“Build an app for my business.”
Typing that into your search engine will generate thousands of results of wildly varying quality, and possibly with lots of outdated and irrelevant info.
If you are new to app development, have little coding experience, or both, sorting through these results and learning how to develop your own app is overwhelming.
Fortunately, this guide will explain exactly what you need to do to create a customised app for your business – all without the hassle of sorting through pages and pages of search results.
Here’s what you need to do.
Determine Your Ideal Users
For your custom app development, start by determining the kind of people who will be using your app and how they will be using it.
Do this by creating a persona. A persona is a fictional representation of your ideal app user. A persona includes details such as a user’s personal background (marital status, education status, age, etc.), professional background (income level and occupation), and psychographics (interests, motivations, and pain points).
If you plan on making money with your app, you need to determine how to monetize. It could be via a subscription, in-app purchases, or advertising.
Build a Prototype
Now it is time to build your prototype. A prototype allows you to experiment with ideas, test designs, and estimate development costs.
When prototyping, think about the must-have functionalities for your app. Refer to your personas, and consider what features your ideal user would want.
Start by sketching your ideas on paper. A paper prototype is a great way of highlighting what the main screens of your app will be, without getting too bogged down in details.
Now, give your prototype a professional look and feel. An app builder such as Builder.ai’s Builder platform is great for getting started.
You can save tons of development time and create a custom app with zero previous coding experience. It will also allow you to test the flow of your app and get feedback.
If you need additional help prototyping, app development services can help you build an app.
Release Your MVP
The next step in app development is to build and release your MVP or minimum viable product. Your MVP is a functional release of your app with the essential features in place.
Your MVP is your chance to receive feedback from many more users, not just your teammates and beta testers. This is where you can collect and respond to feedback and release continual improvements to your app.
From here, you may want to prototype and add more features, keeping in mind your ideal app users and their needs as you further iterate on your app.
Your Answer to How to Build an App for My Business
Wondering how to “build an app for my business?”
Whether you are building a custom app for Android or for iOS, these principles for custom app design apply. Determine your ideal users, build a prototype, and release your MVP.
