Many businesses nowadays realize they need to get their own mobile application to get closer to the audience and make the process of product and service delivery easier and more professional. If you’ve just found out you are among these guys, you need to realize that mobile application development, as any operational process, has its difficulties for the developers and the clients. For general information and the main requirement to initiate the process of mobile development, consult. As you always need to be forewarned to keep forearmed, you need to take into account any possible pitfalls that can occur during the application development process. The purpose of this kind of awareness is not to make yourself refuse a single idea of ordering the mobile app. You just need to know what obstacles can affect the time, cost, and quality of app development the executing company can omit during the project presentation. So, here we are going to analyze all the risks and pitfalls that may happen at different stages of mobile development.
Common Mobile Development Pitfalls to Avoid
1. Discovery phase inaccuracy
The mobile app, even if you are planning to use the same features and functions each and every app in your industry possesses, needs three main steps to be fulfilled before the development process starts. They are creating a detailed description of what you want to get in the end, the choice of the developer, and the project plan definition. In the first step, you should understand that if you want any kind of option, think about it now. Many clients start with the thought they need “just a simple mobile app”, and in the process of development after the scope of the project is defined, start adding or removing its features, which will certainly lead to cost changes and may affect the terms of the development process significantly. So, always think carefully about what to require at the very beginning. Choosing a web developer might also hide a lot of pitfalls you’ll never realize before you start. First of all, look for a company or a sole professional with a proven experience and certain expertise in the field. Make sure they have enough resources to deliver the order on time and finalize the cost accurately at the very beginning of your cooperation. Project plan defining is a very important step, as the incorrect requirements discovery may lead to the wrong choice of technologies to be chosen, as a result, multiple challenges for the developer and extra costs for you.
2. Multi-platform design challenges
Of course, you need to have your future mobile app appropriate for all the clients unrestrictive of what kind of platform they use on their smartphones. Experts in the field do not recommend initiating the development process for multiple platforms. It’s always better to start with one, check all the processes of development, test it properly before, within, and after the launching, and then expand the final version for other platforms. So, here you will need the elementary audience analysis, and studying their mobile platform preferences. It’s always important how to start any new step in the business. So, check the platform popularity to accurately predict the application success and its possible challenges, and to make your expectations of the launching process clearer.
3. Wrong choice of design
You can hardly think about the totally unique mobile application in most cases. Of course, you’ll be inspired by someone who has already developed a successful and popular mobile application. But make sure you understand that not only UI matters but the UX behind it is also the thing you should care about. The design must underline the application and company uniqueness. On the other hand, it must be user-friendly enough to make the audience like it and switch from the applications they have been using and never leave you to go back. Choose the most suitable colors, applicable for your brand identity, requirements of the industry, needs, and the general mood of your future users. The form of the menu matters, the same as the correct location of all the functional buttons. So, discuss the design of the future app in detail before you start. Because a single change you might need to apply in the middle of the process can make the job of developers more difficult and create additional pressure on your pocket.
4. Complicated app login
Here we need to think about a couple of mistakes regarding the login process of your future users. First of all, there’s a big mistake many mobile apps have that makes the audience abandon the application at the very start of usage. It’s when you ask them to register before they have even seen what your app is about. This fact makes the majority of clients give up even before they have tried all the potential benefits of your app, and this is not what you need. Besides, some applications have a really complicated login design that can confuse the users. Be careful about limiting the app access by making it possible only via social media accounts. Adding this feature to the login options is a must, but you need to think about users who are not active on any social network and provide them with the same easy ways to log in; including smb encryption.
5. Not engaging application
Even if you represent a kind of serious business, there’s no reason to ignore the importance of application engagement. It should be annoying for future users. So, make it attractive enough not to get them tired of the monotonous design and functionality. On the other hand, if you provide sharing options, don’t let them bother the user in the process of performing the main actions within the application. In-app messages and notifications must be helpful, not disturbing. If you are thinking about adding any advertising notifications, make sure they are not making the process of the app usage complicated, and they won’t interrupt the users or irritate them. Respect the personal space of the audience and their need to feel comfortable using your future app.
