Top 10 Questions Startups Need To Answer To Build an App Successfully Before building an app, answer these top 10 questions, so that you can head in the right direction.

With increasing business opportunities due to increase mobile usage, mobile app development is something every entrepreneur wants to adopt to boost sales. However, having an iOS or Android app has its own challenges. More and more businesses have keen interest in getting an app developed to reach out to their customers.

Before building an app, answer these top 10 questions, so that you can head in the right direction:

1. What is the Purpose and Motivating Factor for Building the App?

You are not building an app simply because you want to; you are building it with a purpose. So, what exactly is the purpose and what is motivating you to develop the app. While fame and money are neutral and standard factors, they are not enough. You should have a clear vision and passion to ensure that what your app can successfully accomplish. It should offer a solution to the target audience.

2. How Can I Protect the App Idea?

Since you have a great idea for your app, you have to keep it a secret. Make sure nobody else uses it, or discloses it, before the launch. A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), in this case, can be a great help. However, you should understand the basic requirements and rules for signing the NDA.

Rather than barring yourself from relevant and meaningful discussion with the ones that can assist you with the app, postpone the NDA part and share only the non-proprietary information about the app idea. This information can include a general focus of the app, comparing with similar apps, platforms that you may be interested in launching the app on, timeline and budget.

3. Which is the Most Appropriate Platform for the App?

Android makes the first and foremost choice for all apps with Android device audiences. It is also the best choice when you need features that are not supported by iOS.

For consumer-oriented apps, you may want to go with iOS. Because iOS users can match key demographics required for their early-stage ventures, they also spend more time with the app and stay engaged for long hours. That is not all, but iOS users also earn better revenue than most Android apps. In addition, iOS based apps are much easier to build and faster as well. This shows that iOS apps can also cost less for creating as time is directly tied into the budget needed for building the app.

Weigh your priorities and let an expert advice you. Do a bit of research too and take an informed decision.

4. What Makes the App Different or Special?

On the Google Play Store, Apple's App Store and amongst Windows Apps, there are over millions of apps. In this flooded market, what is the single specific feature of your app that would make it stand out? It is very important to have a clear and concise idea of the differentiating factors, how would the user experience be, and what is your geographical target market. These factors would work like the compass when different directions are offered.

5. How Much is the App Going to Cost?

The features of your app, platforms you are targeting, and other factors would be taken into consideration to determine the cost of your app. A brilliant app could easily cost up to six figures for promising startups with bigger and better ideas. App developers generally identify the key considerations and then determine budget and predict comparable costs in their detailed analysis.

App cost may also be influenced by who you choose to build the app. If you have chosen the largest app developers, they can charge you real high. However, if you choose freelancers, the cost becomes significantly less. Offshore app development is also a cheaper option, though there are challenges and risks involved.

6. How Long is it Going to Take to Build the App?

Quality apps generally take 4 to 6 months to be created, although there are several ways to build apps much faster. However, bear in mind that this range does not include the development time needed. For the ones who build apps strategically, it would also include strategic planning, design, UX, quality assurance, app store submission, and many more steps in between. These stages involved in app creation are equally important to make sure that the app meets all the elements needed to build a brilliant app.

The process and expertise of the team building the app also determines how long it could take to come up with the final product. This is exactly the factor indicating that you should always choose a proven app development team rather than an inexperienced team.

7. In What Ways Can I Raise Money for the App?

Before creating an app, you have to raise money for the entire process. As many early-stage business ventures are usually capital intensive, you have to rely on trusted investors to get the app through. Before approaching any investor though, you should ensure that you have honed the pitch well. It is only your pitch that can convey the purpose of the app in short. Additionally, make sure you have some marketing materials like logo, email address other than Yahoo! and Google, app landing page etc.

You should have a positive approach to convince your investors that you are serious in the venture by investing your funds into the app. In doing so, you can make significant contribution to the success of your app beyond just investing your thought, time, and effort.

8. Is There A Way To Prevent Failure of My App?

The process of creating an app is really complicated. Even if you can take care of all the external factors like hiring a team and fundraising, it may not work as you want. Sometimes, startup companies make a blunder by forgetting that an app is more meaningful than just a mere app. Factually, an app means business. So, it requires an extensive holistic approach to address all the important factors that businesses have to contend with such as customer experience, analytics and marketing.

Another way in which you lead your app towards failure is by becoming too removed from users. App founders can become over possessive and obsessive over the features of their apps that are irrelevant to users. This can lead to founder blindness, which hampers the scope of the app.

9. Who Are My Key Stakeholders?

Questions related to the project owner, budget holder, contact person and different stages of decision making, fall under this category. Whom should you consult at what stage to progress from ideation to prototype, to development and test, and finally, release? Who are you supposed to work with post launch, or is there a more organic approach? If so, what are the points of Risk Register?

10. How Often Does the App Need an Update?

The launch of your app does not mark the end of the project; it is rather a new beginning. To make sure your business keeps growing, you have to keep updating your app to attract as well as retain users. One fundamental way of generating excitement around the app is to release bug fixes; the other way is to release future updates. Updates are meant to address concerns related to the app, and feedback, as well as provide some additional features not scoped in the app launch. Generally, a plan to release 1 to 4 updates per month depending on your user feedback, app roadmap, and budget, is great. It is also a smart move to time the updates with major OS releases.

By providing frequent updates for the app, you can generate more excitement amongst users, which would keep them active. It is also a master strategy to offer something new to users to keep the hype alive.

Conclusion

Paying attention to answer these aforementioned questions can determine the success of your app in app stores. Whilst you may encounter several other considerations during the process of creating app, these concerns would set the foundation for experiences to come.