Are you App DIY Do It Yourself prone? Do you have the skills, wit, tech savvy, time and patience to create your own mobile app masterpiece? Before you answer yes, let’s examine what it takes to create your own app.
When it comes to technology, a decade is a lifetime! It’s only been twelve years since the launch of the iPhone but now almost everyone has some sort of hi-technology gadget in their hands. Android, iPhones, tablets, notebooks, laptops, you name it-we can’t get enough of modern technology!
These amazing devices definitely make life easier thanks to the thousands of different applications you can one can easily download from the Internet. It seems like whatever entertainment you’re into or need you may have, there’s an app for it.
It’s worth noting though that not all apps are successful. The apps who make it are high-performing, easy on the eye, user-friendly programs that appeal to a large number of users.
If you launch a popular title, people can also be motivated to buy in-app purchases in your product. The facts above are loud and clear: app development can be quite lucrative.
Take, for example, gaming apps that have successfully invaded the market, people are actually buying it’s in-app purchases just to enjoy an upgraded experience.
There are so many things you can build an app for. Not every idea has been developed. What if you have one that has a good chance of becoming the next big thing?
Should You Create Your Own App?
App development isn’t easy, of course. Still, your app might just be that breakthrough killer app. Don’t believe me? Look up how how Facebook got started.
For most other ideas, everything will be harder. There are two ways to pursue your app creation dreams. Of course, the easiest is to find somebody to do it for you.
There are many tried and proven companies that can do the dirty work needed to develop your app. The not so easy way is to go and do it yourself.
If you are a do-it-yourself type and are seriously considering developing your own app. You should first think about what it takes to successfully develop a decent app. Here are some of the things you need to think about.
Are you a create your own app candidate? Follow along as we cover what’s important about this issue.
App Development Takes Time
How long will it take to create your own app? Building an app will definitely require a lot of time.
Putting together program code, aka ‘coding’ can take a while. On average an Australian coding team takes half a year to put together a fairly basic medium-sized app.
That’s a full crew made up of project managers, designers, and developers. They develop apps for a living. They also, on average, have several years of experience under their belt.
If your mission is to create your own app on the same level as a Facebook, Tik Tok, Pinterest, or Instagram, expect the process to take several years!
Indeed, FB and other heavy duty apps went through years of development and trial and error to get to where they are today, function-wise.
And they aren’t even done. They continually update the app to incorporate the latest industry trends and cutting-edge technology.
So before you start coding your app project yourself, ask yourself if you can give enough time to do this on your own.
If you decide to power through this one, you can start by identifying the things you do with your time and the tasks you can do without.
Can you invest your time?
Because this isn’t just an app, it’s a business you are trying to start. You also need to make certain you can commit to and follow through on your development milestones.
App Development Needs Capital
The next thing you should consider is how much your “create your own app” will cost you.
Naturally, you decided to build your own app because it can save you money. It would be economical if you already have some background in coding.
But, if you are a complete newbie, you have a lot to learn. Learning can be inexpensive or pricey, mostly pricey for the better course.
There is so much to learn from courses available online that can be taken for free. If you have money to spend, it is better spent on one-on-one online tutorials. These are not cheap-they can set you back thousands of dollars.
Another cost you need to consider is harder to pinpoint-your opportunity costs.
That is, the lost opportunity you decide to let go of because you chose to invest your time into building your own app.
Since app programming demands your time, you will be kept from other forms of activities which might actually pay you quite a bit of money.
For example, you can choose to do app development full-time instead of working full-time at a 9 to 5 job and doing your app on your spare time.
If you think you should get someone else to build the app for you, development could go low as $30,000 or as much as $60,000 for a full app. The price can be very hefty, depending on app’s specifications.
For example, your costs can be greatly affected by how you answer the following questions:
- How many screens does your app have?
- What platform will you build it on? Hint: to reach the widest audience possible, you should build your app on both Android and iOS platforms.
- How many features should the app have?
- Should it include third-party API integration? Push notifications?
- Will you include analytics and data tracking?
- How much support do you plan to offer for your app?
- How much maintenance costs will your server infrastructure require?
- What kind of hosting package will you get?
- How many hours of development time do you anticipate?
- How much time will you devote to debugging and performance optimization?
App Development Needs Skills
Building an app requires specialized skills.
A development team, as a rule of thumb, has at least four specialists in it. First are your developers who actually code the guts of the app.
Next are the UI and UX designers who take care of the interface, making sure it’s beautiful, intuitive, and easy to use.
Third are the business analysts and project managers that run the whole team by making sure they work fluidly with each other. Last are the testers who run your product and make sure they work as planned.
Coding isn’t the only thing needed to create your own app.
You have to look at your branding, design work, brand graphics, software and hardware integration, load testing, and debugging.
You will have to run your app through different kinds of gadgets to be sure of maximum functionality. This isn’t just programming-you are actually building a complete business.
App Development Demands Execution
The fourth thing you have to recognize is the need to execute every detail of your plan. Planning is one thing, actually pulling it off successfully is another matter entirely.
Face it, you’re not the first one to think of the same idea for your app.
Most probably, a lot of other people have come up with the same thought. It’s just that, nobody took the time to actually go through the whole development process.
Let’s say you have the means to kick off this journey; you must commit to acquiring the skills needed to accomplish your task. At the very least, you must commit to getting the right help so you can brush up on your skills.
When people get bored or don’t find your app interesting, its too easy for them to uninstall the product you worked so hard to create. Not only should your app be based on a killer idea, it must be a well put together app so users won’t want to delete it so easily.
Never Ending Optimization
App development doesn’t end when you launch your product. In fact, that’s just the beginning of your app development journey.
Apps, like people, need to grow. Facebook and other influential social media apps are ahead in the game because they continually update their programs.
You need to be able to commit to finding ways to upgrade your features. You shouldn’t just focus on keeping up technically but also updating your app’s looks.
Apps need to be able to adapt to the changes happening in the market and keep up with changing consumer tastes.
Moreover, applications need to prevent attacks from viruses and fix bugs that can threaten its functionality. So, after introducing your app, you should be prepared for the maintenance it demands in order to stay in the game.
That’s a lot of future development and coding work you need to commit to.
To sum up it takes a lot to create your own app. Technically, there are a lot of skills you need to master in order to make your product work seamlessly.
It will take a lot of time, effort and commitment to create your own app and then progress forward into app monetization. You also need to make sure that you understand App Store Keywords and App Store Keyword Ranking. Building apps is a lucrative business if you are good at it. Are you ready to create your own app?
