You’ve got a mobile-friendly website, but that’s not enough. Today, it seems like everyone has an app, and you need one, too. Statistics show that 85% of consumers prefer native mobile apps over mobile-friendly websites. This makes sense, considering native apps simplify the user experience.
You’ve got a mobile-friendly website, but that’s not enough. Today, it seems like everyone has an app, and you need one, too. Statistics show that 85% of consumers prefer native mobile apps over mobile-friendly websites. This makes sense, considering native apps simplify the user experience.
Many popular apps are tools used by business owners to run and maintain their business. To create your own successful app, you’ll need to do plenty of research. You’ll need to gather a thorough understanding of the app development lifecycle, how your app will fit into your niche, and define your marketing goals.
Here are some tips for conducting in-depth research on your mobile app idea and your market:
1. Ask the right questions
Researching your app idea begins with questions. Experts from Buildfire – an app development company named San Diego’s top B2B tech company in 2018 – outline the preliminary questions to dive into, including:
- What do you want your mobile app to accomplish?
- Who is your target audience?
- How do you want customers to use your app?
- What are your competitors doing?
- What is your app development budget?
- When do you want to launch your app?
- How will you market and promote your app?
Answering these questions is a crucial part of the research phase within the app development lifecycle. Answers to these questions will serve as an outline for your development strategy. For example, if a competitor has an app identical to what you have in mind, you’ll need to rethink your idea in terms of what you can do differently. That brings up the next point…
2. Research your competitors in-depth
What are your competitors doing? What are they not doing? Research your competitors in-depth by:
- Downloading their apps. Play with your competitors’ apps with the intention of finding flaws, frustrations, and other problems. Document what you find, and make it your goal to resolve those issues in your app. For example, if a competitor’s app uses a poor color scheme and small text, make an effort to create a perfect color scheme and readable text.
- Reading competitor app reviews. Your experience with a competitor’s app provides valuable information, but you also need input from other people. What do customers say about your competitors’ apps? Are they user-friendly? Slow? Fast? Confusing? What stands out to users, both positive and negative? Use positive feedback as a template for what to do, and negative feedback as a template for what to avoid.
- Hire detail-oriented people to find flaws in competitor apps. Some people enjoy and have an eye for discovering things that don’t work. They make a living testing software for companies, including mobile apps. These testers will find more flaws than the average consumer.
3. Research app failures
Some of the coolest apps have failed for a variety of reasons, some unrelated to the app itself. For example, many apps fail when they don’t work as advertised. Some apps are quickly discarded for slow performance. App performance expectations are intense; 61% of people expect apps to start within four seconds, and 49% of people expect apps to respond to input within two seconds.
It’s tempting to want to copy successful apps, but you’ll learn more about creating a successful app by researching apps that have failed.
4. Perform market analysis
Once you’ve identified and researched your competitors’ apps, it’s time for in-depth market research. Gather data on their analytical and online strategies using tools like SimilarWeb, Alexa, Ahrefs, and Follow. Check out their social media profiles to see what they’re up to.
What is their USP? What kind of traffic do they get? What are their customer demographics? Do they have an active and engaging social media presence? Do they run any paid advertising campaigns? How do they promote their app? Do they speak at well-known tech conferences, like Tech Crunch Disrupt or Digital Hollywood?
Wherever you see a competitor achieving success, there’s an equal opportunity for you as well.
5. Determine the purpose of your competitors’ apps
The purpose of your competitors’ apps won’t always be obvious. For example, an app created by a hotel might look like the main purpose is to make it easy for people to check-in without having to go to the counter. Behind the scenes, they might actually be collecting data they can’t get from an in-person visit. That data can include everything from demographics to web browsing history to use later on to serve ads discounting future hotel stays.
Go where the data leads
Let your research guide your project. To create a successful app, be prepared to abandon ideas that don’t work and adopt new ideas that do.
This makes sense, considering native apps simplify the user experience.
Many popular apps are tools used by business owners to run and maintain their business. To create your own successful app, you’ll need to do plenty of research. You’ll need to gather a thorough understanding of the app development lifecycle, how your app will fit into your niche, and define your marketing goals.
Here are some tips for conducting in-depth research on your mobile app idea and your market:
1. Ask the right questions
Researching your app idea begins with questions. Experts from Buildfire – an app development company named San Diego’s top B2B tech company in 2018 – outline the preliminary questions to dive into, including:
- What do you want your mobile app to accomplish?
- Who is your target audience?
- How do you want customers to use your app?
- What are your competitors doing?
- What is your app development budget?
- When do you want to launch your app?
- How will you market and promote your app?
Answering these questions is a crucial part of the research phase within the app development lifecycle. Answers to these questions will serve as an outline for your development strategy. For example, if a competitor has an app identical to what you have in mind, you’ll need to rethink your idea in terms of what you can do differently. That brings up the next point…
2. Research your competitors in-depth
What are your competitors doing? What are they not doing? Research your competitors in-depth by:
- Downloading their apps. Play with your competitors’ apps with the intention of finding flaws, frustrations, and other problems. Document what you find, and make it your goal to resolve those issues in your app. For example, if a competitor’s app uses a poor color scheme and small text, make an effort to create a perfect color scheme and readable text.
- Reading competitor app reviews. Your experience with a competitor’s app provides valuable information, but you also need input from other people. What do customers say about your competitors’ apps? Are they user-friendly? Slow? Fast? Confusing? What stands out to users, both positive and negative? Use positive feedback as a template for what to do, and negative feedback as a template for what to avoid.
- Hire detail-oriented people to find flaws in competitor apps. Some people enjoy and have an eye for discovering things that don’t work. They make a living testing software for companies, including mobile apps. These testers will find more flaws than the average consumer.
3. Research app failures
Some of the coolest apps have failed for a variety of reasons, some unrelated to the app itself. For example, many apps fail when they don’t work as advertised. Some apps are quickly discarded for slow performance. App performance expectations are intense; 61% of people expect apps to start within four seconds, and 49% of people expect apps to respond to input within two seconds.
It’s tempting to want to copy successful apps, but you’ll learn more about creating a successful app by researching apps that have failed.
4. Perform market analysis
Once you’ve identified and researched your competitors’ apps, it’s time for in-depth market research. Gather data on their analytical and online strategies using tools like SimilarWeb, Alexa, Ahrefs, and Follow. Check out their social media profiles to see what they’re up to.
What is their USP? What kind of traffic do they get? What are their customer demographics? Do they have an active and engaging social media presence? Do they run any paid advertising campaigns? How do they promote their app? Do they speak at well-known tech conferences, like Tech Crunch Disrupt or Digital Hollywood?
Wherever you see a competitor achieving success, there’s an equal opportunity for you as well.
5. Determine the purpose of your competitors’ apps
The purpose of your competitors’ apps won’t always be obvious. For example, an app created by a hotel might look like the main purpose is to make it easy for people to check-in without having to go to the counter. Behind the scenes, they might actually be collecting data they can’t get from an in-person visit. That data can include everything from demographics to web browsing history to use later on to serve ads discounting future hotel stays.
Go where the data leads
Let your research guide your project. To create a successful app, be prepared to abandon ideas that don’t work and adopt new ideas that do.
