Interesting Facts You Didn’t Know About App Development
Before making an app, it is important to do your research. There are several pieces of information that you need to know before starting the development process.
The following list contains many interesting facts that every developer should be aware of before embarking on their journey into the world of mobile apps.
UX Strategy Is Essential
You need to know how your app is going to be used and by whom before you can create it. Keep in mind that this strategy should include research, and a brand audit as the folks at www.vincit.com explain.
This will help you to determine which features your application should contain and how they should be implemented. Without a UX strategy, your application may become confusing and difficult for users to use.
Average Cost of a Mobile App
The average cost to create an app ranges from $5,000 to $100,000. The factors that determine the price are as follows:
1. The platform that you are developing for. The platform you choose for your mobile app will affect the final price of the project.
Any reputable developer like the folks at www.vincit.com will agree that the platform’s technical requirements and limitations will be a differentiator in the case of cross-platform apps as each target operating system has its own unique features and functions that you need to consider when building your app.
2. The features that you choose for the app. The more features the app has, the more time it will take to build and test, increasing its overall development time and thus cost.
3. The geographical location of the company building your mobile application. Building an app in a country where hourly wages are low can significantly lower the costs of development (and vice versa).
4. Development language used for coding (this is not limited to Objective-C or Java; there are other less popular languages that can be used when creating certain apps).
5. Additional tools that may be needed during the development process, such as specific frameworks or libraries, may also lead to price increases.
6. A high-fidelity prototype that is detailed and functional may result in a lower per-hour cost than a simple wireframe or blueprint with no functionality built-in.
You need to decide whether it’s more important to have an accurate representation of what you want your app to look like when it is finished or if you would rather save money by quickly building out the rough design ideas with minimal features initially.
Apps Use Less Bandwidth Than You Think
Apps use less data than you might think. This may come as a surprise to most people, especially if they have been listening to the media and the industry experts who keep repeating that mobile apps are hungry for data. The truth is that it all comes down to how people use apps.
Applications themselves do not consume a lot of bandwidth: they usually account for only 4% of total volume on cellular networks (with the main culprit being videos). However, as the folks at www.vincit.com say, research is important.
And people love using them and each app can be used hundreds or even thousands of times per month (while browsing takes place a few times per month on average) according to research.
Especially if your application requires frequent updating, live video streaming or some other “heavy” features, chances are that users will spend more bandwidth with it than all the other features on their devices combined.
People Love Customization
People love to customise everything they own, and applications are no exception: they want their software to support and even enhance the way they do things.
As the folks at www.vincit.com explain, If you can provide a unique experience by offering custom options and settings, chances are that both existing and new users will love your app.
Some popular customization features include themes, widgets, shortcuts and even changeable navigation bars.
It Is Harder To Rank In Google Play Than In The App Store
When developing apps, most developers want their product in as many places as possible. Unfortunately for some, the Google Play store has a significantly lower ranking than the Apple App Store does on average.
On top of that, approximately 30% more apps are available in the Apple store overall making it much harder for any given app to get noticed there as well.
Most Downloads Are Free
Free apps are by far the most popular downloads, accounting for more than 60% of all downloads worldwide (as opposed to paid apps, which account for less than 40%).
This is partly because it’s hard to monetize high-quality apps and/or apps that provide good value for money. Another factor is that most people simply can’t afford to pay for premium products with their budget; even if they love an app or game, chances are that they will not purchase it if the price tag is too high.
Monetizing With Advertisements
Advertising is the most popular monetization model in the mobile industry since it can be used for both free and paid apps.
However, it requires a significant amount of traffic to make good money with ads (unless you are targeting specific demographics or offer in-app purchases). Overall, you should remember that users will get annoyed if they are constantly interrupted by advertisements while using your app.
Your goal should always be to provide them with an exceptional experience that makes them want to spread the word about your product or service, thus bringing more potential customers into the mix.
To illustrate this point, an analysis of the most popular apps and games on Google Play shows that they do not provide any ads or in-app purchases.
However, even those with advertising (such as Pandora, Adobe Reader and Spotify) use them only as a secondary source of revenue.
Third Parties Can Be Risky Business
Using third-party software or services can be risky, especially if they collect user data. While most companies that provide such solutions mean no harm and just want to earn some money by offering their service, there is always a chance of something going wrong: the company could suddenly become unavailable due to economic difficulties (or any other reason), or simply stop providing its products, which would cause your app to break in unpredictable ways.
Lowest Common Denominator
The Lowest Common Denominator approach states that many people use cell phones with only the most basic features and do not have access to hardware such as GPS sensors and high-resolution cameras; even though you may assume that everyone has the model on the market, chances are that many users will simply not be able to use your app as intended.
Localization Can Improve Downloads By A Lot
If your app targets an international audience (or even locally but does not offer various language versions), chances are that its downloads will remain low no matter how good it is.
This appears to be especially true for apps that do not require constant updating or maintenance; instead, people expect their native languages and dialects.
There are many interesting facts about app development, and this article tries to cover some of the most important ones. It is hard to predict whether an application will be a success or not but there sure are ways to improve your chances.
Although there is no one size fits all solution, knowing what works best in your niche can definitely help you give it your best shot.
In any case, should mobile app development be on your horizon or you have simply developed an app already, do take into account the information provided above so that you get better results for less effort.
