10 Step Guide How To Make An App in 2021

by Chris Ching

If you’re curious the app creation process but not sure where to start, this is the guide for you!

Reading: How to create an app on my phone

Here I give you a comprehensive step-by-step guide from idea to execution. To make things easier, feel free to browse your goals:

• Get inspiration for a great app idea
• How to validate that your app -idea is good
• How to further refine your app idea
• Possibilities for developing/implementing your app idea
• Tips/advice so that your app in the App Store
• li>

If that sounds good to you, let’s get started!

Build an app for beginners in 10 steps

1. Generate an app idea
2. Perform competitive market research
3. Write down the features for your app
4. Create design mockups of your app
5. Create your app’s graphic design
6. Put together an app marketing plan
7. Create the app using one of these Options
8. Submit your app to the App Store
9. Market your app for maximum visibility
10. Verbe Improve your app with user feedback
11. Bonus: app building resources

If you already have an app idea, then get started. Go to the next step!

But if you’re still working on a great app idea, I have a handful of really good techniques to help you come up with your next hit app idea.

First, remember that there is rarely an entirely new idea born out of nothing.

There are over 4 million apps in the Google Play and Apple App Store combined according to Statista .com:

Most ideas are variations and combinations of old existing ideas. Keeping this in mind opens your mind to more creative thinking. Okay, on to the first technique:

Technique #1: The Remix Technique

One way to come up with a great app idea is to modify an existing idea or experiment to mix and match elements from different apps you like.

This happens all the time and produces great results!

For example, Words with Friends, a popular mobile game from Zynga, basically Scrabble but online with social and multiplayer features that make it easy to play a long game in a short amount of free time.

This is no more obvious than with the multitude of dating apps out there. A brand new dating app seems to come out every month, targeting a different audience or having a set of features (usually not new) that aren’t found in “other” dating apps.

Here’s how you can do it yourself:

Think of a few apps that you use very often. Is there a way to take the most useful features and fuse them into a new kind of app?

Are your app ideas flowing? Continue to the next step!

Technique #2: Scratch your own itch

I love this technique because often the simplest ideas yield the best results. These simple ideas rarely come from brainstorming app ideas.

Instead, they come from a problem you face in life yourself. If you’re having this problem and trying to find a solution to it, chances are others are too.

If there’s an app that can solve the problem, that’s a really good reason to make an app one!

Write down one of these ideas, even if you know an app to solve this problem already exists, because as you will see in the next step, there might be an opportunity to create 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 X could do this”? If so, then that’s the creative spark of a really good potential app idea!

There’s always room for improvement. So if you thought an app was missing a useful feature, you’re probably not the only one who thinks so.

If the original app author didn’t keep updating and improving the app, then they did You have the opportunity to create an even better app.

One way to get there. To find out if you’re right, check out the original app’s reviews and ratings.

Do people complain about the same thing? Are you complaining about something else? Is the app author listening to the feedback?

As you will see, listening to user feedback and improving your app based on that feedback is probably the only driving force behind an app’s success.

An absentee app author condemns his or her app to a slow death from user wear and tear.

The next step is to validate your idea to ensure it has a chance to grow the App Store.

Now we need to find out if the problem your app solves is also solved by other apps.

**NOTE** If you want to create an app to get good old-school experience with the process (and not compete with the rest), you can jump to the next step 🙂

Don’t be discouraged if you see other apps in the App Store that already solve the same problem as your app. Remember what I said earlier, there are no new ideas and there is always room for improvement.

Actually, this can be a good thing because it tells you that your idea is viable and it is there is a real need for it. That’s why there is competition!

The key is to find out HOW WELL the need is being met by these other existing apps.

Potentially, these apps may be outdated or the app author has stopped updating.

Or maybe none of them do what the audience REALLY NEEDS and WANT.

Scroll through the ratings and reviews of any competing apps you find. Note the following:

• App name
• Feature set
• Price -/Monetization Scheme
• App Publisher
• Last Update
• Ratings and Reviews
• Downloads

You may want to create a matrix or table to keep track of your results. This research you are about to do will provide a starting point for the features to include in your custom 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 different apps you will be investigating. Some people also include keywords as part of the app name. As you go through the list of competing apps, see if you notice any specific words that keep popping up in the app’s title and consider using one of those keywords for your app’s title.

Feature Set

Feature Set

h3>

Write down all features for each competing app. Note:

1. What are the core features that all competing apps have
2. What features are unique to each of competing apps
3. What features might be completely missingfrom one of the existing apps

Later when we look at the reviews, you will too try to see if users mention certain features they love or hate.

