An app is defined as a program which is smaller in size and is meant to be used android smartphones or sometimes the windows computer. An app “is an application that is accessed through a web browser over a network such as the Internet” (Lee & Raghu, 2014). Previously, the term app was used to describe those mobile or computer applications, however, as technology continued to advance, a significant number of app stores have made it easier to download small programs and install them instantly. While some apps can be accessed at free cost, other must be purchased from an app store. As far as the history of apps is concerned, one of the critical apps was the game snake which was introduced in 1998 by Nokia Company (Mahmud, & Abdullah, 2014). However, the past few decades has experienced a dramatic revolution of mobile apps including Netflix and Facebook. This development can be attributed to the launching of the first iPhone in 2007 that changed the way in which the smartphone owners utilize apps. Today, the majority of people can comfortably access apps in their smartphones to get services such as news, social media, health and travel tips calendars and banking service (Wooldridge & Schneider, 2011). Most importantly, the Android and iOS platforms are perhaps the most common versions that have kept people connected all over the world.
The significant rise of digitization and smartphone usage and the ever-changing customer demands, entrepreneur require to invest in mobile interventions to reach as many customers as possible. Apps offer the investors an ideal chance to engage their clients, grow revenue and build assets. According to (Mahmud, & Abdullah, 2014) smartphones and tablets can be attributed to 70% total time spent on social media whereby, 85 percent of users spend their time specifically on mobile apps.
How an App Is Created
The process of app development can be tedious and taxing at times. Indeed it requires extensive work for an app to be designed and function as anticipated by the developer. In most cases, one can seek more clarification from expertise in the field of app development.
In the process of selecting the best app development criteria, it is essential to consider their effectiveness, validity, and portfolio (Stoyanov et al., 2015). At the end of the process, the quality of the app will significantly matter. As a Result, it is advisable to work with experienced app developers who can offer insights concerning the late stages as well as the preliminary stages of app development. This section will explain the critical stages of mobile app development.
Phase 1: Pre -development
The initial steps of the app development process require the developer to have a deeper understanding of the target population or rather, the market. Also, there is a need to outline the early stage wireframes that shows the visual architecture of the app along with a dedicated budget of the overall processes., Indicate that the approximate cost of an average mobile app development ranges between $30,000 & $ 750,000 with a calculated median budget of about $175,500 (Wooldridge & Schneider, 2011).Therefore, on may choose an app development platform rather than a custom development approach.
Another critical activity is to carry out extensive research and competitor analysis, before beginning the development process. In case there are existing apps which serves the similar services as an individual seeks to launch, then it is essential to find out what aspect they lack to fill that particular gap. Gathering the relevant information is extremely critical to establish a market niche for your new app. Moreover, it is imperative to answer several questions such as; what is the primary purpose of the app? What can it are done to attract a lot of users? Is there any problem that the app intends to solve?
Consequently, it is necessary to identify the minimum requirements to test and prove the concept in the market. After the first version has been made and launched, one can always create new app features and updates based on the user feedback.
Phase 2: Project Scoping
The stage involves the entrepreneur undertaking several consultations with the development team to predict and outline the scope of the project outcomes. It is during this stage that one will determine whether the project is non-taxable or it will charge you on a time-based model. A proper plan acts as a roadmap for the success of the app development project.
Phase 4: Wire Framing
Wire framing refers to the visual architecture of the app, that will go on each page and how it all links together. It connotes the unique app blueprint that allows the development team to understand and implement what an individual is after.
Stage 4: Design
The completion of wire framing is followed by the design procedure that entails the creation of user interface to engage and navigate the prospective app users. At this point, the most common features such as logos, colors, styling, and fonts will be fleshed out. The stage is meant to make the app aesthetically attractive and functional. It is essential to determine the app’s appearance and usability.
Phase 5: Development
This stage is critical as it involves the setting up of the back-end of the app. It is advisable to remain updated about any single development during this stage. Any bladder may lead to unnecessary costs, and thus it is vital to maintaining regular checkups and communications similarly, as an individual may choose to run an app development platform whereby apps are created using predefined modules to save time and resources.
Phase 6: Beta Testing
This stage allows one to test the functionality of the app, its performance, and optimization. Once a version of the app is completed, the user testing can commence. The interface should be user-friendly to ensure that it is bug-free. This process is however simple as it only requires to run onto any android device and tested its functionality (Mahmud, & Abdullah, 2014). The iOS should be subjected to Test Flight platform to jumpstart the app.
Stage 7: App Launch
It might take weeks to months to publish an app to the marketplace because every iOS app is manually reviewed before the app can be launched (Mahmud, & Abdullah, 2014). Besides, Apple may also need request changes to the app during this time.
