1.

What is the cost of mobile app development

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The cost of mobile app development depends on multiple factors like features, whether you need an android or IOS version or both. When considering mobile app development , consider also the post launch costs: Hosting backend, Maintenance, Feature addition etc. Launching a mobile app is just a beginning, your app needs to evolve after the launch based on the feedback from users, market, competition etc.

If the app is developed in the Americas, the price could be in the range of $4,500per feature.If it’s in the European Region this cost would be 1.5 times higher. If the app is developed in South East Asia, then the pricing is 0.80 times of USA. If you consider development costs in India, then it will be 0.60 times that of the USA.

The pointers stated above are provided from industry experts with over 2 to3 decades of IT experience. In conclusion the entire cost of development depends on one’s requirement. If you are an individual entrepreneur expect to spend anywhere between $30000 to $60000 for a basic functional version of your app. If you are an organization or enterprise expect a mobile app development costing ranging from $30,000 to $250,000

There are quite a few app development calculators available while searching online, but all of them are affiliated to mobile app development vendor organizations, which could project some baises to you.

2.Should I Develop an App for iOS or Android first?

This depends on which market you are looking for, to launch and market your app. If its geographic specific or a worldwide launch? Normally when you test launch your app or if it’s a BETA launch, consider the market you are most comfortable with, in terms of a cultural understanding.

For Example, if you’d like to launch your app in South America then you may consider having your app launched on Android first (87.28% market share) and then consider launch on IOS based on the success of your android launch.  If it’s a North America targeted market, you should consider a parallel launch on Android (approx.50%) and IOS (approx..48%).

The bottom line is your targeted market will determine your choice of mobile operating systems for launch. Check this link out, it will help you decide your best development options for launch http://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/mobile/worldwide

3.What are the steps you usually take prior to building an app?

Depends on whether you know to write code or not.

If you are an app developer: The first option would articulate your requirements from the user’s perspective. Users are people who will be using your app. Now, remember we are all very passionate to start coding before even having clarity about the specific use cases. If you work with this style, chances are you’ll end up creating an app that you like but may not excite your users. This would further impact app adoption and monetization

If you are not an app developer: Define use cases for your audiences, followed by trying to wireframe your app. There are tons of wireframing options available online. Why wireframing is important, is because the developer or vendor that you may identify, needs to clearly understand your point of view. If wireframing is hard for you, then just list out the use cases and share the same with your developer (if you have one) or the app vendor.

The bottom line is articulating the requirements of your users in both cases above. Here’s some information that will help you…  8 Steps to build a successful mobile app startup from your idea

4.Who can help me build an app?

When you have an idea, the rationale is to pursue it. The thrill of having your idea created into an app and then having users download and engage with it, is a truly exciting journey.

However, we often get into the rut of deciding whether to build the app internally or engage a mobile app development company. We have known people to be in a similar situation and we always suggest engaging a mobile app development service provider. The challenge is not going to be app development, as this is a controllable aspect and solves only a part of your businesses challenges. The harder part is the go-to-market which is a much bigger challenge as every aspect of user adoption is a variable.

So, have an external team create the app for you and start working on a GTM strategy as soon as you have a basic minimal viable product (mvp) available to start reaching out to the market. Understand your customer behaviors on the MVP and then align your app with the help of your app development partner to fit into end customers’ expectations. Vaayoo (http://www.vaayoo.com) helps you with all aspects of app development from concept to Launch, Post launch maintenance and Marketing.

5.What are the factors to consider while creating or developing a mobile app strategy?

Ensure your strategy is focused on your target audience: Questions like, who will be using this app? How will it be of benefit to them? Should be answered beforehand. Having a clear knowledge of your consumer’s expectations will help tailor your strategy to suit their needs. For example, Starbucks offers amazing discounts and rewards specifically to app users, this encourages their consumers to order for their coffee via the app.

Conduct a thorough market research: Conducting a market research in your niche will give you an insight of your competitors’ strategies and expose their weaknesses which you can capitalize upon. This way, you can know what your consumers are looking for in a mobile app and you can focus your strategy to ensure their needs are met.

Compatibility with other platforms: Bear in mind that your app will be used on different platforms, screens or browsers so you have to ensure that it functions perfectly all round and operates on Android and IOS platforms the way it is supposed to.

Budget: Mobile app development costs vary so having a clear knowledge of your budget will help you know how to allocate funds to each stage of the mobile app development process. This is to ensure you avoid running out of funds before the process is complete.

Security: Your app must meet all the security policies laid out to protect the user’s information. A security testing procedure can help uncover all the vulnerabilities your strategy has and show you the key areas to fix.

Monetization: You can decide how you want to monetize your app in a way that it creates more value for your consumers.

6.After development and publishing of the app to the Appstore, What are some of the post launch activities I should be thinking about.

Launching of the App startup is a journey which does not end after publishing the app to the appstore. In fact, most of the apps fail to gain traction because the developer just puts it out there and expects users to download it. Here are some of the post launch activities that you should be thinking about:

Maintenance and hosting: Just like any other software an app will have bugs. You will need to fix these asap. Especially, if users find them. These bugs may be in the app itself or in the server or database code that resides on the servers in the cloud. You will have to continue to maintain and host the back end business logic and database servers.

New features in New versions: An app continues to evolve after the launch. You will get feedback from users on new features. You will have to stay ahead of the competition by building new features. Or you may find a new revenue/business model that may require your app featureset to be upgraded.

Marketing: Most Apps fail because the developer does not have a clear marketing strategy. They expect to put the app on appstore and users will download them. It is important to have Go to Market campaign to make the users aware of your app and its new features. A well rounded Digital marketing campaign with SEO/SEM, Content marketing, Social Marketing will tremendously increase the chances of app success.

Vaayoo as (http://www.vaayoo.com) not only helps with developing the app, but also helps with post launch activities too. Customers see Vaayoo as a software and marketing partner for their mobile app startup.

Also check out- got a great idea for a mobile app, now what ? It may help you