7 Mistakes To Avoid While Developing a Mobile App

If you are reading this, there are two possible reasons. Either you are at the beginning of a long, exciting journey of developing your mobile app or you have already failed, and now you are discovering what you could have avoided. Whatever is the case, with the tips written below you will succeed. So, in this article, you will read about seven crucial things you need to avoid when building your mobile app.

“Anyone who has never made a mistake

has never tried anything new.”
― Albert Einstein

Mistake 1: Multi-platform

Nowadays there is a variety of mobile platforms, so it is quite easy to get lost which ones to target. It might first seem obvious to try to cover as many as possible, if not all. If you are a big company, you can try to invest your resources and cover all platforms and thus markets. However, as the experience shows an attempt to come up with a one-size-fits-all solution is a wrong choice.




No matter if you are an independent entrepreneur or a big company a better way to enter the market is to choose one platform. Apple Store or iOS application can be the best option if you are looking for a quick revenue. Android app and Google Play is your choice if you are aiming at fast viral popularity. So, start with one, and after it is finished, you can start thinking of porting it to another platform. Instagram is an excellent example as it had 30 million users on iOS before they launched their Android version.


Whatever you choose, do not think a multi-platform app would function with little to no tweaks on all platforms. This mission is impossible.

Mistake 2: Too Many Features

If you think that overwhelming your users with a variety of functionality would impress them, you are wrong. So, before overloading your app with some unnecessary features, recollect the primary purpose of the app. Focus on the main solution the app provides and set the functionality. It is of key importance to have a list of core features for your MVP. By launching your first version, you prove the markets’ potential for your app and check if your target audience is ready to accept it. Aim at less but better.

“Instagram has become one of my favorites
platforms because of its simplicity.”
― Amy Jo Martin

Mistake 3: Neglecting The User Experience

Competition among lots of similar apps rejects those that are too complicated to use. A sort of natural selection of the 21st century. The UX should be self-describing and intuitive. Once the user sees your app, they should know how to use it at once. If it’s too complicated to use your users will quickly give up, and you won’t have a second chance to make a first impression. In fact, 26% of the apps are opened just once and are never used again, 48% are opened 10 or fewer times.

An interactive clickable prototyping can help you see how the app works before even one line of code are written. Make sure you are happy how everything works before approving the actual design creation.

Mistake 4: Wrong Budget and Time Expectations

Whatever budget you were given to win the pitch, try to be honest to yourself: there is still more additional expenses below the borderline. Besides the certain complexity of your app, even a highly-experienced developer can face a difficulty when completing a common task so it might take longer time than expected. Developers are still humans, not robots, so human factor is one of the main ones to take into account.

If you want to make sure you are not fooled by your development team, offer to use time tracking tools to understand how much time each feature takes.

"To err is human."

― Alexander Pope

Mistake 5: Poor or No Marketing Strategy

This part can turn into another article or even a book. A lion’s part of your success depends upon PR and marketing of your app concept. If you have created something outstanding, the world should get to know about it. The earlier, the better. There are different channels to advertise your app. Define your target audience and choose the best ways to let them about your app. Create Facebook or other social network pages and post interesting facts about your app, how the work is going and when the app is going to be launched. Let your users wait for your app.




Define your main competitors and find out what their users complain about. Try to avoid these moments in your practice. Make it noticeable to your potential users how your app differs from everything existing on the market and how they benefit from using it.

Mistake 6: Monetization

Is your app free and includes in-app purchases? Or should users pay to get your app? Clarify what would work the best for your app niche and build your marketing strategy around this fact. Research how other apps from your category are monetized and what users are willing to pay for. What kind of in-app purchases do they buy?


If you think integrated ads is the only way to monetize the app, you are wrong. Besides, constantly popping up ads that block the screen and do not allow to continue the game will simply drive your users crazy and they will give up the app, whatever good it was.

Mistake 7: No Post-Release Marketing And Support

We have already mentioned that it is essential to start your marketing as early as possible. But don’t think once your app is released the marketing will be over. Contact the media in 2-4 weeks before the actual app launch and continue it afterward. Find the media that have written about similar apps like yours and contact them. Let them know a new app is going to be launched soon and emphasize what will make it stand alone from others. Include short, clear description, screenshots and a link to video review, so that they could get an idea of the app quickly.

When first users follow, and you will receive your first feedbacks. Gather opinions and give your users response. The app might require updates or add-ons, so let the audience know you plan to make improvements in near future.

Conclusion

Trying to avoid mistakes listed above does not mean you won’t face other mistakes, but you will be able to eliminate their quantity. Learn from others but make your own way. Don’t be upset by failures and remember practice makes a man perfect.