type of cooperation can be more costly than commissioning the job to the freelancer.
• Application templates – in the Internet you will find many templates, which are being sold with the code including all basic, necessary functions. If you want to expand the application, you will have to do it on your own or in cooperation with a freelancer.
• Application wizard – application wizards allow the creators to make the applications without any particular knowledge about coding. It is possible thanks to the easy-to-use interface and functions such as “drag and drop” or “click and select”. The market for such tools is still developing, hence we will devote a separate article to this subject.

How to create your own mobile app? – Summary

How to create your mobile application? As you see, you have to make several steps. It is not as difficult as it might seem, especially since there are tools on the market that streamline the process. It is not important, if you create your application for the Android or iOS system, in both cases, you have to publish your application that adheres to the guides laid down arbitrarily.

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Author: Martin Sparks

E-commerce enthusiasts which constantly digs around the internet in order to make sure he hasn’t missed any important information on the topic of starting and scaling profitable online stores.

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