Approach Tips to Design and Market Your Mobile App

The popularity of iPhones and other smart phones have made mobile applications an integral part of our life. These apps make it possible for you to do just about any task from checking emails to learning to cook, just right from your cell phone.
You can even keep in touch with your family and friends through social networking apps like Twitter and Facebook. Doing all that you want has never become any easier and these mobile apps have taken the use of technology to new levels. They are either pre-installed in the phone or they can be bought later from an app store.  The increasing usage of these smart phones has led to a new wave of interest in mobile app design and development.

How to design a mobile app

A mobile app is very different from an Internet app. The first step in the design process is to understand this difference. Mobile phones do not have broadband connectivity yet and so websites take a longer time to load. The apps, on the other hand, are light weight programs that take little bandwidth and function faster.

Once you have understood the basics of a mobile app, you are ready to design them. Keeping in tune with the idea of mobile apps, keep the interface simple. It should load quickly and the user should be able to navigate comfortably. This is the cornerstone for a successful mobile app. One good example is Gmail. The interface is simple and the first pages only gives the basic information like the number of new messages in the inbox, contacts and compose mail. Once you click on the inbox, you are directed to the page containing emails. The best part is that it is quick and easy to navigate without any compromise on the functionality. Other popular mobile apps are Twitter and Facebook.

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When you analyze these three apps, you will identify some common design elements. First of all, they are attractive and the look is not greatly compromised though the interface is stripped down to its bare minimum. There is more emphasis on the functionality and the attractiveness of the user interface. It is achieved simply by using the right colors, padding, boxes and borders to separate content and offering simple navigation choices to the user.

While designing a mobile app, prioritize your functionality and based on it, decide how it should look.  For example, if you are designing an online store, then concentrate on the layout for the important parts of the app like the search feature, details of the chosen product and the navigation between products. One mistake that some designers do is to cut down on information. This is the wrong approach because the apps should be able to provide users with the same amount of information that is available in the regular sites. Only keep the design to the minimum and avoid the use of images because they require a larger bandwidth. Use your imagination to keep it simple without cutting back on the looks and functionality.

Marketing Your Mobile App

If designing and developing a mobile app is one part of the business, marketing them makes it complete. With numerous apps coming out every day, the competition is intense. You will have to come up with new ways to not only design your app, but also market it. You have to turn the spotlight on your app and this can be more challenging than you would like to imagine.

The most important aspect of a mobile app is creativity and uniqueness. Your app should stand out in a crowd and for this, the functionality should be unique. If you are planning to create an app that is similar to the ones in the market already, then marketing it can be extremely difficult. So, keep the idea of marketing in mind even before you start your design.

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One of the best ways to market your app is to use the existing technology to popularize it. You can blog and tweet about your app and make the whole world be aware of it. To attract the attention of others, keep your sales pitch natural and short. Nobody has the time to read through a long and boring article. So, keep it short and at the same time, it should be engaging, attractive and amusing to garner attention. Use tech websites and blogs effectively to promote your product. Your content and choice of words can have a direct impact on the sale of your mobile app and so make sure you spend considerable time on it.

To start with, do not focus too much on making a lot of money. Instead, turn your attention on popularizing it and money will flow in automatically from increased sales. Try to offer numerous promo keys especially through tech blogs and other sites that can get you to your target audience. You can also collaborate with good writers and people with numerous followers on Twitter and Facebook to talk about your product. Give them the material needed to talk about your mobile app and when the top people talk, many will listen. This can be a great way to create awareness about your product among users.

A common mistake that some marketers do is to over-hype the product. This can be a fatal mistake that is sure to back fire. Instead of creating hype around your product, stick to its functionality and lay more emphasis on how it can make life easier for the user. Never exaggerate what your product can do because it will increase expectations. On the other hand, you have to make sure that the news about your app reaches far and wide. You can have a well-designed website that will talk about your product. On your launch date, just blow over the place with newsletters, online events, promo blogs, and contests or even coincide it with related live events. These are some of the ways to pull the attention of users to your app.

In short, a mobile app is a great business idea because its usage and popularity is only going to go up. However, make sure you have a unique idea that is backed by light weight design and solid functionality. Once your app is ready, market it using the above-mentioned suggestions. You are sure to become successful when you keep these thoughts in mind.