by Chris Ching
If you are curious about of the app creation process, but I’m not sure where to start, this is the guide for you!
Here I will give you a complete step by step guide from idea to execution. To make things easier, feel free to jump based on your goals:
- Get inspiration for a great app idea
- How to validate that your app idea is a good one
- How to further develop your app idea
- Ways to create/implement your app idea
- Tips/tips to make your app stand out in the App Store
If that sounds good to you, let’s get started!
How to Create an App for Beginners in 10 Steps
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If you already have an app idea, then you’re all set. Move on to the next step!
If you’re still working on coming up with a great app idea, though, I’ve got a handful of really great techniques to help you find your next successful app idea. .
First, keep in mind that there is rarely a completely new idea born out of thin air.
There are over 4 million apps on Google Play and the Apple App Store combined according to Statista.com:
Most ideas are variations and combinations of existing old ideas. Keeping this in mind opens your mind to think more creatively. Alright, let’s move on to the first technique:
Technique #1: The Remix Technique
One way to come up with a great app idea is to spin an idea around. or try to combine elements from various applications that you like.
This happens all the time and produces great results!
For example, Words with Friends, a popular mobile game Zynga is basically Scrabble. but in line with multiplayer and social features that make it easy to play a long game in little time at your leisure.
This is no more apparent than with the multitude of dating apps out there. Every month there seems to be a new dating app that targets a different audience or with a set of (usually not new) features that aren’t in “other” dating apps.
Here’s how you can do it yourself:
Think of some apps that you use a lot. Is there a way to take the most useful features and merge them together to form a new type of app?
Got the idea for your app flowing? Move on to the next step!
Technique #2: Scratch Your Own Itch
I love this technique because often the simplest ideas produce the best results. These simple ideas rarely come from brainstorming to create apps.
Instead, they come from a problem you face in life. Chances are if you’re having this problem and trying to find a solution for it, other people are too.
If the problem can be solved with an app, that’s a very good reason to create one!
Write down any of these ideas even if you know an app already exists to solve this problem because, as you’ll see in the next step, there may be an opportunity to make a better app than what currently exists.
Technique #3: Improve an Existing App
Have you used an app and thought, “It would be so much better if this could do X”? If so, that’s the creative spark of a really great potential app idea!
There’s always room for improvement, so if you thought an app was missing a useful feature, chances are it’s not. You were the only one to think so.
If the original author of the app is not constantly updating and improving the app, then you have a chance to create an even better app.
A The way to find out whether or not you’re right about this is to check the reviews and ratings of the original app.
Are people complaining about the same thing? Are they complaining about something different? Does the app author listen to feedback?
As you’ll see, listening to user feedback and improving your app based on that feedback is probably the single driving force for an app’s success.
An absent app author is sentencing your app to a slow death from user attrition.
The next step is to validate your idea to ensure it has a chance to thrive in the store of applications.
Now we need to find out if the problem that your application solves is being solved by other applications.
**NOTE** If your reasons for creating an app are to get a good experience with the process (and not fight with others), you can skip to the next step 🙂
Don’t be discouraged if you see other apps in the App Store that already address the same problem as your app. Remember what I said before, there are no new ideas and there is always room for improvement.
This can actually be a good thing because it tells you that your idea is viable and that there is a real need to improve it. he. That’s why there’s competition!
The key is to find out HOW these other existing apps fill the need.
Possibly, these apps may be out of date or the author of the app may have stopped updating them.
Or maybe none of them meets what the audience REALLY NEEDES and WANTS.
Scroll through the ratings and reviews of any competing apps you find. Take note of the following:
- Application name
- Feature set
- Pricing/monetization scheme
- Application publisher
- Latest update
- Ratings and Reviews
- Downloads
You may want to create a matrix or spreadsheet to track your results. This research you’re doing right now is going to create the starting point for what features to include in your own app and which ones to focus on first.