Price/Monetization

Is it a one-time fee for the app? Is it free but monetized in some other way? It’s important to keep this in mind for two reasons:

1. How do users like the way it’s being monetized? For example, some people hate ads and would rather pay for an app than deal with in-app banner ads.
2. You may be able to monetize your app in other ways. 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? Is it an individual or a company? (Or is it a one-man business?)

The point is to see who you’re dealing with. Big companies have big budgets for marketing teams and often have a team of people working on a single app. It would be difficult to compete directly. I’m not saying you shouldn’t compete, but we may need to have a unique angle on our app rather than trying to compete feature for feature.

If it’s a person’s name, it’s it’s usually a single person and that gives us a little reassurance if you plan on going it alone.

Sometimes when the app publisher is a company name it can just be the company, that the person registered. Visit the listed company website to find out if it is an individual or a large company.

You can often get your answer by visiting the contact or about page. If there’s an entire team on the about page, or an address for an office building on the contact page, it’s probably a sizable company.

Last Updated

See also: 4 Ways to Turn a Gmail Email into a Google Calendar Event

You’d like to find out how well this app is maintained. If the app author hasn’t updated for a long time, you have an opportunity to take the market share. However, if the author updates the app frequently, you should make a note of it because this app will actively compete with you.

Ratings and Reviews

How are the users doing? Rating of this app? If the app gets bad reviews, try to find out why. Is it lacking in features? Is the app broken? This insight will help you avoid these pitfalls.

On the other hand, if the app is rated well, download it and try it yourself, paying special attention to the feature set and user experience. You should look through the user reviews to see why users like this app so much. This will guide you in designing, planning and prioritizing features for your custom app.

Whether the app is rated low or high, there is something to learn here.Go through every single review and find out what people are saying and why they are saying it. This is invaluable user feedback that you didn’t have to pay (in dollars or blood and sweat) to find out!

Downloads

The number of downloads for an app represents not in the App Store app list, but there are tools that allow you to “spy” on apps and get that information as an estimate. For example, SensorTower is one such tool that allows you to view the estimated number of downloads of an app for free.

For example, here are Netflix’s stats:

Validate Your idea

Well on the other hand, if there isn’t much competition for your app idea, it could be such a new and novel idea that no one has ever thought of it before or it might 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 to someone in 30 seconds. Then practice holding that elevator pitch in front of yourself in the mirror so you can say it comfortably.

It would be sad if someone rejected a great app idea because they didn’t like it or the message understands confused.

Once you have a clear description of your app idea and have practiced your explanation, try presenting it to your family and friends. 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.

This may reveal something you haven’t thought of, or it could force you to do something that you pushed aside in your excitement.

If you’ve got a good mood with your app idea after this step so far, let’s move on!

The more people you share your present an idea, the better. Strangers, friends of friends, people on the internet, etc. Don’t be afraid to communicate your idea. Just consider this insight from Shark Tank investor Chris Sacca: “Ideas are cheap, execution is everything.” If you’ve come this far, you’re definitely taking a pragmatic approach to your goals, which is good 🙂

This part is a lot of fun because it makes you dream! Take your app idea and imagine what a perfect version of your app would look like.

The vision will no doubt evolve and change based on actual user feedback and testing, but im At the moment you have no limits. Put everything on paper and realize your idea and breathe some life into it.

If you want, you can also think about how to monetize the app. However, I recommend that this should not be the main focus of your app idea. In the early stages of an app, user adoption is always more important.

When I was a software consultant, this process was called business requirements mapping and was the most important stage of the project as it helps clarify what the customers wanted.

During this phase, we sat down with the stakeholders and ironed out every single detail and documented it down to the last detail. If anything is unclear over time, we can refer back to this document and check what was originally understood.

Now you don’t have to be particularly strict and detailed for your own app idea, but it is nonetheless a good idea to identify the overall goal and strategy of your app idea as much as possible now. Once you start running, all the changes you want to make can potentially take a lot of work and effort.

You don’t have to decide how many screens you want the app to have or what’s displayed on each screen; that’s for the next step. However, what you want to iron out is what the user can achieve in the app.

For example, if your app idea is a social networking app, you could start writing:

• Users can create an account.
• You can create a new account with an email address and password, or sign in to Facebook, Twitter, and Google.
• Users can set a username, a profile photo and a short bio.
• For the profile photo, the user should be able to select an existing photo from their photo library or take a new one with the camera from within the app

Decide on the core functions of an MVP

MVP was a concept I first heard about from The Lean Startup by Eric Ries. It stands for “Minimum Viable Product” and the idea is that it’s better to launch a small (but still useful) version of your product first, so that you can get it into the hands of the actual users.