Step 8: Post-launching
Perhaps the most crucial vital action to take is to gather user’s feedback to guide any app improvements and ensuring it is functioning and efficient (Stoyanov et al., 2015). Inbuilt app analytics enable the app developer to track downloads user engagement, and retention. Such information can help the entrepreneur to increase the user experience.
Three Ways Those Apps Make Money from their Apps
One of the most common strategies of making money through apps is through the in-app purchases both in google play store and Apple App store (Goncharova, 2017). It allows users to buy direct services and subscriptions in the app.
The second method is in-app ads that are used in affiliate marketing. The app developer earns money if the affiliate products advertised inside his app get reviewed by users either by clicking or even installing the app. The last method is the video banners which pop up automatically when users interact with the app.
Selection of Two Favorite Apps
It is evident that every app consists of different features when compared with other apps (Bowen, & Pistilli, 2012). My favorite apps are Drawing Desk and Colorgram.
Drawing Desk
Firstly, drawing desk enables me to exercises my artistic skills. It has four key sections namely; Sketch Desk, Kids Desk, Doodle Desk, and Photo Desk (Lee & Raghu, 2014). These desks offer any experienced or upcoming artist with the best drawing features. Indeed, it allows me to perform all nice shadings and effects with its useful pieces of tools.
This app is free, but I would rather pay for it than working without it. It helps me with utilizing my artistic skills to the fullest, and I don’t think my work would be perfect without them. The average price that would pay can be roughly $30 per month.
Color gram
This app consists of best colors that offer the user with a variety of coloring options to choose from. In addition; color gram provides users with appealing playback videos where they can experience their artistic works alongside the calm and relaxing background music.
Although I don’t pay for this app, I would rather pay for it to unlock more experiences it gives to the artists. It helps me with utilizing my artistic skills to the fullest, and I make my fortune out of that. Therefore, the owner of this app deserves a considerable share of what I get by using this app in my job. I would pay at least $35 per month .Paying for the app will guarantee me more experiences (Wooldridge & Schneider, 2011).
Developing the New App
I will develop an app called Photopro that will enable business people to share their products through the network. The app will allow entrepreneurs to connect directly with their clients and make official appointments without any interruption. The app will let users send images to individual customers or groups of consumers. The most outstanding feature of this app is the presence of image filters and monetizing by iAd and AdMob ads (Wooldridge & Schneider, 2011).
Some of the benefits of y app are that it will be relatively cheap, accessible to download and provision of the best sharing of endless product images. Moreover, this app is targeted at youths who are the leading users of smartphones.
The major competitor of this app will be other social network apps such as Facebook and Twitter. However, the Photo is designed to ensure that images are sent with supersonic speed without consuming a lot of data.
Marketing My App
As an effort of selling my app, I will feature it on my website. People who visit my site are the most potential clients for using my app. I will enable this through the creation of standard download buttons from app and android store. I will also make the logo of the app beautiful with minimal description. My team will require completing a diverse stream of activities. The project team will need to create a strong relationship and solid market strategy.
Creating My App
My app will strictly follow the basic stages of development of apps as shown in figure 1.0
Adopted from https://www.cleveroad.com/blog/social-media-trends-and-social-media-app-development-guide
My app Layout
Monetizing the Photopro
I plan to focus first on product quality and growth and tract the revenue generation as a roadmap item. Once the products become successful from the usage standpoint, I will translate that success into monetary form. However I estimate some substantial monetary figures based on the following indicators suggested by (Lee & Raghu, 2014):
Overall app usage-$1000
Lifetime Value (LTV) per user-$50
Retention and abandonment rates-$60
Active users-$124
Revenue per user (RPU)-$ 4
Length of sessions- $ 5 per every 10 minutes (600 seconds) session.
References
Bowen, K., & Pistilli, M. D. (2012). Student preferences for mobile app usage. Research Bulletin)(Louisville, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, forthcoming), available from http://www. educause. edu/eca
Mahmud, D. M., & Abdullah, N. A. S. (2014, October). Mobile application development feasibility studies: A case study in Universiti Teknologi MARA. In Open Systems (ICOS), 2014 IEEE Conference on (pp. 30-35). IEEE
Wooldridge, D., & Schneider, M. (2011). The business of iPhone and iPad App development. Making and Marketing Apps that Succeed. 2nd Edition. New York: Apress.
Goncharova, E. (2017). Monetization Strategies in Free-To-Play Mobile Games: Case: From The Bench.
Stoyanov, S. R., Hides, L., Kavanagh, D. J., Zelenko, O., Tjondronegoro, D., & Mani, M. (2015). Mobile app rating scale: a new tool for assessing the quality of health mobile apps. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 3(1).
Lee, G., & Raghu, T. S. (2014). Determinants of mobile apps' success: evidence from the App Store market. Journal of Management Information Systems, 31(2), 133-170.