Here’s what you’re looking for:
App Name
This is mainly for identification purposes only to keep track of the various apps you will explore. Some people also put keywords as part of the app name. As you go through the list of competing apps, see if you notice specific words that keep appearing in the app title, and consider using that keyword for your app title.
Feature Set
Write down all the features of each competing app. Take note of:
- What are the main features that all competing apps have
- What are the unique features to each of the competing apps
- What features might be missing completely from any of the existing apps
Later on , when we see reviews, it will also try to see if users mention specific features they love or hate.
Pricing/monetization
Is it a one-time fee for the app? Is it free but is it monetized in some other way? The reason why it is important to take note of this is twofold:
- How do users like the way you are monetized? For example, some people hate ads and would rather pay for an app than deal with in-app ads.
- You could possibly monetize your app differently. For example, if the app is good but too expensive, you can find other ways to monetize your app.
App Publisher
Who published the app? Are you an individual or a company? (Or is it a sole proprietorship?)
The point is to see who you’re up against. Large companies have large budgets for marketing teams and often have a team of people only working on a single application. It would be difficult to compete head-on. I’m not saying it doesn’t compete, but we may need to take a unique angle with our app instead of trying to fight feature by feature.
If it’s a person’s name, it’s usually a Just one person and that gives us some peace of mind if you plan to do this alone.
Sometimes, if the publisher of the app is a company name, it could just be the company the person registered. Try to find out if it’s a single person or a large company by visiting the right company’s website.
You’ll often get your answer by visiting the contact or about page. If there’s an entire team on the About page or an office building address on the Contact page, it’s probably a big company.
Last Updated
You want to find out how well this app is holding up. If the author of the application has not been updated in a long time, then you have a chance to take the market share. However, if the author updates the app frequently, you’ll want to take note of this because this app will be actively competing with you.
Ratings and Reviews
What are the users like? rate this app? If the app is rated poorly, try to find out why. Is it lack of features? Is the app broken? This information will help you avoid those pitfalls.
On the other hand, if the app is highly rated, download it and try it out for yourself, paying special attention to the feature set and user experience. You will want to examine the user reviews to see why users love this app so much. This will guide you on how to design, plan, and prioritize the features of your own app.
Whether your app is rated low or high, there is something to learn here.Go through each review and find out what people are saying and why. This is invaluable feedback from users who didn’t have to pay (in terms of dollars or blood and sweat) to find out!
Downloads
The number of downloads for an app doesn’t it’s written in the App Store list of apps, but there are tools to “spy” on apps and get this information as an estimate. For example, SensorTower is one such tool that allows you to see the estimated number of downloads for an app for free.
For example, here are the Netflix stats:
Validate your idea
Now, on the other hand, if there isn’t a lot of competition for your app idea, it could be that it’s such a new and novel idea that no one has thought of it before or it could be that the idea isn’t viable.
Start by deconstructing your idea a bit so you can succinctly convey the idea, audience, and purpose of the app in 30 seconds to someone. Then practice giving yourself that elevator speech in front of the mirror so you feel comfortable saying it.
It would be sad if someone dismissed a great app idea because they can’t understand it or the message is confusing.
When you have a clear description of your app idea and have practiced explaining it, try presenting it to your close friends and family. These people will not hesitate to tell you the truth. Ask them to play devil’s advocate and try to poke holes in your app idea.
That may uncover something you hadn’t thought of, or it might force you to tackle something you missed in your enthusiasm.</p
If you’re getting good vibes about your app idea from this step to now, let’s move on!
The more people you pitch your idea to, the better. Strangers, friends of friends, people on the Internet, etc. Don’t be afraid to communicate your idea. Just remember this insight from Shark Tank investor Chris Sacca: “Ideas are cheap, execution is everything.” If you’ve made it this far, you definitely take a pragmatic approach to your goals, which is a good thing 🙂
This part is so much fun because you get to dream! Take your app idea and imagine what a perfect version of your app would look like.
The vision will undoubtedly evolve and change based on feedback and actual user testing, but for now, The sky is the limit. Put it all in writing and make your idea come true and give it some life.