This will help you get real-world feedback from real users that can guide and correct your understanding of what people actually want.

Based on this feedback, release an update for your app more features and give it back to users for feedback.

You repeat this cycle over and over again, eventually arriving at a product that perfectly fits the needs of the market.

In contrast, you spend a lot of money and time to to build something, and then finally launch it… only to find out that people didn’t want it. Never build in a vacuum.

So 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 solves the overall problem, but doesn’t (and shouldn’t) have all the bells and whistles for phase 1. prove not to be what your users even need.

Any feature that doesn’t directly contribute to the overall purpose of the app can be considered for phase 2. All the essential features that are left will be your Minimum Viable Product!

Now you can start thinking about how to design an app 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 fluid and there are many rough sketches as you develop your ideas.

Main screens

Can you divide your app’s functionality into different sections or screens? These instructions are a bit generic as I don’t actually know your app idea, but I think the best way to do it is to imagine how you use your app.

How many different sections make sense to display the information you need to see?

For example, for a stock portfolio app, there might be one screen for the stocks watch list, another screen for the stocks in your portfolio, a screen showing detailed information for a specific stock and another screen for managing settings for the app. Once you have a rough idea of ​​the screens you need, move on to the next step. You won’t get it 100% right at this point, and it’s perfectly normal to make changes over time during the design process!

Main Navigation

You’ve got it covered the main sections of your app, think of the main mechanism for navigating within your app.

Will there be a tab bar at the bottom? Or maybe a slide is used in the side menu 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 navigate .

The best way to navigate is one that feels natural and intuitive. If you have to think about how to find something, that’s a problem.

There’s a great book on information architecture and usability (what you’re doing right now) called Don’t Make Me Think Steve Krug.

What is Ease of Use?

Ease of Use is a term that describes how easy it is to use a product/service for its intended purpose .

It is part of a broader topic called User Experience (UX for short), which examines how a user feels when using a product.

As product designers (yes, apps are considered products!) we can inspire joy, awe, and satisfaction in users with the way we design our app.

For example, we can make our app intuitive operate so that the user can get added value from the app without any problems, and we can small unexpected ones Hide animations to please the user.

In this step of the app development process, we focus on maximizing usability and making the app as easy to use as possible. This boils down to deciding what to display on each screen and how to arrange the UI elements on the screen.

There’s so much to do when designing an app that’s made for usability is optimized. For example, imagine you’re holding your phone in one hand and trying to tap a button at the top of the screen… your thumb can’t go up that far!

So that’s an example of the things you do what you need to consider when designing your UI.

My advice? Spend a few hours learning about usability basics, then get started. The Apple Human Interface Guidelines are a good place to start.

It won’t be perfect on the first try. Once you put your app in the hands of real users, you’ll get a lot of legitimate and practical feedback.

All you can do at this point is try to follow UX best practices.

Onboarding Sequence

See also: 10 Tips for Creating a Content Calendar

It’s a bit early, but remember that you might want or need a little welcome tutorial on how to use your app.

So, if your app is particularly complex, you can rely a bit on an onboarding sequence to train the user.

Design tools

Well, to put pencil to paper there is a variety of tools to 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 prefer to create your model digitally, you can take advantage of the following digital tools:

Sketch

Sketch is the industry standard for mobile app design and prototyping. Vector-based design means your graphic can be scaled to any size without sacrificing quality. This is very important, especially with the different screen sizes of devices these days. The only downside is that Sketch is only for Mac.

Figma

I consider Figma to be a close equivalent to Sketch with some advantages. Figma is browser-based, which means it can be used on PCs or Macs. Figma offers great collaboration features for teams. Figma is free to use and you only need to pay if you want to use the collaboration features above. Check out my video above to start using this tool!

InVision Studio

InVision Studio is a newer tool compared to Sketch and Figma, but some of the prototypes I’ve seen from that tool have been very convincing. For PC and Mac.

Framer X

Framer X is another prototyping tool that looks really easy to use.

My recommendation:

I would recommend that you check out Figma first simply because it’s free and it’s very powerful for the price. 😝 Sketch will have the most support in terms of templates, plugins, tutorials and all that. However, Figma is considered equivalent, so most third-party products support both Sketch and Figma.

Now it’s time to bring your app to life visually by designing exactly like your app You want it to look like.

It’s kind of like those pre-build condo brochures that show concept art of what the condo will look like when it’s built.

