Application development can be a little overwhelming for some people since it involves so many decisions and choices. If it’s your first time then we sure can understand the questions you might be asking yourself. With technology advancing so rapidly apps have to be developed in a way that it matches the latest technological trends.
Going for application development will be the best decision for your business especially if you are a startup. Startups need to gather an audience and convert them into becoming their regular customers. This can be achieved with the help of mobile apps as it will give the audience a platform to engage, interact and gather information about the startup.
An app must be developed in a way that there is no waste in the application development process, every opportunity is explored and the end result is worth all the effort and costs. To make this happen, we are writing this blog about things to consider when developing mobile apps for startups.
Let us begin with why should you get an app for your startup.
Why build a great mobile app for your business?
The fact that by 2020, there will be 20 billion mobile devices makes building an app that can profit your business is very important. Majority of the mobile users are preferring mobile apps to get things done and apps are more of a lifestyle than just a technological solution.
Here are some compelling reasons why businesses should have an app.
Additional sales
With a mobile app in your customer’s pocket, you have a lot of things to use to increase your sales. The simplicity and convenience of using an app to buy a product encourage users to buy repeatedly. When compared to websites, apps have more accessibility and people can make a purchase on the go. Another way to gain revenue is by showing ads on the apps. You can also charge users for your app. If the app is worth paying for, customers will buy it.
Reduces marketing cost
Marketing costs are huge and not every startup can afford it. With apps, you get a free marketing tool which reduces the cost of marketing, unlike traditional marketing. Mobile apps are low-cost marketing tools where push notifications can be used to market new products, inform about offers and re-invite users to increase the activity of the app. Not to forget that it takes less time, low cost and reaches a large audience at the same time.
Customer experience
A business runs because of its customers and impressing them is the biggest job. Mobile apps are no doubt a great way of enhancing the customer experience. Websites are great to reach a larger audience but it cannot give the same feel as an app. Apps are deliberately designed such that it fits small screens while giving visual satisfaction to users. Apps have quick access to the device features like calling, camera, GPS, etc. which makes them more likable.
Edge over competitors
Even though most companies have got an app, there still might be a chance for you to flourish. There are two possibilities that make your chance to succeed with an app possible. First, there might be companies in your niche that haven’t gone mobile which gives an edge. Second, even if some businesses have, they might not a great app. A poorly developed app is of no good use and you get a chance there.
Broader Reach
There is a population that only operates its business through mobile apps. If you don’t have an app, you are missing out on that particular population. A large number of users prefer a mobile app over the website as seen in the statistics above. To know what percentage of your users are mobile-driven, check out the percentage of website visitors that access it through mobile phones. Also, younger users are more likely to use mobile apps as compared to adults.
Feedback from customers
If a business doesn’t meet the needs of its customers, it’s hampering its own growth. Most businesses take the smart route and consider the customer feedback a serious benefit. With feedback from your customers, you can reshape the business or make necessary changes. A great way to gather feedback is through reviews from the app store or from the in-app feedback section. You can also run in-app surveys from time to time.
Stickiness
Mobile apps are a strategy to get into the customer’s pocket. The convenience it brings for the users is very much appreciated by them. Having an app in their pockets and being able to access it anytime and anywhere creates stickiness with your brand. Unlike websites, apps are always a click or a tap away and that encourages repeated interaction with the business. There are also high chances that mobile apps can bring your business a great percentage of loyal customers.
Now that we have seen why you should get an app for your startup, here are some tips for creating an app that is profitable.
What are the main points to consider when developing a mobile application?
It’s easier to decide to get an app than actually planning to build a good one. Mobile app development is a process that needs proper consideration. It requires one to look into tips for bringing success to app business, implement them, and much more. In this section, we will state some things to consider when developing mobile apps.
Solidify the app idea
One of the mobile application development tips for beginners is the app ideation. Before you even think about the application development process, make sure your app idea is great. The entire base of the app is the ideation and you need to make sure you have everything it takes to make the app a success. You have to ask yourself whether the app idea is strong enough to survive the cut-throat competition or not. The app should also have an edge over the competition and should be able to solve problems on a business level.
Define your elevator pitch
One of the things to consider when developing mobile apps is the elevator pitch. You get a short time to present your business in front of investors and that’s why having a perfect elevator pitch is important. This also helps in finding the clarity in your app idea and business model. You should be prompt about your business, the problems it is going to solve, the funding it will need and the audience it’s going to target.
Identify the target audience
People think that the entire app using population is their target audience since they all can use an app. But there is a huge difference between someone who can use an app and someone who wants to use an app. Defining your target audience will bring more traction to the business. Knowing your target audience helps in building an app as per their liking. An app that satisfies the customer needs is going to become successful.
Consider the app platform
Factors in developing mobile applications also include the app platform. It is actually one of the most important things to consider when developing mobile apps. In the world of mobile apps, iOS and Android have become the top platforms for application development. There is an ongoing debate between Android vs iOS for startups and it isn’t going to end any time soon. Some find iOS to be the right platform for them and some find Android is the way to go. Both platforms are great in reality and have their pros and cons. iOS uses the Swift or Objective-C language whereas Android uses Java or Kotlin.
However, there is an option to select both platforms at the same time. Cross-platform apps are developed to be accessible on multiple platforms. The cross-platform frameworks that we use today are Ionic, Xamarin, etc. A simpler name for cross-platform apps is hybrid apps.
App store optimization
So far you have seen many things to think about when building an app. App Store and Play Store optimization are other crucial factors for consideration. Your app store page is a way of creating a good impression in front of users. 60% of apps are found through organic search and they are directed to the app store page of your app. You need to make the app look as appealing as possible while following the app store optimization guidelines.
Monetization options
One of the things to keep in mind while developing a mobile app is the way of monetization. As good as earning money off of the app directly is, there are other ways to earn money from the app.
If your app is good enough then you can earn from different ways using your app. You can earn money directly from your app in the following ways:
Freemium apps: These apps are the most common types of apps. The apps can be download for free, however, to access some features users have to buy it from the app.
Paid apps: The paid apps have to be bought by the users in order to use them. But for this to work, the marketing of the app needs to be strong so that the true value and unique features of the app are displayed.
In-app purchases: Apps can have special features that the users can pay for. These features are only accessible to those who have made the in-app purchases.
Subscription: Subscription is a way of earning on a regular basis. Users can subscribe to an app on a monthly basis and enjoy the best version of the app. Most apps have freemium for the simple version and subscription for a premium version of the app.
In-app ads: Earning revenue from the ads is quite common these days. There are no barriers for users since watching ads don’t cost anything. The app can have a section to display ads or can add video ads to the app. However, user experience should not be compromised with when going for in-app ads.
Sponsorships: This method of earning money is possible when you have generated a good user base. You can partner with some brands and advertise their products on the app. There is a two-way benefit in sponsorship for you. First, the brands will pay you for the user actions and second, users will increase the in-app engagement.
