Every successful app you see in
the app store solves a problem. The app solves it so well that those
customers cannot imagine going about their lives doing the same things
without the app.
Ask before starting, is this a problem worth solving? Is it really
that big a pain point of the customer? What are the other current
options available to your user? What is lacking in those solutions?
Answers to these questions will help you make a better app that will resonate with your users.
For example, Whatsapp, which did very little marketing but grew a
huge audience (we all know about the $19 billion Facebook deal, unless
you live in a cave) by solving such an intrinsic problem that mobile
phone users had.
While BlackBerry’s BBM messenger helped BlackBerry users to message
each other without having to pay separate messaging charges, Whatsapp
allowed those same users now to message their friends and extended
network with other phone brands such as Android or iPhone, with the same
benefit of no messaging charges.
2. Easy to use :
Have you realized how easy it is to
navigate the apps that you use on a regular basis? Successful apps are
the easiest to use with the simplest of navigation.
The interfaces are not confusing, the app doesn’t require you to go
through a tutorial on how to use it and actually simplifies the way you
currently do those tasks.
Invest in building a fantastic user experience (UX) that even a two
year old can pick up and interact with. Even if the graphics are not
world class, as long as you create something that is functional and
extremely simple to use, you’ve got a winner.
GolfLogix, potentially the number-one golf app, doesn’t really give
you the most beautiful-looking interface (there are better looking golf
apps), but it is highly functional and very easy to navigate and use.
3. Not cross platform :
I’ve come across many
entrepreneurs and businesses wanting to build a cross-platform app, and
the underlying reason is cost savings.
My simple response to them, and to you, is, can you name a single
successful consumer app that is cross-platform that you use regularly? I
can't identify one.
There is a reason why successful apps are completely native and built
for that particular platform. That is because it enables them to
harness the full power of the platform and the operating system along
with the phone features.
You simply cannot deliver a world-class experience by taking shortcuts in developing it.
4. Commitment to iterate/update frequently :
No
successful app made it big on day one. They also did not look like what
they do now. Every successful app started with a set of features and has
evolved over time to add, enhance or make changes. Some have completely
pivoted.
To give you an example, Instagram was a whole different app (Burbn)
and so was Whatsapp (it originally started out as a status update app).
Your app is just not going to be perfect when you first put it up on
the app store. As much as you believe it to be, you will get customer
feedback and comments or an analysis of their behavior (if you’ve well
integrated analytics into the app).
Apps are not a one-time product development. To be successful, you
have to stay committed and take feedback from your customers and
constantly iterate and continue to offer a better solution.
5. Strong support.
“Customer support is the very
rare opportunity to connect to your customers on an emotional level. You
can’t do that in any other way,” said Leo Widrich, co-founder of buffer
sponse rate, almost within the hour of an issue being reported.
Gary Vaynerchuk has said, “I genuinely believe that any business can
create a competitive advantage through giving outstanding customer
care.”
6. It is a business :
The fundamentals of building an app or a business are the same. In fact, an app
is a business -- if you treat it like one, you will go far and wide and make money along the way.
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