If you want, you can also think about how you will monetize the app. However, I recommend that this not be the main focus of your app idea. In the early stages of an application, user adoption is always more important.
When I was doing software consulting, this process was called business requirements gathering, and it was the most important phase of the project because it helps clarify what the customers wanted.
During this phase, we sat down with the stakeholders and worked out every detail and documented it as much as possible. If there’s any confusion in the future, we could refer back to this document and review what was initially understood.
Now you don’t have to be super rigorous and detailed for your own app idea. but it’s still a good idea to identify the overall goal and strategy of your app idea as much as possible now. Once you start running, any changes you want to make could mean a lot of wasted work and effort.
You don’t have to decide how many screens your app will have or what’s on each screen; that’s for the next step. But what you want to clarify is what the user will be able to achieve in the app.
For example, if your app idea is a social networking app, then you could start writing:
- Users will be able to create an account.
- They can create a new account using an email and password or they can sign in with Facebook, Twitter and Google.
- Users will be able to set a username, profile photo, and short bio.
- For the profile photo, the user must be able to select an existing photo from their photo library or take a new one with the camera from the Inside the Application
Decide on the Key Characteristics of an MVP
MVP was a concept I first heard about in Eric Ries’ The Lean Startup. It stands for “minimum viable product” and the idea is that it’s best to release a small (but still useful) version of your product first so you can get it into the hands of real users.
That will help you get real-world feedback from real users that can guide and correct your understanding of what people really want.
Based on that feedback, you release an update to your app with more features and again, put it in the hands of users for feedback.
You repeat this cycle over and over again and eventually arrive at a product that perfectly fits what the market wants.
Compare this to spending a ton of money and time to build something and then finally release it… only to find out that people didn’t want it. Never build in a vacuum.
So take a look at all the features you wrote down and think about what a simplified version 1 would look like. Make sure the app can still be useful to your audience and solve the overall problem, but it doesn’t (and shouldn’t) have all the bells and whistles for phase 1. Most likely, the bells and whistles you thought of they might turn out not to be what your users needed in the first place.
Any features that don’t directly contribute to fulfilling the overall purpose of the app can be considered for phase 2. Any remaining essential features will be your product minimum viable!
Now you are ready to start thinking about how to design an application that is intuitive and easy to use. What will the user see and how will they interact with your app to use its features?
I usually just start with a pencil and a notebook or piece of paper because everything is constantly changing and there are a lot of sketches approximate as you develop your ideas.
Main Screens
Can you separate your app’s functionality into different sections or screens? These instructions will be a bit general as I don’t really know what your app idea is, but I think the best way to do it is to imagine yourself using your app.
How many different sections do you have? sense to show? What information do you need to see?
For example, for a stock portfolio app, there might be a screen for the stock watch list, another screen for the stocks in your portfolio, a screen that displays information detailed for a specific stock and another screen to manage the configuration of the application. Once you have a clear idea of the screens you’ll need, move on to the next step. You’re not going to get it 100% correct at this point and it’s completely normal to make changes during this design process as you go along!
Main Navigation
Now that you have the main sections of your application, think about the main mechanism for navigating within your application.
Is it going to have a tab bar at the bottom? Or maybe you’ll use a slider menu on the side to navigate to the different sections of the app?
I would recommend taking a look at some of your favorite apps and paying attention to how you navigate the app. .
The best type of navigation is the one that feels natural and intuitive. If you had to think about how to find something, then that’s a problem.
There’s a great book on information architecture and usability (which is what you’re doing right now) called Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug.
What is usability?
Usability is a term that describes how easy it is to use a product/service for its intended purpose. .
It is part of a larger topic called User Experience (UX for short) that studies how a user feels about a product while using it.
As product designers (yes, apps are considered products!), we can inspire delight, awe, and satisfaction in the user by the way we choose to design our app.
