Having a mobile app dedicated to your business can be a real added value to develop your sales, share important information and above all be connected to your users and customers.
Hyper-connected and always looking to simplify our lives, the mobile application has become an essential part of our daily lives.
Practical, useful or entertaining, they've impossed their necessity and made themselves indispensable. It is therefore relevant to ask yourself and your company whether it makes sense for you or your company to create your own mobile business application!
What are the needs of a mobile application?
This is the first question you will have to ask yourself in order to avoid going down a dead-end road. Why is it important to create a mobile application? Try to ask yourself if it meets a real need and if other applications are not already good solutions to this expectation.
Finally, if there is a multitude of applications in the same niche as yours, you risk seeing it drown in the blinds. It must be the answer to a real problem you have identified. In short, "I'm stuck to achieve something" or "I need to connect quickly to such and such a sign but for the moment it's not possible".
We can also think of mobile applications for sports or yoga classes that abound and for which we will have to fight to impose them.
Try to be unique and innovative! Usefulness must be strong to succeed in occupying an important place in the daily life of its user. It is also a good way to federate users. Let's think of mobile running applications that encourage users to compare their results with the community. Applications have become a privileged link between the user and its creator, but also with the rest of the users.
In just a few seconds, you get in touch with your banker, order the latest pair of trendy sneakers and send a message via professional messaging. The mobile application also has a strong value proposition. A subtle marketing strategy, it must evolve with the user's needs.
With Otimbi Labs, you will have the opportunity to work with high-performance professionals who will accompany you in the creation process and help you to detail the specifications of your mobile application.
Define the target and the framework of use of your mobile application
In order to create a mobile application that will have impact and find its audience, it is essential that you identify your target audience. Young people, parents or seniors? Not all applications are designed for the same types of people. What message do you want to get across? Which age groups will be interested in your app's proposals?
Take the time to ask yourself these questions so as not to put a sword in the water. Developing a mobile application can be time consuming and impact your budget. It's important that you determine who the application may be of interest to.
Once you've selected your favorite target audience, now imagine how your audience will use this mobile app! Some apps are only useful at home, such as a cooking recipe app. But others are more intended for outdoor use such as GPS applications.
You have to project yourself in the way the user will use this application and the constraints that will come with it. Try to "live the application"! How do you imagine the use of the mobile application? This is the best way to meet the needs of future users.
Choosing the right platform and technology
This is where the previous question makes sense! Depending on the type of use of the mobile application, you will also define the type of technology used. To do this, ask yourself when it will be used the most. For use at home, it may be relevant that it is accessible on a tablet.
On the other hand, if it is intended for outdoor use, it is better to focus on the smartphone that is easier to move around. It is also important to consider whether it will be more convenient to play the media vertically or horizontally.
Will you opt for multi-platform or native development? Again, it all depends on the target you want to aim for. Native development ensures better quality and optimized potential of the mobile application. But the cross-platform option is a broader development vector for the application. You need to gauge the performance, speed but also the scalability of your mobile application.
Choosing an ergonomic interface
The use of the app must be simple to understand and intuitive. If the user has to complete many steps before reaching what he came for, he may get tired of using it and not come back, or even opt for a competing mobile application.
Be pragmatic and don't overload the main interface of your mobile application. It is convenient to be able to design the interface as you imagine it and to plan one or more pages according to your needs.
The application will evolve as your target's needs change. It is wise to anticipate these potential modifications so that you don't get stuck with an application unable to change and become more efficient. If other applications exist, you can rely on what they offer while detecting the little extra that will make the difference.
Need to connect to your mobile application?
The best promoter of your mobile application will be the user himself! Don't neglect the social networking axis and the possibility to share information from your mobile application. A record made on a bike loop can be found in a few clicks on Facebook or Twitter while making you a free advertisement. The creation of a personal profile helps you to legally collect information about the people who use your application but also to identify new prospects.
The privileged link of the mobile application with your audience invites you to enter into a certain intimacy on a daily basis. Users visit your application when they need it and feel no intrusion into their personal lives.
The user experience becomes positive and offers a modern image of your company. It is a low-cost mobile marketing that has as much impact as a large, more widespread campaign. Also think about the need to pay for a service or purchase a product. The user must be able to pay with methods he knows and trusts.
To refine the project of creating a mobile business application, do not hesitate to call on Otimbi Labs' professionals who will listen to your expectations and accompany you in the realization of your mobile application.
