Creating a mobile app is a great way to start a business & get more traffic if you have an existing business. There is a step by step process to mobile app development, which I’m going to walk you through today. So if you’ve ever wondering how to make a mobile app – without needing any tech skills, you’ve come to the right place.

With the rise of social media apps like TikTok and Instagram, to gaming and productivity apps, it’s no wonder that more and more people are interested in creating their own app. However, the next question to ask is…

‘How do I get started?’

How to Create an App

Whether you are part of a larger business of people or working independently on your app project, you’ll first have to decide whether you have the time and capability to create the app yourself if you have coding skills, or whether you’re willing to outsource it.

If you want to create the app yourself, then we applaud you. Creating an app yourself from scratch is no small feat – as you’ll soon discover when we walk you through the process.

And if the idea of creating your own app is already daunting, you can also hire a mobile app consultant to help you get started. We work with an array of companies and people to bring their app ideas to life.

If you still want to know a little more about the app development process, then continue reading, and I’ll walk you through each step.

Step One: Design

Before you begin building any app, you need to plan a few fundamentals: the name of your app, the feature set, the target audience, and whether it will launch on Apple or Android – or both!

The Name of the App

The name of the app needs to do three things:

1. Be eye-catching.
2. Summarise what the app does.
3. And draw people in.

Often, the apps that don’t consider these aspects when choosing the app name will get left behind in the app abyss.

In 2020, there were nearly 3 million apps on Android and nearly 4 million on Apple. With around 1,00,000 mobile apps being uploaded to Android’s Google Play Store each month, and around 2,200,000 being uploaded to Apple’s App Store.

It’s easy for new, up-and-coming mobile apps to get lost in the rest of them, so it’s critical that you consider every last detail from the beginning until launch.

The Feature Set

This stage is crucial to the planning of your app. The feature set will be the decisions you make to construct your app. These things may include: competitors, app pricing, the idea itself, and unique features.

Competitors

Highlighting your top competitors will give you an additional edge during the development of your app.

By understanding what makes their app stand out, you’ll be able to strengthen your chances of success when it comes to building your own. In this stage, you’ll want to consider what the user experience (UX) is like, how the user interface (UI) works – what’s good about it? What doesn’t work as well? As well as any other key identifying features.

Pricing

App development may be a passion project for you, but there’s no reason why you can’t make some passive income from it too.

For example, you may decide to make downloading the app free, but there may be additional in-app purchases that enhance the experience. Or, you may make some extra profit by letting adverts run on your app.

Regardless of the avenue you choose, there are ample ways to make money from mobile apps. But to do so, you need to ensure that your app is at a stage where people are willing to purchase it – and that can only be achieved through professional app development.

The Idea

At this point, you’ll want to fully iron out your idea. Ensure you have every avenue covered by asking yourself these questions:

• What does this app do?
• Why should someone download this app over another?
• What are the potential downfalls/weak points of this app?
• Will this app educate, inform, entertain, or assist the user?
• Will the app need to come in different languages?
• Is your app realistically possible?
• Do you have a reasonable timeframe from creation to publishing?

From here, you (and your team) can examine the strengths, weaknesses, expectations, and competition you may be surrounded by.

This doesn’t just bring your app to life, but also creates a realistic understanding between everyone involved.

Mobile app development unique features

What sets your app apart from the millions of others out there?

Your idea doesn’t have to be entirely unique to stand out in the market, but it needs to be sold in a unique way to the consumer. You’re creating this app for a reason, and it’s your special spin on it that will make it stand out.

Consider if there is a gap your competitors have missed, or perhaps you can expand on the competition’s unique selling points. Either way, unless you’re creating a one-in-a-million app, there needs to be a reason why users will choose to download your app over another.

Target Audience

A huge part of your app will depend on how the user receives it. But who exactly is your ideal user?

Understanding who you’re targeting will help you realise how your app should be created. For example, an app for someone in their twenties will look different for an app of someone in their eighties.

If your app is for a wide demographic, consider how you’ll need to make it as inclusive as possible. You may need to think about:

• Font sizing.
• Colours.
• Sounds.
• The wording of the copy.

For those with a wider demographic, consider whether your app will be inclusive to those who are hard-of-hearing or struggle with disabilities? The way you approach the development of your app should also consider those who are disabled.