App security measures
If your app is not secure then your app is not for the users. With so much advancement in technology, there comes a great risk of security breach and hacking. This is why you need to make sure you follow security practices for a hack-proof app to protect your users’ data. Most users are naive with the concept of hacking and need an app they don’t have to worry about.
Marketing strategies for pre-launch and post-launch
The marketing strategy of the app is one of the things to consider when developing mobile apps. Before the app is launched, proper awareness should be created about the app. This will help in boosting the app downloads once the app is launched. The pre-launch is as important as post-launch and the marketing strategies for both should be ready.
This was our take on tips for mobile application development. Have an app idea? Contact our team of developers today.
Mobile apps have become a go-to for industries. Ever since apps were recognized for their abilities to boost businesses, everyone wants to go for it. If you are a well-established business with a huge budget for an app then you can easily hire an app agency and get started with your app. However, if you are a startup on a budget, you might want to tread carefully here. Mobile app development requires more than just funds. Of course, the cost factor is there but the quality of the app also determines its success. What makes an app ‘successful’? What tips to consider for making your mobile application successful? For any app to be successful, it should have amazing features.If we look at the latest apps, they are all using the latest technology in them. Technologies like AI, VR, AR, Machine Learning, etc. are being used to improve the overall app experience.
When any user has the first encounter with an app, they notice the UI of the app, features of the app and the performance of the app. This is followed by the regularity of updates and bug fixes.
We have already talked about all other factors in our previous blogs so today we will discuss what are the key features of a successful mobile application – features that should satisfy the users and their needs.
What makes a mobile application successful?
Other than the features of the app, there are some other factors that also contribute to the success of an app.
Mobile app development is like a journey that has many phases and many stages. Before the features are put in an app, some factors are considered to ensure the success of the app. Here are some points that must be considered when answering how to develop a reactive mobile app.
User-centric
When your app gets launched, who the users are going to be? Think about them and understand their characteristics. This will help you in building an app that suits a particular demographic. When the app is user-centric, it gets more active users, more engagement and more audience. User feedback is a great way to gather information about what your users need. Most successful apps use this feedback to improve their apps, making it more likable by the users.
A polished feel
An app with poor designs shows the level of effort put into making it. A great app will put efforts in the slightest feature which is what makes them great. Users are looking for visually appealing apps that solve their problems and if it’s not worth their time then they will leave it immediately.
Has a strong USP
The Unique Selling Point of a successful app is always strong. What makes the app unique is what makes it successful. See, for example, UrbanClap started providing home services like beauty salon services, repairs, etc. on their app. This was very different from any other business model. The user has options to select from various services that UrbanClap provides.
Focus on one core feature
Your app should be known for one of its strongest features. Users prefer not to use apps that are complicated so don’t focus on promoting multiple features all at the same time. What makes a mobile application successful is its ability to do one task and do it very well. The best way to focus on one feature is to find the core that drove you to build the app in the first place. That very same reason will be the driving feature of your app.
Solves a problem
A mobile application is also called a digital solution and it is because it solves a problem. With so many apps in the market, you have to see which problem is your app solving. Even the slightest of change between two apps make a difference. Suppose, an app provides parking solutions at malls but does not have a car locator feature. If you add the feature in your app, that would make the app more likable and usable.
What are the successful mobile app features?
Talking about successful mobile app features, there is a misconception that the more features an app has, the more it will be likable. But more features means more app development cost and more complications in the app.
Too many features are not what makes a successful app but its the smart combination of features that do the magic. Here are some of the best features that you can use in your app.
1. Use of latest technology
Apps using the latest technologies like data science, machine learning, AI, etc. have made their name as a successful mobile application. The truth is people are looking for more and more convenience in their mobile apps and these technologies provide that. Not only does the technology help in providing maximum user satisfaction but also helps industries in handling the business quite well. With data science technology, great models can be created that predict demand and sales for a business.
2. Augmented reality in apps
Augmented reality is one of the biggest talks of the town in the digital world. AR has seen tremendous success after being used in apps and gaming apps. Pokemon Go was the most successful example of AR being used to enhance the app gaming experience. Now many retail stores are using the AR technology to give users the benefit of trying on products virtually before buying them.
3. Cross-platform
Apps supporting multiple platforms are always appreciated. Building native apps may be costly for a startup but that’s when cross-platform comes into the picture. Cross-platform not only saves cost but also saves effort that goes into building the same app twice. Cross-platform development frameworks include angular native framework. This framework allows developers to build apps that give native feels while saving high cost.
4. Secure the app
Time and again we have said that the security of the app is crucial. Secure apps have loyal users and gather audience faster. There are many practices to make a hack-proof app and most app development companies are using them to provide a secure solution to users. E-commerce apps and any other app that includes in-app payments would need a secure payment gateway.
5. Business solutions
When an app is capable of solving problems on an industry level then that’s what makes a successful app. To be honest, solving industry level problems is what an app is built for. When a startup app is launched, it functions on a small scale and as it grows it starts solving bigger problems. So the idea of the app should be somewhat related to finding solutions for business problems. Even big enterprises go for app development because they have some issues they want to deal with.
6. Connectivity standards
The app is being built in a modern world which means it should have the connectivity features that support the modern world as well. When the app is using any sort of connection feature, be it Bluetooth or anything else, it should be able to support the technology it is being connected to.
7. Offline functionality
Having offline functionality is very trendy in the app development world. People are demanding the offline mode for apps since the connectivity issues prevail at times. Of course, there are apps that cannot do without a network connection but they still can support offline feature with the help of background downloading. There had been complaints about some e-commerce apps that didn’t show anything without a network connection. This will annoy the users since they at least should be able to browse through already loaded pages.
8. Customer support services
Recently we have seen users complain about the customer support system a lot. First of all, every app should have one customer support section since not every user is tech savvy. And this customer support should be well functioning too. Not only the design and performance but also the customer support is what makes a successful app.
9. Personalization
Users love an app they can personalize according to their need. More than 70% of app users expect the app to personalize their experience. The search results, notifications, text, themes, etc. are all ways to personalize an app according to the users’ needs. With the help of a user profile, better personalization is done as the profile stores more information about user behavior.
10. Marketing and analytics
An app is not just a digital solution but also a great marketing tool. With the help of analytics measuring tools, app owners can gather significant information about users activity on the app. This information includes what users want, what they are looking for and how they interact with different sections of the app. With this analytics, proper marketing strategies can be created for every user. Marketing and analytics are seeing a major hit in the market because of its ability to increase sales rapidly.
JavaScript frameworks are changing the scenario of the front-end development world. They are proving to have the potential to build cross-platform mobile apps with ease and better future considerations. However, not all the front-end JavaScript frameworks are enjoying the same limelight in the marketplace.
While many new frameworks like Vue and Ember have entered the market and are gaining momentum with their exceptional options, frameworks like jQuery and Aurelia are losing their charm in the JavaScript world. They are struggling with getting the attention of the mobile app developers – a mandate for remaining in the development world.
