As an app developer considering launching a new app and you intend dominating your app niche then you need to read this from top to bottom so that you don’t end up as I did.
Before we proceed, I would like to share my experience so that you can get a grasp about what I mean by the topic:
One of the projects I worked on was created for designers. We had big plans of revolutionizing design workflow with the intent of providing them with an app on their iPads. It came with a lot of benefits such as rendering them the ability to click images, take screenshots, make drawings on their iPads, and other various features. The app was tested with designers from big name brands and everything seemed and appeared to have worked out fine; until we released the app. It turned out to be that the audience we tested the app on was the wrong type of audience. The app was meant for designers working in publishing houses and not big brand software companies. They did not own an iPad nor did it fit in their design workflow. Their workflow was their iMacs and probably their notepads where they had some stuff scribbled into. At the end of it all, we didn’t even get any valid feedback whatsoever that could help us improve the app. We would have made it faster, better, and provided much more value had we built it for iMacs as software.
With this, I believe you now have knowledge of what I am talking about. So one of the first things to do is profiling your target audience. Creating an accurate profile of the audience or users you are trying to target is essentially other than simply understanding the kind of people that fit in your niche. Once you have known the kind of people in your niche, it is also important to know how many of them are there which can be easily done using the Google keyword search tool. With that, you get an approximation of the size of your audience.
It doesn’t end there though. You still have to understand your audience through surveys asking questions like what their pain points are and how they would like to have them solved, the type of features they expect to see in the app that would help them, and so on. At first, it may seem like a waste of time but it is worth the time.
Another advisable step to take is differentiating your app’s features; true, your app might have many competitors or would have many potential competitors. But if you want to prevail then your own app must have a feature different from what your competitors have to offer one way or the other. Take Tinder and eHarmony for example now; they both offer the same services and target the same audience but you don’t see them bearing the same design or anything similar. Also, you must have heard of Snapchat’s ‘My story’ and Instagram Stories; both similar but obviously different features. Just stick to features that you know matches the kind of audience you are targeting.
Lastly, I usually suggest Investing in Branding; the right branding for a particular niche is what represents the tone for the app and it’s kind of audience. It wouldn’t be wise to find neon-colored tabs and funny cartoon characters as an interface for a real estate app. So it is advisable you invest more in niche-focused type of branding that carries the kind of message you want your user on the other end to see and feel. Brandings, where your investments should go into in this case, include colors, app name, user interface, user experience, and last but not the least which is content & messaging. If you wish, then you can also work on a very smart marketing strategy which I believe will pay off.
Having your mobile app user niche and focusing on the right aspects will definitely save you time and money as a developer. Doing this, you also gain more effectiveness in the app store with an increment in rates of conversion; all of which come without you having a cause to increase effort.
Top comments (0)