January 13, 2016
6 Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before Developing Your Dream App
The to-do list app Clear probably would have failed if it had taken the standard approach to design. But by building an innovative user interface, the $4.99 app has displaced the preloaded iPhone Reminders app for more than 2.5 million people.
What Makes Your App Unique?
An estimated 80 to 90 percent of apps are used once and deleted. To maintain its precious home screen real estate, your app needs to provide a compelling benefit that will make people return again and again.
Take Evernote, for instance. People use the note-taking app as a repository for, well, everything. The more people use it, the more dependent they become upon it. This makes the app essential to their lives, motivating them to return.
Do You Have the Talent to See This Project Through to the End?
If your staff members don’t have the skills needed to execute your vision, you’ll have to hire an in-house developer or a development firm. As you weigh your options, factor in more than just the hard costs. Full-time employees require time, training, and education. This can be especially stressful for a nontechnical founder. You’ll need to conduct interviews, onboard the developer, educate him on your company’s mission, and monitor his work to ensure it’s done to your liking.
Whether you decide to hire developers or outsource the work, ask developers’ former clients about the quality of their work, as well as their communication skills, punctuality, and ability to understand the business.
When launching a successful app, execution is everything. Before you delve into development, ask yourself whether you’re truly ready to guide developers as they bring your idea to life. It’s your vision–and your business–on the line. You have to know where you’re headed to keep your team from getting lost in the woods.
–written by Kuty Shalev