Top 5 Mistakes App Entrepreneurs Make During App Development

5 mistakes to avoid to turn your app idea into a business in less time that it takes you to eat asparagus.

Over 50% of apps that hit the app store, do not succeed. The problem most entrepreneurs face when working with a developer is inexperience. There is an array of processes and strategies to implement in order to gain audience acceptance in the market. Constraining your app to template based design, overused API and cookie cutter marketing strategies actually diminishes your chance and opportunity to stick out from the sea of apps and become a unique company of your own. There is no one size all method, but there are definitely five top mistakes I see new app developers and entrepreneurs make and I want to share them with you.

1. Simplicity is key

Most of the mobile apps fail in the market because they add too many features early on, what I like to call “luxury features” or “nice to have features”. Apps that are designed and developed with simplicity have a greater potential to sustain in the market. Users spend a short amount of time checking out a new app. Providing too many features will drive them away, as the features may make the app look and feel complicated.

The goal of entrepreneurs should be to keep the users glued to the app. This is possible by incorporating essential features on the primary screen and the rest of the features to secondary screens. This strategy not only keeps the app simple but attracts new users too. The app users will not show interest if the design and features are overwhelming, resulting in them discarding the app for good and you typically only get one shot to impress so you want to make sure your are introducing something new for early adopters to latch onto. Hence, it is important to develop apps with this in mind.

2. Forgetting the 'WOW' factor

The WOW factor is what gives you an unfair advantage against potential competitors, or what sets you apart as a entity in itself. For tinder, it was the swipe left and right design & functionality. For dropbox it was the ability to compress data better than anyone else and keep it in the cloud for access anywhere around the map. For instagram, it was a social media platform dedicated solely to sharing pictures. What is yours going to be?

Another element of the wow factor is a fluid user experience. The number of mobile app users is expected to reach 200 million by the year 2020. Seeing the increasing number of mobile app users, App Stores, like Android and Apple have set the bar high with the design and user experience in mind. They are raising the bar as to who and what gets through to their store. So, if you give your Smartphone to a child and he or she doesn’t understand how to use your app, then you are doing it wrong. The app store won’t accept it and the user will give up on your app if it is even slightly difficult to use.

App developers should understand this difference and build extra-ordinary mobile apps with stunning features and functionality. As soon as the user launches the app, there should be a 'wow' factor that gets the users hooked.

3. Inflexible marketing plan

App development and app marketing are two important phases of building a successful app. However, entrepreneurs tend to show more interest in development compared to app marketing. As the App Stores are crowded with millions of apps, your app may not be discovered on the app store even on the day of launch if you fail to market it properly. Entrepreneurs should think of a perfect marketing plan as the app is being developed. Apps can be marketed in multiple ways by creating a clear strategy of the target audience and their preferences.

If we look at social media, we understand how drastically it has changed in recent years. Marketing goals are changing from time to time, as a result of which what is working today may not work tomorrow. Entrepreneurs should create a flexible marketing plan that accommodates current and future market situations. By being flexible with own marketing strategies, app entrepreneurs can stay ahead of others.

4. Putting all your eggs in one basket

Technology and marketing are ever evolving, which means a single strategy will not generate the same results. If you see the development and marketing plan of the top 10 best mobile apps, you will see how they used technology to market their apps. The marketing channels they used earlier were entirely different from that of the channels they are using now. It means entrepreneurs should diversify their marketing efforts to ensure that they are not putting all the efforts in one basket. Focusing on one tactic for long period may diminish the returns.

My advice is to consider marketing plans as investment strategies. If you want a steady increase in popularity & profitability of the mobile app, you need a healthy mix of marketing tactics. Trying new marketing tactics and plucking the ones that are no longer effective will increase the popularity of the app.

5. Ignoring the audience and not releasing updates

As an app entrepreneur, you should understand the fact that you are developing a mobile app for the people. We all know that people have different needs and preferences, and it is difficult to develop an app for everyone. It is essential to define a target audience before defining the features of apps. Before developing an app check what actual users want and what type of solution they prefer.

Even after developing an app that has demand in the industry, there will be people who are unsatisfied with the features or performance of the app. The job of an app entrepreneur doesn't end with development and marketing. The mobile app should be improved on a regular basis according to the user's preferences. Once the bugs are fixed, an update must be released so that audiences are aware of the fixes.

Developing a great mobile app is not an easy task. There are lots of hurdles that come across while developing and marketing the app. By avoiding the above-listed mistakes while developing and marketing the app you will increase the chances of creating a successful app that is covered by the press and is well monetized.