Where To Start When You Have An Idea For An App

In 2009, Apple rolled out the iconic slogan “there’s an app for that”. to promote the multitude of applications users could download from its App Store. The internet has changed quite a bit since that time and users’ needs for specific applications have evolved and changed along with it as the affordability and availability of technology have proliferated. This progression means that there may come a time when you come up with an app idea that might have some legs. Provided below is a step-by-step breakdown of what to do if you think you have a winning app idea.

Table of Contents

Research

The very first thing you should do if you realize “I have an app idea, where do I start to make it a reality?” is to see if any software outlets, like Google Play or Apple’s App Store, already offer apps that cover your particular niche idea. If it turns out that there is an app that already has a great deal of overlap with your particular notion, refocus your efforts and focus on how your version is unique from the others. On the other hand, if you can find nothing that truly syncs up with your app idea, then you can go ahead with the next step in turning an idea into an actual product.

Actualization

Once you have verified that your app idea still has merit, there are several steps you should pursue to bring it to life. The very first step is to write your app idea down. Once the idea is written down, you can assess its merits, flaws, and difficulties; the more time you spend mulling over moving your idea beyond the concept stage, the more robust you can grow it.

After you have figured out the rough draft of what the app does and how it is unique from others, your next step will be to figure out a customer base. You have an idea but now you need to figure out what sort of people would be willing to engage with that idea. After you have figured out your demographic, think over a list of features that those people would be interested in for your app.

The next step in actualizing an app after discerning your demographics and features is figuring out how you plan to monetize it. You might require a one-time fee, a subscription, multiple subscriptions with different tiers and broader features, rely solely upon ad revenue, or eschew capitalism altogether and make it completely free.

Once you have all of the idea work done, you should begin working on mockups of the app. Figure out what sort of development needs you have, how to develop traffic for your app, and investigate which forms of software might best suit your particular situation. When it comes to shopping around for software, consider your budget, developer experience, timetable for making the app, and how much support the app will need once it becomes real. The last step is estimating the total cost for your app and how best to market it.

Test Your App

While you could certainly pay a development house to actualize your app, it turns out that there are a handful of programs and websites that will allow you to plug in your code and test its UI and UX. There are even several no-code app builders on the web that have been engineered to allow people with plenty of ideas, but practically no coding know-how, to achieve at least a rough idea of what their app might look like when it goes onto whichever app marketplaces you choose to make it available. YouTube and Reddit are also great reserves of information for guiding people with low-level coding experience into creating an app that feels feasible and looks presentable.

Finalizing Things

People come up with apps all the time. They get an idea for an app, research any potential competition from other apps, then flesh the idea out into a fully-featured one and run its prototype through multiple design models. Once all of those steps have been completed and it seems like the app can also remain a sustainable and successful endeavor for its creators, creators then investigate app marketplaces to offer it on. Nothing is stopping you from doing the same but yourself.