Application Development: 5 Steps to Success

Think about Instagram, Twitter, Uber, Photoshop – each of these have left behind a legacy, and become household names seemingly overnight. This article outlines 5 steps to Success in Application Development.

When I became the youngest ever winner of the UN’s Global Young Innovators Competition, I discovered the remarkable world of innovation, and just how transformative and impactful well designed applications can be for the immediate user and the world around them.

For the newcomer to this exciting field, here are some things I have a better understanding of now that I wish I knew at the beginning:

Your approach can be unorthodox, but it should still be strategic:

Application development is defined as a process (see below) in which one creates a computer program (or a bunch of them), to perform the different tasks that your business needs. It can vary in complexity: “calculate 1+1”, or generate fully automated sequential processes which optimize workflows and increase efficiency. 

Despite the wide range of “applications” your app can have, there’s a tried-and-tested approach to follow when developing it:

1. Have an awesome idea!
2. Design it.
3. Test it.
4. Bring it to the world.
5. Make it better.

Pretty simply, hey? 

Let’s elaborate on those steps a little.

Have an awesome idea

Here are three driving questions for you – What is the existing problem your application tries to solve? Who will benefit from your solution? Why is it better than what’s already out there?

Did you know that chicken incubators existed almost 200 years before baby incubators? People looked at the exact same thing being used in chicken incubators, for 200 years, and thought, “Nah, it’d never work” (thanks for the lesson, Ryan!). The point is, society should be incrementally improving (at the very least), and you could be the person to do it. If you identify something that can be improved, make it happen on a large scale.

Design it

When someone’s talking about “creating apps” they might not only be talking about smartphones here! Application Development can take many forms:

• Custom Application Development
• Rapid Application Development
• Low-Code Application Development
• Mobile Application Development
• Database Application Development
• Enterprise Application Development 

I’ll be expanding on each of those in a follow up blog post. Sign up for our newsletter at the footer here to stay in the loop. 

Knowing which approach to take can help facilitate your Application Development and ensure your solution is optimized for delivery and performance. Speak to your local app developers to learn which solution is best for you. 

After you’ve have your software developed, knowing how to take it to the next level is key. 

Test It

Having a functioning product is one step. Having a compelling, easy to understand user interface is another! During the testing phase you’re going to want to push your app to the limit. 

High quality app building takes time (as do most good things) and a software application is only as good as the testing that’s gone into it. “Testing” isn’t only about the the product in and of itself, but more importantly about how the world will receive it, which bring me to the next point:

Bring it to the world

Marketing. Testing. Marketing and testing some more! When you have a stellar product, it’s important that you have a solid game plan for launch. 

Which platforms will it be on? Which countries? Who is your target audience? How will you be bringing it to market? Are all your certificates, plugins and licenses in order? Overall, most of these questions will have been answered provided you have an accompanying business plan. 

Make it better

Once your app is being downloaded and used by hundreds to thousands of people, inevitably feedback – both positive and negative – will be pouring in. Are you equipped to handle it (consider our reputation management plans). You need to be ready and able to quickly and tactfully address all incoming complaints, and steady the ship on its incredible journey to success. 

For more information on application development, consider visiting our headquarters in Darien, CT, or phoning (203) 903-1225. We look forward to hearing from you! 

Timothy McDermott – Noble House Media