In such a scenario where JavaScript frameworks are losing the market at a considerably higher pace than they enter into the market, keeping yourself abreast with what are the best JavaScript frameworks in 2019 can act as a helping hand in curating a profitable future in the marketplace. And when talking about the JavaScript frameworks to consider in 2019, looking at the two popular frameworks, Angular and Vue, and seeing how to choose the right option among them can be worthwhile.
Taking the same thought forward, we will have a brief look of both the JavaScript frameworks and look into Vue.js vs Angular comparison in this article.
So, here we begin with the first section, i.e, the brief introduction of Angular and Vue.
A Basic Overview of Angular and Vue.js
Backed by Google, Angular is an open-source framework considered for building dynamic websites and applications. The framework falls under the category of MEAN stack and is supportable with a wide range of code editors. Its latest version is Angular 8, which introduced various exciting features in the development environment, such as differential loading, dynamic import for lazy routes, CLI workflow improvements, support for Node 10, and support for TypeScript 3.4.
Whereas, the answer to what is Vue is that it is an open-source framework created by Evan You for tackling the challenges associated with Angular and React JS frameworks. The framework is highly recognised in the market for developing a simple page web application. Its latest version is Vue 2.6 which has come up with features and update that adds to its popularity in the market, such as the introduction of Slots, Async error handling, template compile warnings with source information, dynamic directive arguments, Explicit creation of standalone reactive objects, and more.
Both these JavaScript application frameworks are loved by various reputed brands for reaping higher profits of the mobile market, including:-
While there can be various reasons behind why these brands have adopted Vue.js 2.6 vs Angular 8, a few of them are stated below:-
Benefits of Considering Angular Development Framework
Some of the pros of Angular that proves it to be the right JS framework for your app needs are:-
Server-Side Rendering
Angular JS framework offers better Server-Side Rendering (SSR) features that improve the page speed on the client side. This makes the JS framework more SEO-friendly.
Separation of Concerns
Angular follows the MVC model, which makes it good for separation of concerns and cleaner faster development.
Deep Linking Module
The framework provides developers with an extensive linking module for single page app development that assists in understanding of how Ajax works and introducing its advantages into your app project.
Tools and Filters
As stated earlier, Angular 8 comes up with various features, tools, and filters that makes development environment better and faster. Some of these features are lazy loading, virtual scrolling, preview of Ivy, support for Node 10, and more.
Testing and Maintenance
The Angular IO framework comes with advanced refactoring and debugging options that aid developers in the testing and maintenance process. Besides, it renders the opportunity to test the complete project with a single testing tool like Jasmine, Karma and Protractor. This cut down the hassle of developers and ensure highly-effective results.
Update Scope with CLI
As we have already seen in our article React vs Angular covered a few months ago, Angular CLI is easy to install and use. It also serves mobility experts with simpler commands and effective testing tools and is supported by several engineers and platforms that make it possible to update all the app components – including those having dependency on third-party libraries and APIs.
While these are the advantages of Angular that supports the idea of choosing it for front-end development, it’s good to have a glance at the benefits of Vue to determine what to consider in Vue.js vs Angular to do justice to your app needs.
Advantages of Going with Vue.js
Vue.js is emerging out as one of the most popular front-end JavaScript frameworks to rely upon for your application development needs, with benefits like:-
Memory Consumption
One of the pros of Vue.js development is that the app developed can be as light as 18Kb after zipping. This makes it the first choice to target the user base demanding for low memory consumption with impressive features availability.
Ease of Learning
Vue CLI comes under the category of most popular JavaScript frameworks in 2019. Its CLI is too basic when compared to other frameworks including Angular. Besides, it has an extensive and updated documentation. All these reasons make it the first choice of all those who are or wish to enter the development arena.
Readability
Being written in JavaScript and having the property of clean codes, this framework makes it easier for anyone to read and understand the code to take the app development process further.
Download Speed
Since the app size is minimal, the Vue.js – based application is faster to download and employ.
Integration Scope
As specified earlier in our Vue.js vs Reactjs article that was covered last year, Vue.js facilitates a simpler and easier integration process. This makes it developers’ favorite to build both single page application from scratch and integrate high-end components into an existing one.
Server-Side Rendering
Another factor that counts under the benefits of Vue.js is that it also offers option of Server-side rendering. This improves the speed of the working of pages on the client end, which eventually result in better user experience.
Now as we have grasped the basics of both, let’s jump directly into the JavaScript frameworks comparison part so that you could select the optimal framework for your business needs. In short, let’s take a turn towards Vue.js vs Angular.
Vue.js vs Angular: Factors to Determine the Right Development Option
1. Popularity
As per the 2018 State of JavaScript survey, the percentage of people who have never heard of Vue has reduced from 5% to 1% in just a year. This signifies that Vue.js popularity is growing.
But as disclosed by GitHub, while Vue is getting higher stars and forks, it is lagging behind in terms of the number of commits and contributors. This makes it tough to say which framework is better in terms of popularity – Vue.js vs Angular – Angular vs Vue.js.
2. Learning Curve
To develop an application with Angular frontend development framework, you need to get expertise at concepts like TypeScript and MVC. But, this is not in the case of Vue.
Vue.js framework offers inbuilt app templates and higher customization which makes it easier than Angular and React. Besides, Vue.js – being designed by blending Angular and React – makes it easier to bring Angular or React-based mobility solution on Vue platform.
3. Architecture
Another factor that influences the decision in JS framework comparison is architecture. While Angular implements MVC (Model-View-Controller) and MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) for creating dynamic websites and web applications, Vue primarily focuses only on the ViewModel and shows limited data. This makes Vue.js become inferior to Angular in the development world.
This makes Angular win the title of Angular vs Vue.js battle.
4. Complexity
Since Vue.js has been developed much later than various other JS frameworks including React and Angular JS (the earlier version of Angular), it is much simpler than Angular in terms of design and API.
In other words, Angular comes with a much higher complexity than Vue.js in the development arena.
5. Scalability
When you look at scalability as the deciding factor in Angular vs Vue, the former leads the competition. This is because Angular has a proper modular development structure while Vue.js employs template-based syntax, which reduces the reusability of code in large-size apps.
6. TypeScript Support
Angular is highly integrated with TypeScript – the upgraded version of JavaScript. It is not possible to code in Angular ecosystem without Typescript. Whereas, when talking about Vue.js, JavaScript is considered for writing codes. But, it also provides Vue.js developers with official typings and official decorator to easily collaborate TypeScript features into Vue development environment.
7. App Size and Loading Time
Though the recent Angular versions have traits like AOT compilation and tree-shaking which reduces the app size to a considerable rate, an Angular-based app is still not as lighter as the one developed using Vue framework. And since loading time depends heavily on app size, Vue.js mobile app ensures faster loading.
