Mobile devices, especially smartphones, have witnessed an explosion in popularity to become the most dominant communication tool. The shift to mobile phone use is attributable to many factors ranging from affordability, convenience, and portability of these devices. 

Small businesses and start-up ventures can undoubtedly leverage mobile app development to grow their online visibility and reach more clients. However, many small and medium ventures often find it challenging to develop mobile apps that differentiate their ventures from competitors. 

Kapsys works with small and medium businesses to create mobile software solutions that increase client conversion rates and refine user experience while reducing operating costs. Below we share our top tips that small business proprietors should consider when designing mobile apps.

1. Keep the development process easy

In mobile app development, it helps to clarify what the app intends to achieve and how it will make life easier for everyone involved. After working out the app's purpose, you need to decide what features to include to achieve the app's overall objective.

Start by establishing what gaps or problems you intend to solve and build your app features around them. Focus on creating a solution that differentiates your business from the other industry players. Make it clear to app users how your software solution trumps other existing applications. For example, consider highlighting the speed of product or service delivery, quality of user experience, and payment options available to users.

At Kapsys, we work with small business owners to streamline the development process using simple app management tools. Our tailor-made management tools help keep all your applications well organized and ensure the smooth running of daily business tasks.

2. Find your target audience

Niche and target audience discovery can be challenging to crack, especially for small and start-up businesses. Savvy business managers often start by understanding their operating environment during the planning phase. Mobile app development becomes easier once you know your ideal customer. It's likely that your ideal target group is already enlisted with a competitor's apps. You, therefore, need to lure your target market using enticing features to ensure they switch to your mobile platform. To earn their attention, you need to locate your target group and discover their needs. Customer surveys are a great target audience discovery tool. Find out where your ideal customer spends most of their time. Are they on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram? Are they android or IOS users, or are they spread across both platforms? Pay special attention to customer feedback on your competitor's sites. Find out what apps or features resonate with their needs and include them in your business's app platform.

3. Assemble a development team

With innovations coming out each year, it's easy for small businesses to get lost in the online space. To avoid getting lost in the crowd, consider enlisting professional software development technicians to help with your mobile app design and interface. Depending on your budget or business needs, you can hire development teams full-time or on contractual terms. Whatever choice you make, it's essential to build trust and forge solid mutual relationships to ensure a win-win situation for the business and its target group. When hiring development teams, it helps to consider their experience, competence, degree of future app support, and maintenance. Hiring the right team ensures quality mobile app development and timely resolution of any emerging app issues. Having worked with hundreds of small business owners, you can trust Kapsys to deliver an exceptional mobile app that aligns with your customer needs and business goals.

4. Build great app design

A poor app design and horrible user experience can leave a bad first impression on your customers and affect your business's growth trajectory. While aesthetics and visual appeal are important, having too many bells and whistles can complicate app navigation and put off your target users. Instead, development teams together with UI/UX designers should concentrate their efforts on delivering the desired end product and streamlining how users interact with the app by creating great app design. Given the low attention span of the modern customer, your software solution needs to generate value within the first 15 seconds of interaction. Incorporate the latest design trends to ensure consumers get the most out of the app in the fewest clicks. Choose outlines and animations that are relevant to your industry. Capture your target users by incorporating personalized designs and pop-up chat boxes.

5. Adhere to your budget

While it's understandable to want to cut costs during the initial stages of a start-up business, a suitable mobile app development budget can yield satisfying results in the long run. Though it's possible to achieve success with a small budget, you are more likely to realize better outcomes with a high app development budget. Set aside a realistic amount for your mobile app and adhere to it throughout the development and implementation phases. Your budget needs will depend on who you hire for your mobile app development project. Dedicated app development companies may require huge upfront fees hence the need to discuss your budget limits and flexibility with developing teams during the hiring process. If possible, you can agree on staggered payments that fall due after crucial milestones in the app development process. Alternatively, you can cut costs by hiring experts on contract terms rather than full-time basis.

6. Make sure to test internally

While some app developers may recommend leaving the app testing to consumers, it's in your business's best interests to test drive the app internally before making it available to users. Internal Preliminary testing allows the in-house development team to pick up bugs and unresponsive features before end-users discover them. The last thing you want is customers publishing negative comments about the horrible app experience in the customer review section. Such remarks can dent the business brand and further derail the business growth prospects. It's advisable to delegate Software testing and review to support teams who understand how the app works and what it intends to achieve. Business owners should equip app review teams with the appropriate testing tools for best results. When releasing beta versions to customers for preliminary testing, it's essential to keep customer support teams on standby to handle user queries.

7. Deploy quickly

Speed is an important factor in the customer engagement process. Like the company website, the mobile app development should guarantee quick launch and responsiveness. Apps with slow loading times will likely put off most online shoppers. Bugs and unpolished user interfaces are the primary culprits behind launching delays in mobile applications. Testing launch speed and working on app responsiveness during the beta phase is essential. Additionally, the app should download quickly and hassle-free. Bulky apps take longer to download and may put off online users. Make your apps less bulky by including only the necessary features and a smooth UI.

8. Optimize your app for the app store

Making the mobile app compatible with multiple app stores increases the app's visibility and ranking compared to competing apps. Enabling app compatibility over multiple platforms widens your small business's online presence to reach a more extensive customer base. Appstore optimization (ASO) can lead to more app downloads and allow your small business to grow organically at your competitors' expense. Like search engine optimization (SEO) in content marketing, app developers need to know keywords that apply to their respective industries. More importantly, the icons and animations present in the app should resonate well with your target audience. Lastly, app developers should integrate website links in mobile apps to boost traffic to the business website and vice versa.

9. Don't neglect branding

Mobile app development is an excellent tool for creating brand awareness and establishing a loyal customer base. The app's name and the icon should align with the overall business marketing strategy. If the app's name or icons are similar to existing apps, it might confuse or mislead your target users and hurt your business brand. Choose a catchy and creative app name that stands out from other competing mobile apps. Research thoroughly when picking names for your mobile application. It's advisable to include the business logo and branding within the app platform.

10. App pricing

Pricing often plays a significant role in any mobile app development success. As a small business owner, you have the option to offer free or paid versions of your mobile app. Free app versions are attractive to users but can be unsuitable for businesses, especially if the app has high development costs. It's essential to consider the return on investment when deciding whether to make the app accessible for free or to include subscription fees.

Conclusion

Kapsys offers comprehensive custom software development solutions that address the specific needs of small business owners. You can count on our dedicated software development teams to provide tailor-made app optimization and IT integration services to align with your business objectives. Kapsys' wealth of experience in software development enables us to offer digital solutions that reduce operating costs while guaranteeing consumer satisfaction. Get in touch with our experts today to enjoy futuristic software solutions that will propel your small business to greater heights.