For example, we can make we make our application intuitive to use so that the user can get value out of the application without having to strain and we can hide unexpected little animations to delight the user.
In this step of the application development process, we are focused on maximizing usability and making the application as easy to use as possible. This comes down to deciding what to display on each screen and how to arrange the UI elements on the screen.
A lot goes into designing an app that is optimized for usability. For example, imagine holding your phone in one hand and trying to touch a button near the top of the screen…your thumb doesn’t reach that far!
So this is an example of things things to keep in mind when designing your user interface.
My advice? Spend a few hours reading about usability basics, and then do it. Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines are a great place to start.
It’s not going to be perfect on the first try. Once you get your app into the hands of real users, you’ll get a lot of legitimate, actionable feedback.
At this point, all you can do is try to follow UX best practices.
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Onboarding Sequence
It’s a bit early, but keep in mind that you may want or need a little welcome tutorial on how to use your app.
So If your app is especially complex, you can rely a bit on an onboarding script to educate the user.
Design Tools
Now, in terms of putting pen to paper, there’s a variety of tools that you can use instead of pencil and paper (nothing wrong with that, by the way; I love doing this process in a comfortable chair with a notebook and pen).
However, if you want to create your mockup digitally, you can take advantage of the following digital tools:
Sketch
Sketch is the standard of the industry for the design and prototyping of mobile applications. Vector-based design means your artwork can be scaled to any size without compromising quality. This is very important, especially with the different screen sizes of devices these days. The only downside is that Sketch is Mac only.
Figma
I consider Figma to be a close equivalent to Sketch with a few advantages. Figma is browser-based, which means it can be used on PC or Mac. Figma offers great collaboration features for teams. Figma is free to use and you only have to pay if you want to use the collaboration features mentioned above. Watch my video above to get started with this tool!
InVision Studio
InVision Studio is a newer tool compared to Sketch and Figma, but some of the prototypes I’ve seen come out of this tool have been very convincing. For PC and Mac.
Framer X
Framer X is another prototyping tool that seems very easy to use.
My recommendation:
I would recommend you check out Figma first simply because it is free to use and very powerful for the price. 😝 Sketch will have the most support in terms of templates, plugins, tutorials and whatnot. However, Figma is considered an equivalent, so most third-party products are compatible with Sketch and Figma.
Now is the time to bring your app to life visually by designing exactly what your app will look like. application.
It’s like those pre-construction condo brochures that show concept art of what the condo will look like when it’s built.
You’re creating a graphic design that:
- Represents what the final product will look like
- Can be used in presentations to sell to potential investors or partners
- Developers can use to integrate graphical assets into the project
The user interface and user experience (UI/UX) of the application will be greatly affected by the work you do in this step.
That’s why I recommend you get help from a professional graphic designer who has demonstrated his work in designing application user interfaces if it is very important to you to have a sleek and professional looking application.</p
However, as with every application there are always options.
Here are some ways to design an app:
- Hire a professional designer to create an app design for you. You can use sites like Upwork and Toptal to find a freelancer. However, what I like to do is search Dribbble, Behance and Pinterest for app designs and user interfaces that appeal to me. When I find a design I really like, I check the designer’s profile and see if they do any freelance design work.
- Look for a partner who is a designer who has experience designing mobile apps. If you know anyone in the tech industry, ask if they know of any designers who might want to do some extra work. You can also attend local meetups to meet designers or people who might know someone.
- Use pre-built app design templates. Some sites sell app designs that you can buy and then customize or pay someone to do it for you. It will be much cheaper than hiring a designer to create a custom app design for you, but keep in mind that your app may look like another existing app that used the same template you purchased. Check out these resources: Material Design Kit,
- Learn how to create your own app design. If you love design, you might want to roll up your sleeves and learn how to design an app. yourself! However, keep in mind that it may take you some time before you can create something decent. I highly recommend Design Code for learning how to design your own apps.
Once you’ve finished designing your app, you can move on to building your app. Personally though, I like to create an app marketing plan first.