Thus, the winner of Vue.js vs Angular battle is the former.
8. Flexibility
The next factor that holds the key to choosing the best JS frameworks between Vue.js and Angular is flexibility.
Vue.js, when compared to Angular, is less opinionated and provides developers with an official support for a wide range of build systems with no constraint upon the app structure. This indicates that Vue.js is a better option over Angular in terms of freedom and flexibility.
9. App Performance
In web and mobile app development, the performance level is directly associated with DOM (Document Object Model). While Angular uses real DOM in which the complete web/app page is rendered even on changing a single component, Vue.js works with Virtual DOM in which changes are reflected on the real DOM only on those components that are modified. This approach accelerates the app performance, making Vue.js a winner over Angular in the front-end JavaScript frameworks market.
10. Data Binding
Just like React, Vue.js also relies upon the concept of one-way data binding in which the UI elements cannot be altered before changing the model state. Whereas, Angular employs two-way binding approach in which model state changes when UI element is changed and vice-versa.
While two-way binding seems an easier method, it lags behind Vue.js’s one-way data binding approach in terms of making faster data flow and creating non-trivial apps in less time.
11. Ease of Deployment
Earlier it was required to focus on writing a “good” Angular application to reap the perks of lazy loading, Ahead-of-Time compilation (AoT), module system and other related features. But, the Angular 8 version has come up with changes that revolutionized the whole scenario. The Angular update introduced options like differential loading, CLI workflow improvements, dynamic import for lazy routes, and more which added ease to the deployment process.
Whereas, in the case of Vue.js, you can either import anything into your app environment or build a complex local setup (created using Vue CLI) which regulates the code optimizations. You can employ lazy loading of components and even pre-compile the templates already available on Vue.js.
12. Testing
When taking testing as the prime factor, Angular is a better choice over Vue.js. It has a great testing mechanism and offers multiple tools like Jasmine and Karma that test the complete development code individually. Whereas, Vue.js lacks the right testing guidelines making it tough for developers to deliver a bug-free application.
13. Mobility Solutions
Angular is a web-based app framework considered for creating real-time apps like instant messaging or chat applications. Whereas, Vue.js is suitable for designing lightweight single page web applications with an easy interface.
14. Community Support
Vue.js, unlike Angular which is backed by Google, is driven wholly by an open-source community. Because of this, it lags behind Angular and other JS frameworks in terms of the number of commits and contributors despite having a higher number of watchers, stars and forks on GitHub. Besides, the migration helper tool of Vue.js is not effective for large-scale application due to the absence of a roadmap that concentrates upon versioning and their plans. All these factors indicate that Angular is a winner over Vue.js in terms of community support.
Though the aforementioned factors will help in deciding the right option and leverage maximum advantages, it’s good to look into which JS framework is best for which situation – Vue.js vs Angular.
When to Consider Angular for Your App Project
You are developing a large, dynamic and complex app project.
You want a real-time application like Instant messaging and Chat app.
You require easy and reliable scalability.
You have time to learn TypeScript before the project begins.
You are fond of Object-oriented programming.
When to Pick Vue.js for App Development
You are developing a lightweight and single-page app.
With this, we have now reached the end of this article. We have looked into the factors that can help in deciding the right JavaScript framework among Vue.js vs Angular for your application development needs and the situations you can relate to. But, if you still can’t decide what to choose for your app needs and how to proceed further, consult with our app development experts.
Our team, with their years of experience in app development for different business verticals and needs, will guide you in considering the right factors and thus, launching a profitable mobility solution in the market.
Blockchain technology is one of the driving forces in the world of innovation. It has revolutionized various industries, including Healthcare, Supply chain, Mobile app, Retail, Real Estate, and Finance by adding a layer of security and transparency into their processes. And on the way, it has become one of the most loved technologies by Entrepreneurs.
Artificial Intelligence has also made a similar impression on the business world. The technology, in the form of Chatbot, has revamped the traditional businesses and upgraded the customer experience. It has established itself as a core part of every business – be it finance, travel, retail, healthcare, real estate, or mobile apps.
Both Blockchain and AI have set the foundation of a new business era in one way or the other. But have you ever wondered what will happen when the two technologies will converge? Will their coexistence fit into the industry world? Will they improve the economy or make it worse?
Before we dig deeper into how the fusion of two technologies will appear and how it will change the face of businesses, let’s have a quick glance at what importance does Blockchain and AI holds in the present market.
AI and Blockchain – A Brief Introduction
Artificial Intelligence is the technology that makes machines smart enough to mimic human intelligence and perform tasks on their own. The technology, with its impressive features, has brought a paradigm shift in the business world – making everyone understand why investing in Artificial Intelligence is the need of the hour.
The technology is expected to continue making a major impact on the business market as shown by the following statistics:-
The global market for Artificial Intelligence will be of worth $190 billion by 2025.
By 2019, 40% of digital transformations will be done via AI.
AI-enabled voice assistants will hit more than 4 billion devices across the globe by this year.
Companies relying on AI data will take $1.2 trillion a year from non-insight driven firms by the year 2020.
Blockchain, in layman language, is a distributed ledger that stores all the transactions in nodes in a transparent and secure manner. The technology, with its exciting characteristics, has disrupted the business world in numerous ways and made everyone interested in going through this digestible guide to Blockchain app development.
Blockchain has also demonstrated a wider future scope as depicted from the statistics:-
According to IDC, $11.7B will be spent on Blockchain by the year 2022, with a compounding annual growth of 73.2%.
69% of banks across the globe are experimenting, and around 90% of North American Banks and European banks are investing in Blockchain development solutions to make their processes seamless, secure and transparents.
Banks and Finance firms are predicted to save around $8-12 B annually by embracing Blockchain powered decentralized finance solutions.
While we have covered the basics of AI and Blockchain, let us bring Big Data in the mix too, to gain a better understanding of the relationship of the two disruptive technologies.
So, here we go.
The Trifecta Factor: AI, Big Data and Blockchain
Big Data prepares the ground for the advancement of both AI and Blockchain. It empowers businesses and blockchain app developers to accumulate a heap of data into structured components.
This data is further employed by AI-powered machines and applications to understand the user behavior and deliver personalized customer experience. Whereas, Blockchain relies on Big Data to get the analyzed data that can be stored in its distributed ledger and made accessible to people, depending on if it is on a public or private network.
With this, we have taken a quick recap of the basics of the disruptive technologies, let’s jump directly to how they complement each other – beginning with impact of AI on Blockchain industry.
How AI Can Change Blockchain System?
Though Blockchain has proven to be the finest technology in the marketplace to invest in, it also has some limitations. The answer to how to combine AI and blockchain will lead Artificial Intelligence in the scenario to emerge out as the right solution to make Blockchain a perfect evolution in the following ways:-
1. Better data management
Currently, Blockchain relies on hashing algorithms for data mining. These algorithms work with a ‘brute force’ approach where the algorithm strives to find every possible combination of characters until the one that goes with the verification process is found. This complicates the whole process and demands higher efforts.
