Previously, I’ve discussed why every small business can benefit from a mobile app.
Like any large project, the smartphone app development process has many steps. Brainstorming a feature-set. Drawing up a diagram. Designing the user interface. Writing code. It may all seem daunting, but an experienced mobile app vendor will have procedures and standards in place that will help ease you and your organization into the world of mobile apps.
Whether it’s in the form of an unpursued project or a botched initial offering, don’t let a good idea go to waste. Here are three tips for working with your mobile app vendor to turn your thoughts into a product you can be proud of.
1) Rough Ideas Are OK
You don’t need to have all the details worked out before you talk to a mobile app vendor about your app project. You should be able to count on your vendor to help you flesh out your ideas, solidify the feature set for your app, and maximize the dollars you have budgeted for the project. Remember that you’re not just hiring a vendor for their coding and design work, but also for their knowledge gained from past projects.
2) Speak Up Early
The time for voicing concerns over features or design elements is early on in the diagramming and graphic design process. Late changes to the user interface or feature set of your app can result in significant time and cost overruns for your project. It’s best to come to an agreement with your vendor on app graphics and features before the vendor begins the highly technical and time-intensive coding process.
3) Engage Your Team
Don’t forget to seek input from your entire team before the project is too far down the road to make big changes. You may also want to assign a member of your staff to make updates to the data that gets displayed in the app and connect that person with your mobile app vendor so they can be trained on the app’s content management system (if the development of such a system is something your vendor provides).
Remembering these points during the early stages of the process will save you time and money. To meet your deadline and stay on budget, seek a mobile app vendor who emphasizes these concepts in their development process. You’ll end up with an app you’ll be proud to offer to your customers.
Not sure whether you need a native smartphone app or a mobile web app, here’s how to decide.
Since 2009, Victory Apps has developed and delivered 60 smartphone apps that have been downloaded by tens of thousands of smartphone users. If you would like to learn how our mobile technology solutions can help you expand your reach and break into the next level of the digital frontier, visit us at VictoryApps.com.