There are nearly 2 million apps in the iOS App Store. To make sure your app gets seen, you need to have a plan to market it to the right audience.
A lot of the marketing work these days happens before the app is released! For example, building a pre-launch email list is standard practice these days, as is leveraging paid marketing to promote your app.
Here’s a list of app marketing strategies you can follow before and after launch. release to make sure you do your best.
Things you can do before your app is released:
- Create Have a landing page for your app and build a pre-launch email list: It’s important that you have at least one landing page for your app so people have somewhere to go to learn more about your app. application.Be sure to add a call to action for people to sign up for a pre-launch email list to be notified when the app launches. To start collecting emails for free, sign up for an email service with a generous free tier like Mailchimp. In terms of creating a landing page, you don’t need to know how to code. There are tons of drag and drop landing page builders out there, like Leadpages or Unbounce. In fact, Mailchimp has one for free, too.
- Include a media kit for your app – This one is often overlooked. A media kit is simply a package that contains key information about your app and all of your app logos. Does it make life easier for journalists who want to write about your app and who wouldn’t want more press? Just create one and add a link to it from your app’s home page.
- Document your trip: I love this one because it’s so organic. Publicly document your journey while building your app! Whether you are a developer or not. People are interested in following along and hearing what it’s like to make an app! You are building an audience for free simply by sharing your stories, lessons learned, and progress. When your app launches, you’ll have an audience that will support it from the start.
- Make sure you’re familiar with App Store Optimization (ASO): If you’re not familiar By this term, you mean optimizing your keywords, titles, and description for your App Store listing. I got all my ASO education from Steve Young.
Things you do after your app has been released:
- Make a press release for your app : These are relatively inexpensive and may attract the attention of some news outlets and online magazines. This is a great guide on how to write a press release for your app.
- Consider Paid Marketing – If you have a bit of a marketing budget, doing some really paid marketing it can give your app a boost. Unfortunately, there are so many different types of paid marketing you can do that it can be overwhelming. I’ll talk about the most effective paid strategies later in this article.
- Email Your Pre-Launch Email List – Once you’ve launched, don’t forget to leave let everyone know! Send emails to your subscribers and update your audience!
- Hurry up and spread the word: Whatever niche your app is in, find relevant forums, Facebook groups/pages, sub-reddits, etc. Promote your app! Don’t just join and start promoting; if you do that, you’ll probably get banned. Instead, join the discussion and mention your app where it’s relevant and can help people. Here’s something even better: Share your app development process in these relevant groups and you’ll get a hungry audience waiting for your app to launch.
Follow this app release timeline. the app to know when to do app store optimization, when to submit your app to Apple for a feature, and when to issue your press release.
This is the step where you really bring your app to life. application from the design and requirements document that you created in previous steps. By the way, this is the stage that makes me excited! You’re about to create something tangible🙂
Similar to the previous steps, you have a couple of options for creating your app. If you’re also curious about how much each of these options cost, check it out here:
- Learn to code and build it yourself : This is the most time-consuming option, but you’ll gain a valuable and in-demand skill for building your own apps or getting a job as a developer. If this option appeals to you, check out our free resources to get started learning iOS development and how to get started.
- Hire a freelancer – If you’re more interested in the business side Of things, then investing the time to learn to code might not be a smart move. Instead, invest funds in hiring someone to build your app for you. Check out sites like Freelancer.com or Upwork.com.
- Hire an app development company – The difference is that an app development company will provide consulting and project management services. projects, while a freelancer will look to you to provide direction. However, hiring a company will cost much more than working with freelancers.
- Partnering with a programmer: Another option is to find a programmer to partner with. The problem is that it’s really hard to find a willing partner unless they have a proven track record of success launching businesses (because so many people look for technical partners).
- Use an app builder – If you’re looking for how to build an app without coding, this is for you. There are services where you can create an app by selecting a template and making cosmetic decisions to change it. Typically, these platforms charge you a monthly fee to keep your app up and running.See this guide for a list of app builders.