This feature of artificial intelligence can give an escape from this approach by providing a more intelligent approach which makes the data management process seamless.
2. Improved energy consumption
By improving the data mining system, Artificial Intelligence for Blockchain can help with streamlining the whole process. This will eventually help in cutting down the number of efforts and time invested in mining the data in the Blockchain sphere.
3. More scalability
As the Blockchain scaling problem explained by Cointelegraph, the size of Blockchain is growing at a substantial pace of 1MB for every 10 minutes – with existing data being somewhere around 85vMB. But, there’s no effective method currently in practice to deal with data optimization and elimination processes.
Artificial Intelligence, in this scenario, can help by introducing an advanced decentralized learning system or a new data sharing technique that makes the system more efficient and open new ways for Entrepreneurs to look into Blockchain for startups and Enterprises.
4. Enhanced efficiency
The speed and effectiveness of performing a P2P transaction in a Blockchain system costs around $600 million a year. And one of the reasons behind is that each node executes the same task on its own copy of data so as to be the first one to come up with a solution.
AI can improve this situation by providing an intelligent system that looks into which node is going to deliver the solution at the earliest and informing other nodes to shut down their efforts. This will eventually cut down the cost involved as well as upgrade the efficiency of the whole system.
5. Higher security
Though Blockchain is known for its unbeatable security characteristics, the applications designed using the technology are not so secure. This is another sphere where AI can prove to be a requisite addition.
Artificial Intelligence can integrate natural language processing, image recognition, and multi-dimensional real-time data transformation capabilities into Blockchain peer-to-peer linking. This avails data miners with an option to turn a large-scale system into several micro-economic environments and optimize data transactions in a secure and effective manner. Above all, it adds flexibility to the process with the help of Machine learning intelligence.
6. New data gates
In the coming years, all the data will be stored on a Blockchain and the organizations will tend to directly buy them from the data holders. In a scenario like this, AI will help with providing an intelligent method of tracking data usage, granting access, and other such tasks. They will act as data gates from where the whole Blockchain data flow will be maintained.
Now, while these are some of the ways Artificial Intelligence can improve the Blockchain system, let’s head towards how blockchain can change AI world.
How Blockchain can Transform the AI World?
The technology behind Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies will also bring major changes into the Artificial Intelligence ecosystem in the following ways:-
1. Better transactions
Blockchain, with the help of Smart contracts and Consensus models, ensure that all the app data, customer details and that of financial transactions are immutable, publicly accessible and recorded in real-time. This guarantees data authenticity and accuracy, and eradicate the need for involving intermediaries, which eventually results in faster, secure and fair transactions.
2. High-Quality data
By providing real-time patient data access, AI is transforming healthcare and various other business verticals. But, one challenge the AI-enabled apps and software are facing is that they have limited access to data. They often could not access data that is governed by some other entity. Besides, they find hard to look into data authentication. An outcome of which is low-quality data is considered many times to predict the results.
Blockchain, in this situation, provides a heap of data which is not owned by a single entity, is immutable and accessible to all. It also empowers the implementation of certain rules, data and analytics into compliance in a sequential and secure manner with the help of Smart contracts. This, as a whole, helps to gain high-quality data in real-time without compromising on data privacy and security compliances.
3. Decentralized intelligence
As we covered in the last point, the existing AI-powered business models faces various issues due to centralization of data. This makes it difficult for an AI system to render the most accurate decisions.
Blockchain, in this context, can enable frictionless access to information that is shared and authenticated by all the stakeholders involved in the network. Besides, the consensus algorithm can ensure that the data written in the blockchain are not limited to any particular scenario and do not lose their credibility. Once it is proved, the AI system can go for a comprehensive study of the data, its behavior, study pattern, and much more to unveil the information never noticed before. These insights can further be used by deep learning algorithms to derive factually accurate decisions and make better predictions for the end customers.
4. Lower market entry barriers
Apps and software designed using Artificial Intelligence suffer from various market barriers due to lack of authentication, involvement of intermediaries, risk of inaccuracy, monopoly ownership on data, etc. Convergence of AI with Blockchain technology can lower down the ownership of a single entity, eliminate intermediary, and assure that the data is secure, accurate and authenticated by the stakeholders involved. In this way, it paves a way to enter the market at the earliest and in a profitable manner.
5. Greater transparency
Blockchain technology features will add transparency to the Artificial Intelligence system. It posts all the detailed involved in making a decision by AI machine on a blockchain, which is accessible in real-time. Whenever a decision goes wrong, the businesses can look into the blockchain to inspect what is the root cause of the failure or issues encountered and plan for a better strategy.
6. Improved artificial trust
AI is bringing a major impact on businesses, but it is still facing major challenges in terms of trustability. Blockchain, in this scenario, will ensure that a publicly accessible yet immutable public registry is maintained that will contain your data and related models in the form of a cryptographic digital signature. Every user can access the information authenticated and verified by smart contracts and consensus models in real-time. This, altogether, will eliminate the need for introducing intermediaries and eventually, upgrade the trustability into the AI ecosystem.
With this, we have seen the impact of AI on Blockchain and vice-versa. So let’s look into the next main part of the article, i.e, what are the advantages of the convergence of the technologies.
Benefits of Co-evolution of the Two Technologies
Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain, when treated as a single entity, will resolve various challenges and come up with a myriad of new opportunities. Some of these possibilities are:-
1. Better decision making
The co-evolution of AI and Blockchain technology will also improve the decision-making process. On one side, AI algorithms will help to detect the frauds and risks associated with any transaction or app, on the other side Blockchain will assist in improving the accuracy of the data used for fraud prediction by AI algorithms with its simple and secure data auditing process.
2. Secured personalized experiences
The AI and Blockchain convergence will also enhance the personalized experience delivered to the customers. While AI will continue to work with highly sensitive personal data, Blockchain will ensure that the data remains immutable and secure using the best cryptography encryption technique. This will prevent the circumstances when AI fails to serve customers with the right personalized experience due to data violation done by data intruders or others.
In other words, Blockchain will offer security with encryption, while AI will provide more privacy to the end users in terms of their experience on platforms like Netflix and Amazon using the Blockchain-secured data.
3. Higher trustability
Merging the two technologies will empower users to look into what and how their sensitive data is stored, managed, and employed without compromising on the privacy and security front. It will help them to audit every single step into the decision-making process, which will boost public trust.
4. Increased accessibility
Blockchain and AI together will cut down the hassle associated with payment methods. While Blockchain-based cryptocurrencies will put the currency barrier to end and foster international trading, AI will improve the operational efficiency of the process, ensure higher security, and reduce the cost associated.