You create a graphic design that das:

• Represents the look of the final product
• Can be used in presentations to sell to potential investors or partners
• Developers can use to integrate the graphical assets into the project

The user interface and the user experience (UI/UX) of the app will be enhanced by your work in strongly influenced by this step.

That’s why I recommend you to get help from a professional graphic designer who na Has worked extensively in designing app UIs if having an elegant, professional looking app is very important to you.

However, as with anything, there are always Options.

Here are some ways to create an app theme:

1. Hire a professional designer to create an app theme for you . You can use websites like Upwork and Toptal to find a freelancer. However, what I enjoy doing is scouring Dribbble, Behance, and Pinterest for UI and app designs I like. When I find a design I really like, I check the designer’s profile and see if they do freelance design work.
2. Look for a partner who is a designer and has design experience has mobile apps. If you know someone in the tech industry, ask them if they know any designers who might want to work on the side. You can also attend local meetings to meet designers or people who may know someone.
3. Use a pre-made app design template. Some websites sell app designs that you can buy and then customize or pay someone to customize for you. It’s a lot cheaper than hiring a designer to create a custom app theme for you, but keep in mind that your app may look like another existing app using the same template you purchased. Check out these resources: Material Design Kit,
4. Learn how to create your own app design. If you like design, you might want to roll up your sleeves and learn how to make an app yourself! However, be warned that it may take some time before you can create anything decent! I highly recommend Design Code to learn how to design your own apps.

Once you’ve completed your app design, you can continue building your app. However, I personally like to create an app marketing plan first.

There are almost 2 million apps in the iOS App Store. To ensure your app gets seen, you need to have a plan in place to market it to the right audience.

Nowadays, a lot of the marketing work before the app is launched ! For example, building a pre-launch email list is common these days, as is using paid marketing to promote your app.

Here is a list of app marketing strategies you can use track before and after launch. to make sure you look your best!

What you can do before your app is published:

1. Create 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 can visit it to learn more about your app to learn.Be sure to add a call-to-action for people to subscribe to a pre-launch email list to be notified when the app launches. To start collecting email for free, sign up for an email service with a generous free tier like Mailchimp. You don’t need to know how to code to create a landing page. There are tons of drag-and-drop landing page builders like Leadpages or Unbounce. In fact, Mailchimp has one for free too.
2. Add a media kit for your app: This one is often overlooked. A media kit is simply a package that contains some important information about your app and all the logos for your app. It makes life easier for journalists who want to write about your app and who don’t want more press? Just create one and add a link from your app landing page.
3. Document your journey: I love this one because it’s so organic. Document your journey publicly while building your app! Whether you are a developer yourself or not. People are interested in joining and hearing what it’s like to make an app! You build an audience for free by simply sharing your stories, lessons learned and progress. When your app hits the market, you’ll have an audience that will immediately support it.
4. Make sure you’re comfortable with App Store Optimization (ASO): If you’re unfamiliar with this term, it refers to optimizing your keywords, title, and description of your App Store listing. I get all my ASO training from Steve Young.

Things you do after launching your app:

1. Write a press release for your app: These are relatively inexpensive and can draw the attention of some online news and magazine companies. Here’s a great guide on how to write a press release for your app.
2. Consider Paid Marketing: If you’re on a small marketing budget, paid marketing can really give your app a boost . Unfortunately, there are so many different types of paid marketing that it can be overwhelming. I’ll talk about the most effective paid strategies later in this article.
3. Email to your pre-launch email list: Once launched, don’t forget to know to allow everyone! Send emails to your subscribers and keep your audience informed!
4. Rush and get informed: No matter what 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 will likely 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 journey in these relevant groups and you’ll gain a hungry audience waiting for your app to launch!

Follow this app launch timeline, to learn when to create an app, store optimization, when to submit your app to Apple for a feature, and when to issue your press release.

In this step, you’ll awaken your app from the one you built Design and requirements document actually come to life earlier steps. By the way, this is the phase I’m excited about! You are about to create something tangible 🙂

Just like the previous steps, you have a few options to create your app. If you’re also curious how much each of these options cost, check it out here:

