Mobile applications play a growing role in business. They benefit end users, but companies are also leveraging them for sales, brand building, and more efficient operations. So how do you get started with building a mobile app for your business? In this article, we outline the key steps.
Planning Your Mobile App and Defining the Goal
The first and most important step is knowing exactly why you need a mobile app and what you want to achieve with it. The right feature set and solid planning fundamentally determine the time, resources, and cost of development. Your app's goal might be driving sales, improving communication, or simplifying specific customer-facing processes.
Once the purpose is defined, assess your target audience and their needs. Conduct market research to understand what solutions potential users are looking for. Factor in customer feedback, as this helps ensure the app truly creates value for its future users.
It is also important to consider long-term sustainability and scalability. Think through how the app can grow and evolve over time to keep up with changing customer needs and industry trends.
What Will the Planned App's Features Be?
The app's features are closely tied to why you are building it. The features you choose should reflect your business requirements and make the app simple and easy for customers to use. That is why it is essential to define precisely which features are needed for launch.
When selecting features, also consider the user experience. The app should be easy to understand and use. Make sure it is not overly complex, but does not lack essential functionality either. The best solutions strike a balance between user needs and business goals.
Feature prioritization is equally important. Time and budget constraints may prevent all features from being implemented at once. In such cases, it is worth identifying which ones are critical for launch - we discuss this in more detail in the next section.
How to Build the Mobile App?
When building a mobile app, it is important to explore your options from multiple angles. First, you need to choose the right technology foundation. Android and iOS are the dominant platforms, and apps can be built for each separately or for both at once. For example, if you are developing an internal app and your team only uses Android devices, there is no need to build for iOS as well.
One of the most important aspects of app design is the user experience - intuitive structure and ease of use are fundamental. That is why we at NEXEN IT always recommend creating a clickable prototype first, so you can test the planned features and user experience before development begins.
Beyond choosing the platform, consider the development approach. With native development, the app is built for a specific platform (e.g., iOS or Android), which generally provides better performance and deeper system integration. With cross-platform development, a single codebase serves multiple platforms, saving time and resources.
Do You Really Need to Aim for the Perfect App in the First Version?
For any business owner, cost-effectiveness and fast time-to-market are priorities - which is why the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) strategy can offer significant advantages. An MVP is a version of the app that includes just enough features for users to understand and use it, while remaining ready for further development and expansion.
An MVP allows you to bring the app to market faster, since it requires less development time and fewer resources. This means you can see a return on investment sooner and get the app into users' hands more quickly.
An MVP also lets you gather feedback from early users more rapidly. By releasing an initial version, you can learn directly from real users which features work well and which need improvement or expansion.
Should You Work with a Skilled In-House Developer or an External Professional Team?
This question comes up often, since a company may already have one or two developers on staff. Here is why it may still be worth engaging an external team:
Expertise and experience: a professional development company brings deep expertise built across many projects, along with familiarity with best practices, current technologies, and industry trends.
Resources and capacity: an external team has the bandwidth to deliver the project efficiently and on time. One or two in-house developers may lack the capacity, especially if they are juggling other responsibilities.
Value-added roles: a professional team covers multiple disciplines - project management, business analysis, and QA testing - all of which contribute to effective communication and a higher-quality product.
Risk management: an experienced partner knows how to manage development risks - deadlines, budgets, and quality assurance. This lets you focus on running your business instead of overseeing technical execution.
Conclusion
Mobile app development is a multifaceted process that requires careful planning. To build a successful application, you must first clarify the purpose, define the right features, and choose the appropriate technology.
The MVP strategy enables cost-effective development and rapid market feedback, while an experienced external partner brings the expertise and resources needed to deliver a quality product. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can build a mobile app that supports your business's growth and competitiveness.