A 10-Step-Roadmap to Successful App Development for Startups

Success App development is important for any startup. It all comes down to creating apps that can run on a variety of platforms and operating systems. Mobile app development is becoming increasingly popular as people become more accustomed to using applications. Hiring an app developer to create an Android or iOS app may be your best bet, especially if you are a business looking to bring your idea to life. 

A mobile app development business will employ the most skilled app developers who will do their very best to steer the development process. These businesses provide information about development as well as the expense of producing it. 

It is essential that you conduct research on the Android and iOS app developer as well as the company you wish to hire because the dependability of your app development will decide its success.

Startups often face problems, but with the right plan, they may be overcome. The following article will provide you with a deeper view of the problems that a startup app development may face. Not only that but there is an app development roadmap that illustrates how to speed up the entire process.

Let’s begin!

Mobile App Development Challenges Faced by Startups

Budget constraint

One of the key reasons why businesses are concerned is to approach mobile app development companies that specialize in their needs. 

Startups often do not have a lot of money for raising funds. Furthermore, a portion of the budget must be set aside in order to assign it to other components such as R&D, app release work, promotion, and so on. 

Insufficient staff for market research 

Most startups consist of a team of 2-10 persons. As a result, the probability that they would have a team specializing in finding an app development solution for a company is relatively low. 

The lack of a research team, which is one of the most important aspects of designing an app, makes it tough for them to learn more about their clients.

No creative app advertising ideas

Considering the low budgets, the most significant issue that arises in the mobile app development processes when it comes to startups is limited app marketing or promotion once it goes live in the app stores. 

Faster time to market

Startups tend to compete in a race to stay ahead of their competitors in the market. Likewise, they end up looking at white-label solutions, even if it involves getting a low-quality product. 

Now that we’ve examined the hurdles that small and mid-sized businesses encounter when it comes to investing in custom mobile app development for startups. Being a web and mobile app development business for startups, let’s now have a look at the mobile app development procedure that we at DianApps conform to. The ones that list down the best steps to create an app. 

10-Step Roadmap to Mobile Application Development

Identifying the customer’s pain point

A profound understanding of the issue at hand and the customer’s demands is the first step toward successful app development, which should be followed by both startups and established businesses. If a research team is not available, the firm should consider employing the services of a mobile app development company to assist with market research. Once you’ve identified their challenges and pain points, you may focus on creating a solution for the users. This could be the turning point that distinguishes your app development from the competition.

Mobile app development companies have become increasingly prevalent in recent years, and competition is fierce. As a result, standing out and thriving should be a top priority for companies. What distinguishes app development is the ability to recognize the true demands of your users and build a solution to suit those needs. The user’s wants fluctuate and upgrade on a regular basis. Therefore, the ability to respond to their needs and give them what they need will make your startup app development stand out.

For a better understanding, check out this guide for Marketplace App Development with all the relevant information. 

Conduct market survey

A deep market analysis is another critical factor. It denotes that all factors, including the vision, efforts, and expenditures, are utilized appropriately. 

If you are not interested in hiring a startup app development company to accomplish this task, conduct your own study to see whether your app idea will be extremely valuable to the users or not. Also, ensure that the app caters to the needs of a large portion of the market.

Some good strategies for accomplishing this include:

• Monitoring Google Trends to evaluate if the keywords linked to your app idea are generating good results or if they are declining in the search results.
• Organize surveys with some questions related to your app idea. The likes include phone usage, app preferences, and other information that can help you improve your app based on the feedback.
• A competition-related survey will also help you learn about your competitors in the market, as well as inform you about your target audience and their needs. This study about competitors will be useful before you begin as a startup integrated with a mobile app. Your chances of success increase when you understand where your competitors have an advantage and what their weaknesses are.

Validate by creating an MVP

Developing an MVP for a startup features a lot of advantages.

To begin, all of the popular mobile applications that are currently available in the market had humble beginnings. These were subject to dozens of modifications and enhancements based on what users had to say about the product before turning into the powerhouses that they are today. 

The essence of your software is the MVP, which focuses only on the essential functionality and solves the key problems of your target users. In brief, it is the most basic and cost-effective version of your mobile app, making it one of the most important milestones in app development.

It’s a concept in which we roll out a rough prototype with “must-have features” to get honest feedback from potential customers and retail partners. It is an excellent tool for validating your mobile app and assessing the elements that need to be improved.

Finalizing the concept of the app

Once you have the necessary market knowledge and insights into your audience’s demands, it is time to develop a strategic application idea. Bring together your team of designers, developers, business analysts, and QA experts to discuss the various parts of your mobile application to complete the concept.

You can get one step closer to verifying a good app idea by asking yourself a few questions. Such as:

• Why would someone want to use your app?
• Is this a one-time use application or will people use it on a regular basis?
• What unique features will you integrate that set your app apart from the rest? 