- Buy an app template and customize it (or pay someone to do it for you): With this option, you’re buying a prepackaged template code that contains the core functionality you’ll need (if you can find a template close to your app idea). These templates are usually a one-time fee and you can then hire a freelancer to customize them, or learn some programming and customize them yourself (Use my guide on how to code an app for beginners!).
Once the app is built, the job is not done! It’s time to test the app for bugs and errors. In software development, a “bug” is something that causes your application to not perform as expected.
You want to resolve as many critical bugs before release as possible because the first impression on a user is very important. important. If your app crashes or doesn’t work, there’s a high chance that the user will uninstall it right away.
Here’s the exciting part! You’re finally ready to launch your iPhone app on the App Store so millions of people can download your creation!
There’s one more hurdle to overcome: Apple’s app certification team.
>Here’s how it works:
- Make sure your app is rated: Review it against these App Store guidelines. Fix everything you need first.
- Fill out your app metadata: App Store Connect is a website where you can build your app list and fill in all the important details, like like title, description, keywords and more. You will also configure your screenshots and preview videos that you want to add.
- Upload your app from Xcode: to App Store Connect. From Xcode, package your project and submit the code to App Store Connect in the app list you just created.
- Go back to App Store Connect and submit your app for review : Now that you have your app’s code and metadata in a neat and tidy package, it’s time to add notes for the reviewer and send them to the app certification team.
- Wait Anxiously awaiting a answer: That’s right… you have to wait for someone to manually review the application you submitted! They’ll check your app against the App Store guidelines (thank goodness you checked in step 1!) and check that your app doesn’t crash or provide a negative user experience.
- Get approval ! In about 2-3 days, you will either get an approval or a rejection. If you get a rejection, don’t worry. It happens to all of us. Just fix what they didn’t like and resubmit! If you get an approval, then it’s time to celebrate!
When you get to this step, check out our guide on how to submit your app to the App Store.
Also After executing your marketing plan, here are some high-impact app marketing strategies you can use.
- Featured by Apple in the App Store : If you do this, you win big. While there’s no guaranteed way to do this, there are things in your control to maximize your chances.
- Run a paid-to-free campaign – If your app is paid, it will be free for a short period and spreading the word during that period can lead to mountains of downloads. Here’s a case study of how one of these campaigns generated 100,000 downloads!
- Step Up Your ASO (App Store Optimization) Game: ASO doesn’t end when your application starts! You can still affect your app’s discovery within the App Store by adjusting your app’s metadata. Use this 5x App Store Optimization Strategy for the best tips on how to do it.
- Influencer Marketing – This is a surprisingly great strategy for apps. Find influencers who have audiences that fit your app’s target demographic and ask them if they can mention or mention your app. They will quote you some prices and you can go from there. Here’s a great video guide on how to decide on the right influencer to market your app with.
The key to a successful app is continuous improvement!
A Once your app is in the hands of real users, you’ll start getting feedback.
Some good, some bad.
Take criticism positively and be grateful that someone is willing to tell you so how to improve because if someone is talking, chances are there are more users who feel the same way but are not willing to talk.
Show your users that you are not leaving your app after launch.
Show them that you are constantly improving the app and releasing bug fixes, new features, and app updates.
Over time, you will outperform the other mobile apps in your niche that don’t are doing this!
Use SKStoreReviewController to maximize your collection of user ratings and comments.
SKStoreReviewController is a tool from Apple that you can add to your application.It helps you collect feedback by asking the user to submit an App Store rating and feedback for your app. It’s really easy to install, so there’s no reason not to!
If you made it this far, give yourself a pat on the back. I hope I answered your questions about creating your own app!
Are you eager to learn iOS development? I’m here with you!
Here are my best resources for people who want to learn how to develop iOS apps:
- 14-Day Challenge for Beginners: Start your app tour the right way with the most popular video series on my YouTube channel.
- How to Become an iOS Developer: Learn What Skills must have, where to find work