10 insights to get from your client before building their app

“Do what today others won’t, so tomorrow, you can do what others can’t.” Brian Rogers Loop

App development services sell like a hot cake in the tech industry, and this is why app development is in demand since the rise of mobile apps. With iOS and Android app stores fueled with over 58,00,000 apps, the future of apps seems to shine more by every passing day.

Coming on to the fact that a million of app development companies operate worldwide, only hundreds of them are popular globally, and the reason is simple – their proactiveness and different approach. App development companies excel because of their futuristic app scope, robust and flexible app development process.

For the fact, building an app is a critical process, and one has to know an app inside-out before building and making it to the app market. Asking the right questions chips in the relevant answers and to kill all confusions revolving in your mind, below are the top insights to get from a client before building an app.

An excellent app sounds like?

Every product has an idea, a story behind it and this is the very first question to ask of a client. By asking about their idea of an excellent app, you will eventually grasp the essence of that app.

It won’t only help you in deciding the look, feel and functionalities of an app but it would most probably bring in a USP from the client that he wants to integrate into his app.

By knowing the core story and idea, you can be more focused and exact while developing an excellent app for your client.

The niche of the app including its target user base

The target audience needs to be defined before hitting the first key to develop an app. Apps are designed using a user-centric approach in mind. Asking about the niche of an app automatically decides the half-path of an app.

The rest is done while inquiring about the usability of an app including what problems does it solve for its users and what value does it create in their daily life routine.

Moreover, knowing about the user base will make you land into app platforms that are to be focused on while developing the app.

Desired features and functionalities

Along with compelling content, apps include enhanced features and functionalities such as social media integration, geo-location, lead generation, AR/VR, connectivity, etc. Additionally, the scalable features include various widgets, forms, native maps, click to call functions, limited access, etc.

Ask your client about his requirements and especially, his scope for his app. Before going into the app development phase, you need to have all the cards placed rightly on the table or else. You may end up building a non-performing app.

Journey and UX/UI of an app

Modern world apps are all about user journey that mostly includes user experience and user interface. From the way an app starts till it gets closed, every screen, feature an element that comes in between is a part of the user journey.

Being this important, one has to ask for the user journey a client wants so that the path of development for the design and app layout team gets decided and in future, there shouldn’t be any confusions regarding the usability and experience of an app.

Budget along with the deadline

One of the most crucial parts of app development is asking its budget. While clients want to integrate every tiny feature into an app, their budget isn’t according to the effort to be put in. After that you have a crystal clear idea of an app, now is the time to tap the budget key.

It is an extremely tedious process to decide an app’s budget as the projects are often scalable that means it to include more features, hosting costs, optimizations, and tweaks.

Still, take an idea of an app’s budget and do not forget to ask the deadline. They hold critical value, and no one likes to wait to launch their app.

Are there any inspirations and what about the competitors?

One of the great ways to get into the skin of a project is to know about its inspirations and competitors. What app designs inspire a client and are there any competition for the app.

Knowing about the inspiration isn’t about plagiarizing or copying an app’s feel, it is for the better understanding before developing an app.

You must be thinking how on earth can someone asked if there is any competition. Obviously, there will be lots of competitors in the same niche. The catch is – you should only consider apps that are considered as opponents by the client.

Business goals of an app

Apps are of various types including internal apps that are designed to be used within the organization to increase workplace productivity and employee efficiency. Apps are also designed as a product that is used to rake in fame and fortune. Another type of apps are platforms that are used by the masses.

Every app has unique business goals, and this has to be inquired before developing an app so that it is built with a start to end approach that fulfills its business goals.

Metrics to cover and provide

Data metrics are essential for the client as they depict the performance of an app. You must inquire about the metrics a client needs. They may include the number of app downloads including the platforms, count of active users, most used features, etc.

The other data you can provide to your client includes the frequency of app usage, session lengths, transactions or sales done through the app, etc. Your role to provide all the core insights, numbers and counts related to the app is crucial, and if done rightly, your client is more likely to become a recurring one.

Does the app include monetization?

ROI (Return on investment) is a popular jargon in the tech industry these days, and there is a reason attached to it. Earning through Apps is the current trend, and this is why, a majority of apps include monetization features such as staged payment, in-app purchases, web purchases, monetization via app traffic, etc.

You must get an insight of whether the scope of an app includes the flexible and scalable app monetization features or else. Knowing this major feature before building an app will eventually save you from spending extra time and effort in future.

MVP and Pre-launch of an app

You should convince your client to think for a long-term benefit, and this includes building an MVP (Minimum viable product) first. It won’t only help you in scaling up the app with the passage of time, but it would definitely bring in reviews from the masses. This will help you in building a professional and better app for your client.

Secondly, soft-launch is another professional way of getting user reviews and testing an app before its official launch. Ask your clients about both of these options and try to convince them. By this way, it will be more feasible for you to hunt bugs and reviews could be gathered by a majority of the target audience.

There is more to it

Before initiating the app development process, make sure that you have all the aforementioned insights written on paper. Moving on from the core insights, there are other aspects attached to the app development process that should be crystal clear before developing an app.

The aspects include legal issues and an NDA contract, risks that are attached with the mobile app build, knowing about the major stakeholders of the app, staging and breaking the app development process into multiple sprints, the scope of app release, assumptions attached to the app, app marketing, and the list just goes on.

While you may ask the above-mentioned aspects, it is essential to get core insights of an app. Asking all the questions at the start will empower you to create a chart-topping app for the client.

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