Step Two: Create

Mobile app development is the next integral stage of the journey.

You’ll need to take your previous plans from the first stage and integrate them into dummy prototype apps and real-life plans. While you may have used your own knowledge and time in the first stage, this stage may make independent working difficult – unless you have vast experience in app design, and skills in UX and UI.

However, due to the nature of the article, we’ll assume you’re a beginner. And in that case, we thoroughly recommend hiring an app development company to help you through the process.

Not only will that save you time, but it will also save you money in the long run, as it will ensure you can avoid any major changes or issues along the way.

A few key steps in the process are: graphic design, marketing, and mobile app development.

Mobile App Design

In this stage, it is critical to seek help from a professional – if you are not one yourself.

The graphic design prototype that a designer creates will be the guide for the developers to follow. It will also be what you use to sell your app to investors.

It’s imperative that whichever graphic designer you’re working with, also has experience in UX and UI. With their experience in user experience and user interface, they can plan the user journey, app aesthetics, and functionality in an appealing and cohesive way to the user.

The journey of creating an app is never easy. So, it’s crucial that you fill the gaps in your knowledge with a team of people who have the experience you don’t. After all, it isn’t realistic for you to know everything. on egreat way you can get started is to make a clickable app prototype.

Mobile app marketing

Marketing is often a forgotten aspect in app development. However, it is integral to the success of your app.

Whether you dedicate a chunk of your budget to marketing or a small amount, marketing will be integral to garnering promotion, excitement, and potential financial backing for your app.

A few ways people market their app include:

• Social media: depending on what your app does, will depend on the type of target audience. But if your app is a gaming app, for example, there are many different pockets of people across the internet who may be interested in it.
• Mailing lists: if you have a website or social media following interested in app updates, then it’s worth directing them to join a mailing list. Not only does this give you a spreadsheet of already established fans, but when the app goes live, then you’ll be already to direct them to the download page.
• Patreon: for those struggling with the financial side of things, Patreon is great way to involve your fanbase for a small fee. You can stagger the supporter options, but this recurring payment option gives you continuous income to put back into the development of the app – and cover any unexpected costs.

Mobile app development

Coding isn’t a skill everyone has. If it’s something you’re familiar with, you’ll know how tedious the process can be.

Even if you’re coding the app yourself, it’s important to always get a second opinion; you never know what you might miss.

If you’re working to a budget, there’s no reason why you can’t buy a template and customise it yourself. This will usually only include a one-off fee for the template, so it may be cheaper and quicker for those with time and cost restraints. However, it’s likely you’ll be met with restrictions that you won’t have when creating from scratch.

Mobile app development Bug Testing

Regardless of the route you took to get the app built, once the app has a fully functioning first drat, you’ll need to run it for a bug test.

It’s imperative you fix any bug issues before you first launch the app. If you don’t, then any downloads, attention, and users you gain may report your app or dismiss it as low-quality; leaving you with a negative following before you’ve even started.

The type of issues you should look for are:

• The app crashing.
• Any features not working.
• Glitches.
• Issues with UI or UX.

Step Three: Publish

The final stage! It’s a long journey, but getting to the point of publishing is a tremendous feat.

At this point, you still need to consider one final thing: Apple or Android? (Or another platform entirely).

Google Play and the App Store each have their own set of criteria every app needs to abide by before they’re able to upload it to the public. But you can view these here: Apple / Android.

To ensure your app has the maximum chances of success, in the first week of launching, you’ll need to ensure you:

• Receive reviews and four/five-star ratings: encourage users to leave reviews and five-star ratings, this type of positive feedback will push you further up the app ranks.
• Follow ASO (app store optimisation) techniques: a few of these techniques may include researching audience keywords, competitors tags, creating app screenshots and optimising your own keywords.
• Run a marketing campaign: it could be an influencer campaign, discount sale on the app, social media campaign, or something else entirely.

Creating an app isn’t an easy task, but there’s no reason why you’d need to struggle. Take the next step, save a ton or time & money with the App Starter Kit. 

Enroll in our app development course. 

Hire an app consultant to get your app designed & created. 

Learn how to make great app screenshots.