5 Things to Consider When Designing a Business App

With more people than ever owning a smartphone or tablet, knowing where your customers are is an incredible advantage from a business point of view.

Whether you are a new or established company, creating a business app can increase your prominence in the field, giving you an edge over competitors.

Here are five things that you should consider when creating your business app.

1. Market Research

Conducting thorough market research is a must when designing a business app. Market research can help you in all sorts of ways, such as by knowing your competition, what your users like and dislike, and cementing your target audience. Market research will give you more insight into what you should include in your business app to make it as successful as possible.

To conduct market research, look at what others in your industry are doing. You need to ensure you’re looking at the right people, though, as if you look at someone who is serving a different area or is at a completely different scale to you, the information you collect may not be relevant. You can then use the data you gather to work out what you’ll need to do to set yourself apart from them.

You can then examine your market and determine its key demographic and psychographics.

With all of this information in the palm of your hands, you can start planning your app. If you’re unsure about anything, you can always release a questionnaire (or even a poll on Twitter or Facebook) to get their answers directly.

2. Budget

The amount of money you plow into your business app can determine how well your product does. Spending time on what types of features and details you want to include will come at a price, so having an idea of how much apps typically cost to design and develop will help you enormously. Development prices usually range from between $3,000-$50,000. However, this is a wide margin, so you must consider your business needs and goals for a more realistic price.

If you feel you can’t afford to create an app, consider pushing it back for a few months until you have the money to spend on it. The last thing you want to do is release something you’re not 100% satisfied with because you didn’t have the funds to design it how you liked it. Not only will you be disappointed, but your audience probably will be too.

3. Promotion

One of the most common ways to promote your business app is by putting it up on your company website as a download. There are other ways to promote your business app, such as by using companies like Appetiser Apps, whose main aim is to design, develop and promote your business app to the masses. Appetiser Apps have an extensive portfolio, with companies worldwide using their mobile app development and marketing services.

Working alongside a professional app developer will be key, but there are also a few things that you can do yourself. Use social media to get the word out, ask your audience and other companies on the market to review your app, write a post about it, and create a video teasing its release. If you want people to use your new app, you must get the word out about it.

4. Target Audience

If your mobile app has a defined target audience, the chances are it will be more successful. Your business app should be created to slot into a particular demographic of what your business wants to target. Once you have established your target audience in your market research, you should be able to work out where to place your app in the market.

5. App Platforms

The two major platforms for mobile apps are iOS and Android. When designing your business app, you will want to ensure that your product can be displayed and used on both platforms (especially considering how many millions of users access the platforms each day).

If your budget can stretch that far, it is advisable to design your app for both platforms. Having your business app on iOS and Android will expose your product to more consumers. The main app marketplaces are Google Play and the Apple Store.  

Conducting market research, knowing your budget, and knowing your target audience are key aspects that you should consider when designing a business app. You should be fully committed in the design stages of your business app to ensure your product becomes a success with your target audience.