5. New business models
Another benefit of dual technologies is the introduction of newer business models. The Blockchain will provide frictionless access to the information of the complete business ecosystem, with all the stakeholders contributing immutable data without worrying about the ownership of the network. This will provide an AI system with the opportunity to get deeper insights from the patterns, behaviors and other factors related to the working of a business. And thus, deliver with more factually accurate decisions, or better say, newer business models.
6. Improved smart contracts
Smart contracts, as explained in our Smart Contract guide, are offering various perks like higher speed, minimum to zero disputes, improved data storage, etc. to the business world. But, their use is confined due to the sophistication of the program. AI, by integrating with Blockchain, will make it possible for smart contracts to encode and validate complex commercial relationships on a blockchain. Thus, improved smart contracts will come into existence. Besides, the self-executing contracts will provide different levels of quality based on the price changes managed by AI-based system.
7. Data monetization
Another advancement that may be feasible by joining the two technologies is the approval of information. Monetizing gathered information is a big revenue for big organizations, like Facebook and Google. Having others choose how information is sold to make profits for organizations, shows that information is being weaponized against us.
For AI algorithms to learn and develop, AI organizations will be needed to purchase information directly from its makers, through data centers. This will make the entire technique a way more honest strategy than it is in today’s time, without tech giants misusing its users. Such data centers will additionally open AI for more small corporations. Creating and feeding AI is unrealistically expensive for organizations that don’t generate their insight.
8. Smart computing power
If you somehow happened to work a blockchain, with all its encrypted information on a laptop, then you’d like a massive amount of process power. The hashing algorithms used to mine Bitcoin blocks, for instance, take a “brute force” approach – which consists of efficiently systematically identifying all potential candidates for the solution and checking whether every candidate fulfills the problem’s statement before confirming a dealing. Imagine an AI based algorithm, which could practically polish its abilities in real-time if it was provided with appropriate training data.
With this now attended to, it’s time to dive deeper into the concept and determine what will be the impact of technology on your business.
Impact of AI-Blockchain Convergence on Industries
The applications of Blockchain and AI combination are almost similar in all the businesses. But, to ease the process, let’s check the impact of AI-Blockchain collaboration on all the industries individually.
1. Healthcare
Both Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain technology in Healthcare industry are offering new opportunities for both patients and healthcare service providers at their independent level. But when it comes to work altogether, the healthcare organizations and patients will experience the next level of services.
Intersection of blockchain and AI in Healthcare will offer the opportunity to safeguard the medical records against cyber attacks as well as access the data in a decentralized layer and give people ownership of their data, eliminate the monopolistics power of the top tech giants like Google and Apple, and empower patients to share their data with anyone on their own terms and receive personalized responses.
2. Retail
Merging AI with blockchain technologies will double the impact of AI in Retail business. It will empower the retailers to save the insights of their customers in immutable blocks and record the whole process so as to determine what factors were involved, if their marketing plan fails. Besides, it will enhance the payment process and eradicate the risk of frauds.
3. Supply chain
Benefits of combining blockchain and AI will result into an all new world. The technologies, as a single unit, will help to optimize supply chain in a far secure and effective manner as well as offer better insights into what should go in the first place. This, in turn, will enhance the experience of everyone involved and result in higher business profits.
4. Finance
Integrating Blockchain with AI will also streamline the processes in Finance sector. While Blockchain will build trust into the industry in the form of Smart Contracts, AI will cut down the dependency on humans to understand human emotions and predicting the next step to be taken, which will eventually enhance the automation and performance level.
5. Government
Blockchain and AI merge paths together to revamp the definition of democracy. The technologies will transfer the control over data from big group of people to the whole public, while maintaining the security and quality of data.
Besides, the AI and Blockchain technologies will aid in tracing e-voting procedures and making them accessible to all the citizens in real-time.
6. Mobile applications
Basically the combination of AI and blockchain can increase the efficiency and the reaction time. For example, there is a payment to be made. Thus, blockchain will make the payment channel smooth and transparent, consequently improving the speed. Simultaneously, AI will characterize which gateway should be utilized, and how the client intends to finish the payment. This way both the technologies will accelerate the payment page, hence expanding the checkout experience.
Use Cases of the AI-Blockchain Convergence
Some of the companies that have invested in the combination of blockchain and AI projects to enhance their existing processes are:-
1. Engima
Enigma is serving with a data marketplace that empowers secure off-chain computation. This marketplace is designed with an aim to let companies share data that users can subscribe to and obtain via smart contracts.
2. Numerai
Numerai supplies crowdsource machine learning issues to data scientists and empower them to record their results into an AI-meta model for a short/long period of time and bet on the effectiveness of their proposed output/model. Once the turn period is over, they can check whose result is nearly correct and share the earning based on the terms and conditions pre-decided.
3. SingularityNET
SingularityNET collaborates the use of AI in Blockchain to develop a decentralized open market for Artificial Intelligence where anyone can monetize AI. That implies anyone can buy and sell AI algorithms at a larger scale, and thus improve its capabilities. One of the popular use cases of SingularityNET is Sophia.
4. Computable labs
Computable Labs is creating new Internet infrastructure for AI to get democratize access to data and algorithms and is striving to supply a Token Curated Registry (TCR) that act as a hub for buying/selling of data.
5. Ocean protocol
Another use case of AI-Blockchain coevolution is Ocean Protocol. It is an ecosystem for data sharing and monetization that offers a tokenized service layer with an aim to provide safe, transparent and secure access to data, especially to AI-enabled entities.
6. Synapse AI
Synapse is employing the AI Blockchain convergence to build a decentralized data and intelligence marketplace for trainers, researchers, processors, and contracts that can be approached in real-time programmatically.
As seen in the above Blockchain and AI use cases, the idea of integrating these technologies is attracting a vast number of entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. However, the process of combining the two technologies is not as easy as it seems. There are various challenges associated with the convergence of Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain, about which we will cover in the next section.
7. Hanson robotics
World popular robot Sophia, created by Hanson Robotics, is taking machine intelligence to another level. Sophia has been wired to physically manage data and decide her reactions and responses accordingly. She utilizes various AI modules to take her activities keenly.
8. Namahe AI – supply chain
Aiming to acquire transparency and connect the different components of significant value chains, Namahe AI monitors the inventory and supply chain process in real time and reports glitches, delays and fakes in the framework and highlights such information so that professionals can review it. It leaves less scope for any misuse. Namahe AI will additionally send machine learning that will permit AI to predict future business and irregularities.
Challenges Associated with the Integration of Blockchain and AI
When talking about integrating Blockchain and AI technologies, various challenges come into play, such as:-
Blockchain technology is decentralized and its nodes are heterogeneous in nature. Because of this, if Blockchain is public and open-sourced, it will be difficult for AI outputs to come at a single point.
The two technologies are poles apart and the concept of combining the two is still new. Because of this, a huge amount of time and money is required for exploring AI and Blockchain and look into similar grounds.
