Building Mobile Applications – 4 Start-Up Misconceptions

mobile applications

Over the last couple of years, a smartphone has become a critical item for most people, as they are embracing it as their preferred medium for communicating, browsing, shopping online, and staying connected on social media platforms.

With the tremendous growth of the smartphone market, mobile apps have become the backbone of many new businesses. As per the recent survey that performed by AT&T, more than 66% of small startups are finding it difficult to do business without mobile apps.

Many startups have realized the importance of having a mobile app, but there are still some misconceptions out there when it comes to developing a mobile application for their business.

Let’s have a look at these 4 different misconceptions

Misconception 1: Thinking that developing apps natively for platforms is a waste of time

Many startups think that developing apps natively for every single platform is a waste of time and money. But the reality is that if you are looking forward to having  five-star applications that stand-out, you need to develop natively.

There are enormous benefits of developing a cross-platform app, and one of the main benefits seems clear, and this is that you only need to code something once and then you can easily push it out to everyone using any device. It sounds simple and logical. Facebook, LinkedIn, Southwest Airlines are some of the companies that thought this.

However, the ease was disputed by some of the dramatic downsides. After some time, Mark Zuckerberg said that the company’s over-reliance on HTML5 is the biggest mistake of the company.

Firstly, Southwest Airlines used a cross-platform toolkit to develop an app and distribute its app across devices, but later at every conference, people would use it as the example of the worst app in the App Store. The airlines re-developed the application so that it can give its customers a better experience, as did Facebook and LinkedIn.

So rather than writing an app once to support different devices, you need to spend time and go in-depth on your first platform, whether this is Android or iOS. Gradually, you can expand from there, depending on how you want the app to perform and what your target audience is. What you must do is figure out your target audience by digging into the demographics of your user base.

Misconception 2: Over-estimating the power of your current back-end support

When you are developing a mobile application, you instinctively think that your backend support is so powerful that it will easily support the mobile apps you are developing. But you need to restructure your backend support so that you can give your users the mobile experience that they are looking for.

It is one of the biggest misconceptions that most  startups  have today. Now, they have got a mobile application and they are expecting it to be supported by the same backend infrastructure that is supporting their website.

Generally, companies are noticing a doubling of the traffic than they are getting to their websites. So, if you do not restructure your backend support, you will not be able to deliver a rich mobile app experience to your users.

Therefore, it is critical for startups that their backend support system is capable of handling the increased traffic so that they can serve their customers with a better mobile experience.

Misconception 3: Believing that outsourcing mobile app development is the total answer

If you want to achieve the results that you are hoping for, you might need to involve external assistance. There are many companies out there who expected that they could simply hand the whole project over, but they must remember that it is important to get as much information as they can, as fast as they can get it. That will require the clients’ participation.

A project can be developed wonderfully by an outsourced company, but only if they can work closely with their clients’ ideas and their engineering team. Preferably, they also need to have have an opportunity to interview leading stakeholders at the client company to understand what everyone wants and imagines. Mobile app companies can guess about what the client’s end user likes, what they are looking for, but it is far better not to guess.

One of the best things is for the client and the developer to work together on a daily basis as they work toward developing a solution. Rather than writing emails or checking in often, they need to sit together and work as a team. This way not only  can an external development team easily finish the project, but it is also creates a mentorship opportunity for the client, who is looking to get a unique solution.

By working side by side with, it becomes a lot easier and quicker to make decisions and work through different issues, finding solutions together. So, remember that  when you are outsourcing your project, it does not mean that you don’t have work to do.

Misconception 4: Thinking that small and new companies don’t need mobile apps

Day-by-day, the mobile app market is becoming more crowded, but there are lots of small and new companies that have disagreed about developing a mobile application of their own. But the reality is that,  without an application, your small business or startup will miss out on a lot of benefits. Mobile is the biggest growing marketing platform.

As you know that there are lots of startups like Uber, Myntra, Flipkart and more that have gained popularity not on the web, but as applications. Until today, these startups remain app-only.

Thus, if you want to stay ahead in your business and stand out from your competitors, you should consider developing a mobile application. Mobile apps need to play an integral part in your marketing efforts. They have a real power to help make your business successful.

So, these are the misconceptions that many startups have when considering developing a mobile application. If you have created your own startup, you may want to consider developing a high-end mobile app to boost your business growth.

App Development Misconceptions

Misconception 1: Thinking that developing apps natively for platforms is a waste of time
Misconception 2: Over-estimating the power of your current back-end support
Misconception 3: Believing that outsourcing mobile app development is the total answer
Misconception 4: Thinking that small and new companies don’t need mobile apps
These are the misconceptions that many startups have when considering developing a mobile application. If you have created your own startup, you may want to consider developing a high-end mobile app to boost your business growth.

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Mohd Sohel Ather

Mohd Sohel Ather

Mohd Sohel Ather is the head of content marketing at Space-O Technologies, A software engineer by profession Sohel loves writing and enjoys sharing his ideas on application development and other types of programming. He also likes to keep up with the latest technology trends in the world wide web.