Lots of entrepreneurs think the introduction of an app will take their prospective business to the next level. This may be the case; however, it must be executed correctly. Problems can arise because most entrepreneurs know little about website and app development. Naturally, if you own a sales business for example, and want to build an app to enhance your business, it might not necessarily be in your nature to know the ins and outs of app development. Entrepreneurs want their business to succeed and are aware that to do that, an app is needed but they aren’t aware of the timescales, options or planning available to them to start the process. If you’re keen to build an app for your business but aren’t as tech savvy as you want to be, have a read of our tips below to make sure you set out on the right track.

Understand the requirements

Even though you aren’t personally building the app, it’s important to understand the requirements that are realistic when it comes to building it. Make sure you ask questions to the developers building your app, so you can fully understand the process. App development is complicated and costly so its important to understand the process as best you can. Make sure you know the timescale in which it can be built, and most importantly, how much it will realistically cost. Lots of entrepreneurs underestimate how much it costs to build an application or web app. You can expect to budget at least £10,000 for your product. Don’t worry, you aren’t being ripped off, it really does cost that much! For a more complex app you should be looking to spend around £100,000.

Understand that it will take time

Agencies and developers don’t want to release a product they don’t feel is worthy, this would be a waste of time. Building an app to be proud of takes months. Some people may claim they can create your product in a week or so, but it is worth it to spend more and wait longer. Investing more time, effort and money in the first instance will help you in the long run as you will have less maintenance worries later down the line. If you are building a native app and not a PWA, you will also have to wait for it to pass the regulations and requirements set by the App and Google Play store, and these are pretty strict!

Choose the right platform

Do you want to build a native app or a PWA? Weigh up the options and see which is best for your business. If you go with an agency that can build both platforms, then they should be able to offer advice to you on which you should go for. If you don’t choose the right platform to build your app on then it could limit the number of users you gain or restrict you in terms of features that may be beneficial to your business.

Prioritise your features

Prioritisation of features is essential when it comes to app building. Not all the features you plan to have in your app, in the beginning, will make it into the MVP. This could be because they aren’t available in your budget or simply aren’t viable to build into your app. In order to make sure your app is a success, make sure you think carefully about the features that are essential and which can be left out. Again, if you are using an agency to build your app, they should be able to assist you in this decision and offer guidance into what features are most important for your product to succeed.

The Go Local app had many revisions before being deployed. Features were removed and then reentered into the app. Trialed and tested to get the best possible user experience and seamless interactions. Building an app from scratch is a lot of hard work, but if it’s done correctly, it will all be worth it in the end.