Another challenge related to Blockchain integration with AI is Security. Blockchain is a publicly distributed, decentralized and securely encrypted database that serves AI with unlimited and reliable information. The technology is based on cryptography algorithms which make stealing of data a daunting task. But, in order to make AI make changes into the secured data and drive better predictions, it is crucial to decrypt the files first, which results in data hacking.
The ecosystem implementing the convergence of the two technologies demand a higher computing power. For example, a single search on Google search engine will take around a trillion times more time to ensure security and progressiveness. This makes it tough to maintain the speed into the process.
So, here were some of the challenges that prevent companies to leverage the benefits of blending AI and Blockchain together. While you can discuss them with our Blockchain consultants via this simple contact form, let’s head towards what are the future holds for the collaboration of the two technologies.
What Future Beholds?
If you consider Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain individually, both are proving to have a brighter future. On one side, the AI software market is expected to reach %59.8 billion by 2025, while on the other side, the global market for Blockchain is predicted to be worth $3 trillion by 2024.
But when talking about the convergence of Blockchain and AI, the concept of combining the technologies is still in its nascent phase. The collaboration of these technologies through AI development company and blockchain development companies has gained a fair share, but in the experimental phase only, which implies we still have to wait for a while to understand what opportunities the integration offers and how to embrace them.
With our global platform of AI development services in USA, Asia and other countries, we assist our customers and clients to leverage the latest technology to the utmost and provide better ROI for your business.
There is a very famous saying in the marketing world that the first thing that subconsciously connects your brand to the customers is your business name.
And now with the world moving to mobile, the saying that once majorly revolved around brick and mortar business has moved to the mobile domain as well – making it completely unignorable for mobile app entrepreneurs to not pay attention to their Mobile App name.
Now the importance of giving a lot of time in deciding how to name an app was as true some two-three years back as it is today – something that made us curate an article around tips for naming your mobile application, two years back.
But with the changing time, there are a few things like example – Camel Case – that has come into prominence. Something that has made us relook at the whole mobile app naming process yet again.
Only this time, we are looking at it from a different and more personal level – How we help our partners know the steps to find an app name.
While on the journey of finding how to name an app, it does help to know what name type, word, and character count are working in the industry, let us nonetheless share the tips that we share and operate on when trying to finalize a mobile app name for our clients.
But before we move on to the tips that might help you name your mobile application better, let us first touch the basics with what all things you need to keep into consideration when starting with the brainstorming session of how to come up with the right name for your app.
A look back at the factors to be considered when answering how to name your app
A. Aim for Zero Confusion
If you don’t want what happened in the Surf Excel row where a user accidentally tweeted a backlash on MS Excel’s Twitter thinking it’s Surf Excel, it would be better to stay away from keeping names that sound too similar to other apps or brand’s name. In fact, when you try to find the answer to how famous app names were created, there is a high probability that you will come across to the point that they didn’t copy. While both Play Store and App Store are pretty slow and ignorant when it comes to verifying the similarity in names, it is only right to not take a shortcut and take advantage of the name of famous brands by piling on to their brand image.
B. Create Familiarity
In case yours is a case of an existing chain of business, with one business going mobile, it is recommended that you aim for creating a sense of familiarity. So, for you the ideas to choose the right name for the app should help you ensure that there is some familiarity in the name of your app and your parent company, simply to present your app as an extension of the brand. When we talk about familiarity, there is one other way to look at it – seeing that the app name is the best representation of the app’s aim. So, look into both the points when looking to create familiarity.
C. Understand the Stores’ Difference
When finding the answer to How to Name an App, it helps to understand the difference between the required characters limit accepted by the App Store and Play Store. While both the stores come with a character limit of 50 characters, an optimal amount in case of App Store is 23 character while in case of Play Store is 30 characters. Knowing the scope of innovation you can work around helps in leveling your field of search for the right app name brainstorming ideas.
D. Global Appeal
One of the most important things that brands generally ignore when deciding on the apps’ name is looking at it from a global perspective. Assuming that your business will not be restricted to any one geographical location, it helps to go with a name that when translates to another language is something that is culturally appropriate in the geographical location.
Well, here were the four most commonly ignored but must consider factors that you must, at all cost attend to, at the end of the day when you pick a name for an app. Now with that attended to, let us now look at how we go about naming the application for our clients’ apps.
How Do We answer How to Name an App?
A. Look at the Top Apps in the Category
We start by looking at the top apps in the category in which our clients’ app would function. The aim of this is to get the idea of what elements are the competitors choosing – is it emotions of the users they are after or are they ensuring that the app category name is mentioned somewhere when they choose an app name? Doing this gives us a head start in terms of what line we should also brainstorm in.
B. Easy to Pronounce
The second thing that we look after when deciding on how to name an app is if it is easy for the world to pronounce, especially for the user demographic who would be interacting with the application. What happens is that sometimes brands use a foreign word like suppose French or Japanese (commonly) to name their application.But, they forget a crucial thing that the internet is filled with questions asking how to pronounce French, Italian, or Japanese words – meaning, not a lot of people understand the right pronunciation. And, in the fear of being seen as a noob, they refrain from taking it altogether.
C. Talks About the Main App’s Feature
In line with the relevancy factor that we discussed above, we try to ensure that the app’s name is in line with the functionality that the application comes with – as much as possible when looking to answer the question of how to pick the perfect app name for you.After all, keeping the users confused as to what the application does, while seems like a titillating idea can backfire real quick, knowing that the patience of users who are given with n number of options is very low. So, like WhatsApp which has the word App in it or even Candy Crush, the name that tells that the users would have to crush candies, we try to include the features of our clients’ app in the name as well.
D. A Name that Users Search
Ever since we have gotten our hands on the statistics that more than half of the searches happen out of the Play and App Store, we have been taking advantage of the occurrence that people search for applications on the SERPs and then on the stores. One way we achieve that is through search engine traffic suggestions. Our team of SEO experts looks at the terms that people are using to search for the category your app is looking to master and then work it around in a way that it is present in the application’s name.
E. Match With a Domain Name
One thing that is easily missable by you as an entrepreneur is you not thinking beyond the naming your next app or startup. You might forget that mobile apps, most often than not, comes with the plan of expansion into a website as well. Now, imagine you have got a brilliant name that is just perfect and your prospective users are also in love with it but when you search it online, you find that it is already taken by a website online. Disappointing, isn’t it? Well, that is why we make sure that the name we are searching for the application is available in the website domain world as well.
F. Mix Words
Mixing words and then showing them in camel case is not just something that WhatsApp loves but we do too. Along with being an extremely fun thing to do, mixing two words together to form single flow word that describes not just the essence of the app but also the creative side of the application – can come in very handy to show a brand image as well.
So here were the six approaches that we have followed in over 70+ applications that we have named for our clients across different industries.
But after everything said and done, the crux of the matter when it comes to the Tips on How to Choose a Successful Name for Your App lies in two things – A. The name should be culturally appropriate and easy to remember, pronounce and B. No matter how well you name your app or how much time you put behind it, it is equally important to make sure that the experience you give to the users the moment they enter the app is something that is very similar to the emotion that they felt when they read the name – pure bliss.