Once you’ve decided on the feature set, design, and app vision, the next step is to create an MVP – Minimum Viable Product. 

Wireframing your app

Now that you know your app is well accepted by its users and is generating interest, our next piece of advice is to wireframe your mobile app.

A wireframe is a structural design for your app that depicts the elements on the screen and their potential functions diagrammatically. It is now that stage of the mobile app development process that you cannot afford to miss.

In layman’s terms, it’s similar to a plan that architects draw before constructing a house or building, or you may refer to it as your app’s skeleton.

The following are the primary benefits of wireframing your mobile app:

• You will have a clearer understanding of the design and functionality of your app.
• Provides you with a visual representation of how various elements (such as buttons and menus) will appear on each screen of your application and how the user will navigate through it.
• Any bugs that may later cause problems can be removed at this point.
• To ensure maximum usability, it also provides the chance to update and add new features to the app.

Testing the wireframes

After you have finished your wireframe, it is time to test it.

Don’t be tricked into thinking it’s merely a dummy or an intermediary product that doesn’t need to be tested.

Remember, a little investigation at this point might go a long way toward saving you from problems later on.

Some important benefits of wireframe testing include:

• It’s an innovative action that can help determine the usability of a mobile app during the pre-development phase.
• Identification of any missing needs.
• Recognize any other needs that could be filled in.
• Identifying any flaws in functionality, usability, and design.

To put it simply, the information you get during the testing phase helps you resolve any issues that have already been identified. On top of that, before making the prototype available to the public, it offers you access to a revised, easier-to-understand version of it.

Designing the application

As they put it, “For a great product, design shouldn’t be an afterthought.”

And in this case, where you will most likely take some time before revamping your software, you must verify that it is correct the very first time. With that regard, the time has come to put all of your preliminary research into practice and turn your wireframe prototypes into finished products.

You now know how you want your app to appear, taking into account all of the comments and feedback provided by the users.

The success of an app is heavily reliant on its design.

Consider Apple, the entire business and culture of this tech gig revolves around design excellence. And, as Steve Jobs once said, “Design is more than just how something appears and feels. The design is what makes it work.”

People appreciate and respond to beautiful things, so how can a mobile app be an exception?

Having said that, your mobile app design should lay equal emphasis on the user experience. A good app design without user-friendliness is useless and will struggle to gain a foothold in the market. Design is all about SIMPLIFYING your user’s journey in your app.

If you are equipped with enough funds, hire a team of app designers and developers for your startup. At the same time, knowing what aspects are now counted in the list of mobile app UI/UX Design trends is beneficial. 

Framing monetization strategy

As a startup, it is critical that you have a solid monetization strategy in place. You don’t have the same advantage as established brands, which can afford to prioritize user engagement over profit. So, when you’re discussing with a team that advertises itself as a team of app developers for startups, make it obvious right away that you want to generate revenue from your mobile app. 

To accomplish this, you must first choose which app monetization technique is most suited for your mobile app. Depending on your app concept, you can choose from a variety of ways such as in-app advertising, premium app models, and so on. 

App deployment and promotion

You’re almost there!

So close to witnessing your idea come to life. It’s time to put your thinking caps on and come up with a winning marketing approach. 

Needless to say, your marketing strategy should be focused, realistic, and tailored to your target market. Don’t spend your marketing budget in new territory at this point. Concentrate your efforts on promotion mediums that will yield measurable results. 

That being said, here are some surefire strategies to advertise your app:

• Social media marketing 
• App Store Optimization
• Public relations
• Email marketing.
• SMS marketing. 

Maintenance and timely update

The job does not finish with the deployment and promotion of an app. You’ll have to constantly look for ways to update your mobile application to keep up with market trends. 

This can be accomplished by keeping track of customer acquisition, user engagement, app performance, and customer happiness.

These insights would assist you in identifying and resolving bottlenecks to growth in a timely manner. The many types of ongoing enhancements will aid in the overall app performance.

Also read: Why Should Startups Choose Flutter For Mobile App Development?

Final words

Now that you are well aware of the process for startup app development, you may now go ahead and get one developed for your business. A complete Roadmap of mobile app development has no secrets. It’s like a blank book. Your ideas are essential, just like they are in every other business.

We’ve told you about all the various things you can do. The mobile app development cost is determined by the idea and the time required to develop it. The mobile app in the Flutter app development lifecycle shows you exactly what you need to do in order to get what you want. If you want to create a mobile app, this detailed guide will cover everything you need to know.  

Contact our team at DianApps, a renowned mobile app development company that offers some of the best services for designing powerful mobile apps for iOS and Android platforms. The company provides its mobile app development services to all types of businesses from various industrial sectors, regardless of size. Drop us a message with your questions, and one of our executives will get back to you.