5 Things You Need to Know Before Developing Your First Mobile App

Many hopeful entrepreneurs these days are hoping to hit the big time by way of a mobile app, and for good reason: The mobile app market is easy to break into (there are no education or experience requirements), mobile apps are in high demand, there are multiple markets in which mobile apps can be sold, and for successful mobile apps, the return on investment is huge. Here are five things you need to know before creating your first mobile app:

Creating a Mobile App Will Cost You

At the bare minimum, you will have to spend somewhere around $10,000 just to get a very basic app up and running; however, you should expect to spend at least twice that amount for a decent, marketable app.

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You Will Need a Team

Mobile app development requires the knowledge and skill of programmers and web designers - experts that both get paid the big bucks to do what they do. You will have to put some time and diligence into choosing professionals who will enthusiastically back your project, and who will stick around long enough to see your mobile app to its finest form.

What You Should Charge

This may be very difficult, as charging too much might alienate a segment of the market, while charging too little could undercut your bottom line unnecessarily. There is no magic formula for pricing your app. As a matter of fact, if your app is designed specifically to help your customers shop your site and make purchases, then you may want to give it away for free. A good rule of thumb is to start at an initial price and then tweak it occasionally to see how it affects your revenue, keeping in mind that it's much easier to lower the price than it is to raise it.

You Must Beta-Test

Before you unleash your new app on the world, you need to make sure it is glitch-free. The best way to do this is to run it in beta mode and offer it to people who are willing to give you regular feedback that you can use to make necessary adjustments. This is not a simple process, as you will have to find testers, as well as a means for providing updates for the beta version of your app.

Create Your App in a Variety of Platforms

If you want to make your app available to all of the smartphone users out there, then you will have to offer it in an array of platforms (Android and iOS, for example). Each platform is a little different, so you will have to put a lot of time into making them equal in regards to functionality and aesthetic.

If you want to try your hand at launching your very own mobile app, then you should know that it won't be all fun and games. Consider these points when breaking into the mobile app market.