The 6 Crucial Steps in Building a Killer App

So let’s say you have decided that your business needs a boost. Maybe you’ve got a nagging problem to solve or unearthed a fantastic new opportunity.

So what is it that you need?

You need a killer app.

Depending on your goals, a killer app can enable you to streamline workflows, enhance customer engagement, improve automation and even increase sales. By almost any measure, they are a solid investment in the future of your business.

But how do you ensure that your new app “kills” instead of leaving your users disinterested and your business objectives in shambles? What are the gotchas that lurk in a typical app development lifecycle and can derail your project?

Glad you asked because this piece will guide you through the six critical steps in developing a killer app that will exceed your expectations and amaze and delight your users. And we’ll provide insightful guidance on how to nail each one successfully.

The six steps and how to nail each one

For best results, follow the steps sequentially except for testing. Ideally, testing and quality assurance (QA) should be baked in and extend through the entire application lifecycle.

Identify the problem or opportunity

The first and perhaps most meaningful step in building your app is identifying a problem to solve or an opportunity to exploit. And in some happy situations, you may be able to do both in one fell swoop.

When scoping your app, don’t let your vision be limited by what you perceive may be possible. Let your imagination run free and enlist team members for ideas and input. Challenge assumptions and reject any tendency to cling to old ways of doing things.

With an expert development team armed with the latest technology, you will be pleasantly surprised by how relatively easy it is to design and build incredible apps. So think big and go for it.

Assemble the team

Your development team can include internal resources, a custom software development firm, contact programmers, or a combination of the three. It all depends on your staffing levels and their expertise, budget, and timeframe.

For companies looking to develop a killer app as quickly, outsourcing as much of the project as possible to an experienced custom development agency is the best choice. They will have no learning curve on the latest technologies and can focus exclusively on your app, while internal resources tend to have competing priorities and limited bandwidth.

However you build your team, it’s essential to have them in place as early as possible in the process and before your app’s design. Once on board, they can play a crucial role or even take the lead in the design phase.

Design the app

Once you’ve settled on a vision for your app and what you’d like it to do, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and dive into the design phase. This critical step provides the structure for your app and marching order for your developers.

Your app can take many forms, but your design should incorporate your vision and distill it into a detailed Statement of Work (SoW) that your development team will use to build your project.

Inherent in the design phase is the discovery process, wherein you seek input from the development team, your business managers, and, ideally, prospective users. Continue to stretch your expectations and ask that all stakeholders do the same.

Code the app

At this stage, your development team begins the vital work of coding the app. While the development team carries most of the load at this stage, the involvement of all parties is still needed to develop the best app possible.

Use established collaboration channels to communicate with the development team. Ask for reviews or demos of new functionality as it’s released or a sprint is completed.

Attend stand-up meetings to monitor the development process, and don’t be shy to provide input where needed. While your developers’ expertise is vital to your app’s success, your involvement is also.

Test the app

Traditionally, testing and QA have often been seen as discrete processes or functions when all coding has been completed. And while a post-development testing step is still important to build a killer app, integrated testing throughout the application life-cycle is now considered a best practice.

You can participate by testing software functionality in incremental stages or as part of final testing before implementation. Again your input will go a long way in building the best app.

Usability testing should be a focus of this effort. A superior user experience is vital to the success of your app, so it’s important to enlist members of your team and even users to put the app through its paces at incremental stages. Check each function to ensure it is easy to use and working correctly.

Support the app

Your development partner usually offers a support or maintenance agreement, and it’s typically a good investment. Even if your solution is not under maintenance, it’s an excellent idea to keep in touch with your software partner.

Occasional support needs may arise, and your partner is a logical choice for your next custom development project. If no support plan is in place with your developers, ensure that internal procedures are in place to support your app after go-live.

Go ahead, make my app

These six steps provide a proven strategy for developing a truly killer app. Follow this process, and your chances of getting the killer app you need increase exponentially.

You will notice that much of the work that goes into your app takes place before the coding or programming phase, and for a good reason. This may be somewhat of a surprise as many consider coding most of the work when building an app.

The planning and design of the app are critical to its ultimate success. If you neglect or rush these efforts, it’s hard for programmers to make up for it. You know your business, so you have to plan well and stay on top of the project to ensure that it meets your business objectives.

So look at your business, interview your team members and users and imagine how an app can make your business run better. Then dive in and make your business objectives a reality with a killer app.