To live by the mantra, “If you build it, they will come,†is a dangerous gamble in the app world. With over 2 million apps in the app stores, competition is fierce–over half of all apps aren’t able to reach 1,000 downloads in their first year on the market. Yet, that’s exactly how most companies handle app development: a fragmented funnel that forces each team to work with very little communication between them. While the product suffers from this outdated method, it’s the customer who ultimately pays the price.
After working with over 6,000 apps at Apptentive–a mobile engagement software that helps companies listen to, engage with, and retain their customers–we’ve seen what development strategies do and don’t work. And the companies leading their industries are putting their customers first by placing them at the center of their app development strategy.
If you want to see better outcomes, I suggest you ditch the delivery funnel and implement a people-first approach to app development. The result will be a better product that your customers will love.
Here’s how to transform your delivery funnel into a delivery chain:
The Funnel: In Its Current Form
The mobile app development process is complex, and there are many factors your team must consider before you start building. But, the real problem–and the reason so many apps fail–is that the process of building most apps consists of a fragmented funnel, with each team operating as a silo.
Usually, the product team is at the top of the funnel. The product team consists of sub-teams, including user interface design, user testing, quality assurance, iOS, Android, etc. But even sub-teams get siloed. For example, UI designers might opt for what they think looks good, versus what the user testing team has found is the best design, or teams may simply work non-concurrently, waiting for the preceding tier to “hand off†the product instead of working in tandem.
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Robi Ganguly is the CEO of Apptentive, the easiest way for companies with a mobile app to listen to, engage, and retain their customers.
BusinessCollective, launched in partnership with Citi, is a virtual mentorship program powered by North America’s most ambitious young thought leaders, entrepreneurs, executives and small business owners.