Developing Your Company’s First Mobile App

As a somewhat new dog owner, I’m always surprised at the plethora of pet products and services just waiting to grab your attention and snatch your purse strings.  Lately, I have been on the prowl for a pet daycare service for those extra long days at the office and overnight trips that aren't dog-friendly. One business in particular really impressed me.

For the sake of remaining somewhat anonymous, we will call this place Camp Wolf. Upon entering their establishment I was pleased with the level of friendliness and familiarity the front desk had with each owner and dog. Their customer service towards me was decent but their prices almost caused a mild arrhythmia. What made me hand over my closely guarded credit card and place my budget in jeopardy was something I had not been offered anywhere else. It was a mobile app. Camp Wolf knows just how obsessed we are with our pets so they created a mobile app that allows me to log on anytime from my phone and stalk my pooch at play.

I told you that story to illustrate what a game changer the right mobile app can be. There are dozens of companies competing for space on your phone screen. Few make it and of those many will get deleted just a few short weeks later. Not this one. Even if I do delete it the moment I take my dog back for services I'm going to download it again. 
BP Studios wants to help you discover the magic of a well-developed mobile app for your business. So, we’ve come up with a few guidelines to follow when developing your company’s first mobile app.

Using Your App To Stand Out
Camp Wolf took some time to understand their customers and competitors. Doing this allowed them to discover a gap in the market that could be filled using a mobile app. Essentially everything you do on a desktop you can do on a mobile device. We often see companies who want to develop apps that don’t add value. The question becomes Why would someone want to do that on the go? Don’t just recreate your website in app form. We have responsive web design for that. To make sure your app is going to have a defined purpose and stand out, do your research. With your customers, do a value proposition and survey for mobile use. Also, research your competitors and understand the experience they offer and how you can improve on it.

User Experience
No matter how useful the mobile app that you’ve developed is people won’t use it if it’s cumbersome. Developing buyer personas will help you understand your user and come up with a list of operational and functional features that fit your audience. This will also give you an idea of color schemes, fonts and how it should look and feel. Knowing your audience will also help you determine what platform; Android or iOS to have your mobile app developed on.

Finding the Right Developer
This can be one of the most time-consuming parts of the process apart from actually developing the app. When looking for a developer you can go the freelancer route or use an agency. Keep in mind you typically have ongoing support with an agency. Key things you want to look for is a well-developed portfolio and client reviews. Be sure to review deadlines and cost in detail. You should also ask what their policy is on out of scope items. Although you should try to avoid them, you should know what you are looking at in the event that it happens.

We’d like to know what your biggest concerns when developing your company’s first mobile app. Please let us know in the comments below.