1. Learn how to code and build it yourself : This is the most time-consuming option, but you will acquire a valuable and sought-after skill to create your own apps or get a job as a developer. If this option appeals to you, check out our free resources to learn iOS development and get started.
2. Hire a Freelancer: If you’re more are interested in the business By the way, investing the time to learn how to code may not be wise. Instead, invest money in hiring someone to build your app for you. Check out sites like Freelancer.com or Upwork.com.
3. Hire an app development company: The difference is that an app development company offers consulting and project management services , while a freelancer will look to you for direction. However, hiring a company costs a lot more than working with freelancers.
4. Partnering with a programmer: Another option is to find a programmer to partner with. The problem is, unless you have a proven track record of starting businesses (because so many people are looking for tech partners), it’s really hard to find a willing partner.
5. Use an app builder: If you’re looking for ways to build an app without coding, this is for you. There are services where you can have an app built by choosing a template and making cosmetic choices to modify it. Typically, these platforms charge you a monthly fee to keep your app running.See this guide for a list of app makers.
6. Buy an app template and customize it (or pay someone to do it): With this option, you buy a pre-packaged package of code containing the core functionality you need (if you can find a template that’s close to your app idea). These templates are usually a one-time fee and then you can either hire a freelancer to customize them, or learn some coding and customize them yourself (use my guide to coding an app for beginners!).

Once your app is built, the work isn’t over! It’s time to test the app for bugs and errors. In software development, a “bug” is something that causes the app to not work as expected.

You want to fix as many critical bugs as possible before launch because the first impression for a user is very important is. If your app crashes or doesn’t work, there is a high possibility that the user will uninstall your app immediately.

Here’s the exciting part! You’re finally ready to publish your iPhone app to the App Store for millions of people to download your creation!

There’s one more hurdle to overcome and that’s Apple’s app certification team.

How it works:

1. Make sure your app is eligible: Check against these App Store Policies. Correct everything you need first.
2. Insert your app metadata: App Store Connect is a website where you create your app listing and all the important details such as title, description, keywords and more. You also set your screenshots and any preview videos you want to include.
3. Upload your app from Xcode: to App Store Connect. From Xcode, package your project and submit the code under the app listing you just created to App Store Connect.
4. Go back to App Store Connect and submit your app for review: Now that you have your app metadata and code in a clean and tidy package, it’s time to add notes for the reviewer and send them to the app certification team. li>
5. Anxiously waiting for an answer: Right… You’ll have to wait for someone to manually review the app you submitted! They will check your app against the App Store policies (good thing you checked in step 1!) and that your app doesn’t crash or provide a negative user experience.
6. Get approved ! You will receive an acceptance or rejection within approx. 2-3 days. If you get a rejection, don’t worry. It happens to all of us. They just have to fix what they didn’t like and submit it again! When you get approval, it’s time to celebrate!

When you’ve gotten to this step, check out our guide on how to submit your app to the App Store!

In addition to executing your marketing plan, here are some powerful app marketing strategies you can use.

1. Let Apple in present to the App Store: If you can do this, you will win big. While there’s no guaranteed way to do this, there are things within your control to maximize your chances!
2. Run a paid-to-free campaign: If your App is paid to be free for a short period of time and spreading the word during that time can generate mountains of downloads. Here’s a case study of how one of these campaigns generated 100,000 downloads!
3. Step up your ASO (App Store Optimization) game: ASO doesn’t end when your app is launched ! You can still influence how discoverable your app is in the App Store by optimizing your app metadata. Use this five-step App Store Optimization strategy to get the best tips to do it.
4. Influencer Marketing: This is surprisingly a great strategy for apps! Find influencers who have audiences that match your app demographic and ask them if they can shout out or mention your app. They will give you some prices and you can go from there. Here’s a great video guide on how to choose the right influencer to market your app.

The key to a successful app is continuous improvement!

Once your app is in the hands of real users, you will start to get some feedback.

Some good and some bad.

Take the criticism positively and be grateful that someone is willing to tell you how to improve, because if someone speaks up, there are likely to be more users who think the same way but aren’t willing to speak up.

Show yours users that you don’t give up on your app once it’s launched.

Show them that you are constantly improving the app and releasing bug fixes, new features and app updates.

Over time you will beat other mobile apps in your niche that don’t do!

Use SKStoreReviewController to maximize your collection of user reviews and feedback.

SKStoreReviewController is a tool made by Apple that you can add to your apartmentIt helps you collect feedback by asking the user to give an App Store rating and feedback for your app. Installation is really easy, so there’s no reason not to do it!

If you’ve made it this far, pat yourself on the back. I hope I answered your questions about creating your own app!

Fancy learning iOS development? I’m right here with you!

Here are my best resources for people who want to learn how to develop iOS apps:

See also: How to Make a Multiplayer Mobile Game that Rocks

• 14 Day Beginners -Challenge: Start your app journey off right with the most popular video series on my YouTube channel.
• How to become an iOS developer: Learn which skills You need to have where to find jobs
  
  See also  11 Ways Websites Make Money