Developing an App? Here are the 5 Biggest Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Developing an App? Here are the 5 Biggest Challenges and How to Overcome Them

The online world is filled to the brim with amazing content, amazing software, and amazing applications that dominate the market.

So, what’s to guarantee that your app will stand out or produce the ROI you’re hoping for? Well, there are numerous factors that go into successful app development, and not all of them have to do with the actual coding and building processes. Instead, comprehensive app development takes place on various fronts, ranging from UX and UI, through performance and responsiveness, to cross-platform compatibility, all the way to marketing and PR.

Needless to say, there’s a lot that can go wrong during this long and sometimes arduous journey, and many finer details that might slip you by unnoticed – details that could make or break your app in the global marketplace. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the five common challenges of app development, and how you can overcome them.

Gathering the necessary funds

In the modern business world, everything begins and ends with money – for better or worse. There’s nothing wrong with making your end goal to generate a lot of revenue or drive customer acquisition and retention, but in order to make those goals a reality, you will first need to secure the funds necessary to kick-start the development process, and market your app across the online realm. This is typically what prevents a team from even starting the process, and a common pitfall that stops the development mid-way.

If you are to prevent delays and actually roll out your app in time, you will need to consider some effective funding methods. First up, consider simply taking out a loan. Small business loans allow you to stay in control all the way, and ensure your total ownership of the product. You can also try to find angel investors or potential stakeholders, but keep in mind that you would be relinquishing some of the control. Lastly, you can always try your luck in the crowdfunding arena, but you will need an amazing pitch and a detailed white paper to boot.

Providing stellar app performance

It should go without saying that your app needs to run smoothly for all users, and on all devices (more on that in a bit). Stellar performance is one of the biggest differentiating factors in today’s saturated app market, which is why you need to run every stage of app development through rigorous and extensive testing that involves all relevant device types, coding languages, and operating systems. Yes, it’s an investment, but an important one nonetheless.

Ensuring compatibility with all devices

One of the most important elements of an app that people will actually want to download, spend money on, and leave positive reviews for, is ensuring that the app runs smoothly across all platforms and operating systems. You need to optimize your app for all mobile devices (or stationary devices if that’s your goal), because if it works on an iPhone but it constantly crashes on Android, you’re going to drive customer acquisition and retention straight into the ground.

This is something that forward-looking software development companies the likes of Sentia emphasize nowadays through their consultancy and services, because experienced developers understand the importance of cross-platform compatibility for the app’s reputation and recognition in the competitive market. Even if you have an in-house development team, make sure to consult with outside professionals who can point out some of the compatibility problems in the early stages of development. 

Promoting your app

Another crucial factor that will define the future of your app is, of course, marketing. Look, the world is currently oversaturated with amazing and not-so-amazing apps, but there are only a handful that are truly successful. These are the apps that their creators market properly across the online world, because it’s the only way to build engagement, excitement, and awareness. 

Spare no expense on digital marketing and promotion, and be sure to tease your online audience months in advance with short snippets, trailers, and engaging imagery. Be sure to promote your new app on social media and your website, write about it in your blog and on other authority sites, get influencers to back you up, and most importantly, incentivize user-generated content when the app comes out.

Choosing a revenue model for your app

On a final note, be sure to choose your revenue model carefully. Depending on the goals you want your app to achieve, you can choose between numerous monetization models that may or may not sit well with your audience. Typically, your best bet would be to offer a free base experience, and only charge for upgrades and extra features. You can also make your app completely free to use if your goal is to boost engagement, drive traffic to your site, and incentivize website purchases or sign-ins.

Final thoughts

To develop an amazing app is a challenge, but to create a successful app is another story altogether. You can prepare for this cumbersome challenge by focusing on the solution to some of the most common obstacles, and use them to ensure the long-term success of your app in terms of engagement, recognition, popularity, and ROI.

Posted by Nate Vickery

Nate Vickery

Nate Vickery is a business consultant focused mostly on SMB marketing and management. Nate is the editor-in-chief at one business blog - Bizzmarkblog.com. You can follow Nate @NateMVickery

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