The Perfect Mobile App Idea
You have the perfect idea for a mobile app, and its all very exciting. You’re looking for someone to make it, and launch it on the app store as soon as physically possible, and its going to make you a lot of money? Woah there, let’s get acquainted.
The mobile app graveyard in the bottom of your favourite app store should be one warning shot across your bows. Not every app makes it, it’s a tough, hyped up world out there, and apps have short life spans. However, it is possible to get out there and be wonderful – but it is very important to temporarily apply the brakes and think things through.
It Shouldn’t Be Your Website, as an App
Your website may be wonderful, extensive, informative and really doing very well, but it doesn’t mean it will as an app. Actually, more often it won’t. Apps are different beasts to desktop websites, for which you can bounce through in any order you wish. Apps are much more linear, much more ‘find your own adventure’. They are also there to serve a different audience – or at least, an audience with two minutes to spare, and a tiny screen.
73% of users expect a mobile app to be simpler than the brand’s website. [1]
Chances are you have all the functionality in the world on your website, which is fabulous through a big screen and a browser. However, on a small screen with short time and limited bandwidth, your audience really doesn’t want to do the same actions as they would on their computer. They may just want to check the status of the underground, or find out what’s on television that night, or quickly transfer funds from one of their accounts to another within a bank. They don’t want to read a full synopsis of Lost, or sign up for a new current account. That’s what your site is for.
Apps aren’t Fire and Forget for Developers
If you want your app to succeed and not flop on its face, you’ve got to be prepared to consider its life long term. You may think about releasing a new website every one or two years, but your app has an altogether shorter life span, so updates will be both required and sought after by your audience a lot quicker. You need a game plan that can cope with this demand, and the ability to take advice and criticism from your audience and adjust your response. Otherwise your audience will fire and forget which the most prevalent behaviour towards apps is.
Purely Advertising Apps are Awful
If your dream app is just a glorified billboard, forget it. Why would anyone download it, seriously? Your app needs to do something useful – be beneficial for someone, and not just spew out offers. App users need to see and understand the reason for downloading and using your app very simply and easily – no brainer. Is your genius idea shared by your customers? Better still, have they requested or inspired it, or would they, actually prefer to do something else entirely?
Are you Ready to do it Right First Time?
You cannot afford to get it wrong in the mobile app market. Reputation, opinion from people who download your app sticks like glue, and poor star ratings on app stores are impossible to remove even when you release an update to fix any serious problems that occur once your audience has battered your app to pieces with bad reviews. Falling at the first fence is incredibly difficult to get back up from, and could hinder both any relaunch, or launch of any app in the same brand due to association.
23% told others about a bad experience with an app, 13% avoided subsequent app downloads with that brand due to previous bad experiences, even the app was for a different purpose.[2]
[1] October 2010, Harris Interactive – US based sample of 780+ individuals surveyed on mobile applications
[2] October 2010, Harris Interactive – US based sample of 780+ individuals surveyed on mobile applications
