In the nineties, it was enough for an entrepreneur to have an idea about a new technical development in order to attract investment capital from investors. Today, it’s not that simple. Investors want to see the product and investigate in more detail. It’s true that there will always be some who continue to invest because they believe in people and not only in the product, but investors also want to see how fast they can double or even triple their money.
Basically now it’s not enough just to have a good idea. In order to become a great entrepreneur and develop your idea into an actual product that will make a lot of money, one must go through a few steps.
How much is developing my app going to cost?
This is the million dollar question. Just as one can find a wide price range for cars based on model, make and upgrades etc, the development world offers a large price range based on customer needs and features.
Before thinking about how much it’s going to cost, consider first, can I make money off this idea and how long will it take? In other words, don’t just dwell on the cost, concentrate on the end point: what’s my return?
When we start developing an app, we need to think about strategy. A sales-marketing strategy will help us make money with the product we are developing.
We always say that the right way to look at a development project is as a long-term investment. That’s why the developing process needs to start with a well thought out business and performance plan. In addition, the development process requires one to be available and “on it” 24/7, so if you’re not ready to go all in with producing your product, it’s better to wait until you are ready. It’s important you understand the steps correctly before you start.
What’s the most important step when developing an app?
First of all, it’s important to understand that an app development project is exactly like every other project that we have in our lives. Why are we telling you this? Because success doesn’t just “happen” or fall from the sky. If we really want to succeed, we need to be accurate and pay attention to all the details. The best analogy here is building a house or renovating an office. When we want to start a new project like renovating a house, we first start by planning it right and only then do we start building.
That’s why it’s important to remember these four steps:
1. Choosing A Project Manager – The project manager is in charge of running the project so it’s important to choose one with experience in the field. The project manager must understand what we want to develop and be by our side all the way. If we go back to the example of building a house, then we need a software house that will lead the project like an architect or designer in the building process.
2. Planning an Accurate Characterization – An accurate characterization involves going over all the details we want to develop on our app. We plan all the screens, the features and the app flow. A top level characterization usually costs a few hundred dollars, and with it, you will be able to get a detailed price estimate and an accurate timetable for your development project. It’s vital to understand the importance of the characterization stage. If we go back to the example of building a house, it’s basically the same as the concept stage where one sits with the architect and discusses the style, requirements and functionality of the house one wants to build.
3. Sketches and Designs – Once we are done with the characterization stage, the next step is building the sketches and designs for what we want to develop. This stage is based on the functionality that we mentioned in the characterization stage. At this time, we will design the features that fit into the app screens. Pay Attention! When designing the screens, it’s very important to think about the users that are going to use the app and consider their needs. The main point we need to focus on when building an app is creating a user-friendly experience that will make the user want to come back and use it over and over again.
4. Good Communication and Availability – It’s important to remember that, in the developing process, we need to pay a lot of attention to the project. If you don’t concentrate at the beginning, you may end up with a very unhappy ending. That’s why it’s essential to be available and maintain ongoing communication with your project manager at all times. And just like with any other project, in order to achieve a great one, you must match your expectations and have good communication with the software house you have chosen.
