From an idea to an app - how not to fail

©Monika Wisniewska via 123RF

We tend to overlook the miseries that mobile apps bring to developers because we are too caught up in hearing the glory stories of the UBERs and the Flipkarts and the eBays.

So there it is, right from the developer’s pit, almost all apps fail. Is it because of poor app design? Bad marketing? Wrong platform? Lack of bug fixing? Or is it because the app does not solve a problem? All seem viable, plausible, but the one common thing that binds all these failures together is lack of business analysis.

It is a common misconception that an app has to be unique; nothing is profoundly unique. “Everything is a copy of a copy," (Fight Club, 1999). And with that quote begins our process of business analysis.

Planning

It is alright to be suspiciously similar to another idea as long as you have the skills to make the app a better deliverable than any other competitor. Think cash. Always. It is pointless to make your app inherently non monetizable, because free apps only gets you kudos, and kudos don’t buy bread. If any point of ideation, you think you have lost your mind... congrats! You are doing it right.

User stories

You will always enjoy your own app, no matter how devilishly repulsive it may be. Take perspective from your end users, see what they see, feel what they feel because they are your success drivers.

Process flow

There is a method in everything. Your thoughts may be haphazard but it should never come out like that on paper. Process optimization is of prime importance when it comes to staging any idea for perfection. From the idea to app, process flows keep you in line with development and setup the timeline for your MVP.

System interfaces

An app acts as a collection of components but reacts as one. There are various parts in an app that work independently but coherently they must act as one. This could be how your app interacts with external components like third peripheral apps, humans and/or a combination of this. It is important to analyse this component of the app to understand how interactive your app can be.

Wireframes

An app a visual treat, with flavors, zest and a much needed oomph for continuous and subconscious usage. Wireframes will help you get up close and personal with your app idea. Every little idea needs some sharp pruning here and there and the visual prototype (wireframes) is a complete simulation of your app. Without proper wireframing your app would be just another app left to wither in the cold dark shadows of the app stores.

Design

Interestingly design comes in here at #5 but I cannot possibly begin to explain how important design is when it comes to mobile app development. A completely and congenitally worthless app can survive in the mobile app market if designed well. Business analysis of present day’s modern design is necessary to give a dapper and classique look to your app.

Consulting

In the mobile app world, there are gliders and there are flyers. Gliders come in with great apps which eventually fade off but flyers are persistent competitors. One should always aim to be flyers, but you cannot afford to fly blind.

Consulting will not only help in initial stages of development but also through lifetime, to an extent that consulting may just define your app’s lifetime. Bottom line is, your idea doesn’t need to be exquisite, your developers don’t need to be Gandalf, and you do not need to be abominably rich to build a successful app. With the right ingredients, business acumen and analysis (and a tad bit of luck), any idea can set the mobile world afire.