Both the things, while being equally challenging are also the things that we are prepared to help you with. So, get in touch with our team of mobile app developers and marketers today.
Request For Proposal is a significant part of the starting of any mobile app development journey. The proposal written by businesses who wish to get an app built states all the important information, requirements and necessary details of the contract.Businesses write mobile app proposals when they are looking for long term, custom made solutions that will help them achieve their goals. Going through an RFP process means that the business is looking at the app development process for its long term benefits. Anteelo has seen many requests for proposal over the years and knows well how a perfect one is written. We respond to RFPs on a regular basis and also help our clients with the RFP process so that they are able to define their projects better.
To make the knowledge of drafting the best RFP a common language, it was only about time that we shared a template for everyone who wishes to start the process of their mobile app development journey on a sound note. And so, we have prepared an RFP template for entrepreneurs for you to pass your requirement to the app development agencies with utmost clarity.
But before we move on to the mobile app RFP 2019 best practices, let’s first go through some terminologies associated with the procedure.
What are RFP, RFQ, and RFI?
An RFP or request for proposal represents a company in front of its potential collaborators. Basically, RFP for mobile application development is a document that outlines all the necessary requirements for a specific project. This is a mobile app business plan doc that identifies the most qualified developer for the project.
There are certain terms that sound close to RFP and are often misunderstood. Terminologies like:
RFI – stands for Request for Information. RFI is used to gather information from various sources but there are no intentions of making any proposal. This is solely used to gather necessary information which may be used in the RFP process later on.
RFQ – stands for Request for Quote. This is used to get the pricing information, delivery and supply policies from the seller. Businesses send an RFQ to developers asking about the final pricing and other details of the deal.
These three are the terms that are often used during the proposal of a document for any project.
Now that we have attended to the Whats of RFP and what are the concept’s similar terminologies, it is only normal for one to wonder, why is the business plan for mobile app concept so important? The answer is in the next segment.
Before we move on to the mobile app RFP template, we need to see why is it so important to write a good RFP for your app development. For one, the proposal helps in conveying all the necessary requirements a business has. And two, finding the right app developer that meets those requirements and qualifies to carry out the project.
RFP process takes a lot of effort and time so only two reasons cannot be enough for its necessity. Following points will give you some more solid reasons why good RFP should be written for your mobile app.
Important requirements
An RFP helps your business in stating the requirements in an organized and detailed manner. The RFP template should be designed such that it holds space for all the information to be noted down. When these documents reach the app developers, they know exactly what the business wants. A better approach is made by the developer and the business when both know what the exact project is about.
Comparison
When an app development company responds to the RFP of any business then these responses can be used for comparison. The comparison then gives an idea of the right app developer. The pricing, skills, time of completion and other additional information are used for comparison. Choosing the right fit is important as mobile app development process is one that costs both money and time.
Return on Investments
When comparing different responses, businesses are also able to analyze the return on investment from various app developers. It also helps in comparing the advantages that a business will be getting from different developers. It’s always better to have options so that the fittest one can be chosen.
These were some compelling reasons to write a solid RFP for your mobile app development. Let’s now move on to the most awaited segment that answers the question ‘How to write mobile app RFP?’.
How to Write Mobile App RFP?
Following is the sample of mobile app RFP template for writing a proper Request For Proposal:
1. Purpose and strategy of the project
This is the section filled by the issuers or the business. Each business has a different purpose and therefore the templates may differ. The business should state the necessary information related to the purpose of building the project here. It should also contain details that would convince why an app development company or a single developer should respond to the RFP. Often the purpose and app strategy are not known to businesses so it’s important to learn those. Following pointers must be included in this section of the RFP:
Business problems: The problems that the mobile app will be able to solve for the business should be mentioned here. The reason why this problem arose and what brought in the idea of having a digital solution should be explained.
Leading body: The next thing that should be mentioned is the leaders of the project. The developers must know who is involved and in what level in the project. The decision makers, stakeholders, funders and project leaders are mentioned here.
The scope of the project: The scope of the project answers whether the project is part of a larger project, does it mean a new line of business or an extension of an existing one, etc.
End users: The information regarding the end users of the app must be disclosed to the app developers. Information like Personas, journey maps, and user research and methodologies should be mentioned here.
Features of the app: The features are the most important part of an app. Businesses should mention what features they want in the app in the beginning as well as in the future updates.
Competition: The ones building your app should know who is a threat to your business. Both the weakness and strengths of the competitors should be mentioned here. A proper competitive overview will help developers understand the business and find solutions that give you an edge over the competitors.
App design: The issuers should provide references for app designing to app developers. The importance of UI/UX in app development is just too huge to ignore, therefore detailed description must be included in this section. The latest designs are most recommended in today’s market.
Platforms and OS: The platform of development and supporting OS should be decided in the initial stages. This is one of the most important decisions in the app development process. The decision between native vs mobile web apps, Android vs iOS apps, etc are some important ones.
Integration: The app’s architecture and integration is another thing that must be mentioned in the document. The questions of API development and architecture should be answered for the developers.
Prototypes: If the app has any prototypes that have been built earlier then it must be mentioned. The prototypes should also be provided to the developers.
Marketing the app: The developers must know what will be driving engagement for the app and how it will be used to market the app. The promotion, distribution, and marketing of the app depend on how the app will be built. Also, many businesses start the marketing of the app way before the app is developed.
Launch date: The completion of the project on time is very important. Developers need to know the estimated date of launch to see if they can deliver it on time or not. There should also be time for any improvements in the app so the completion of app and launch date should have some gap in between.
Goals and outcomes: What any business is expecting from the app developers must be known to them. The goals, outcomes, and expectations after the app are launched should be mentioned in this section. Goals and outcomes will be measured in certain ways and those should also be mentioned here.
2. App developers background and capabilities
This section is designed by the business and has to be duly filled by the responding party. It consists of questions that analyze the capabilities of the agency. The main goal of the issuing business is to find out which companies match the requirements for app development. The questions are designed such that they help to issue businesses gather all information for comparison between different development agencies.
History: The background of the company and a short summary of the company will be mentioned here. This way the businesses will be more familiar with their work if chosen for the project.
Differentiators: The agency should mention some key points that differentiate them from other agencies. This should be answered very carefully as it may be one of the deciding factors for the project.
Portfolio: The summary of the top app projects and the problems faced during the project should be mentioned here. Also, mention the ways how the problem was dealt with.
Awards and Recognitions: Mention the awards and/or recognition that the agency has received or anything similar.
Designers: Details of the designing team members are mentioned here. The number of designers, their special skills and their mastered skills, types of designers (freelancers, full-time, overseas, etc.), the process of communication with the designers (direct or indirect, weekly or daily basis), a summary of how the team designs ADA compliant experiences, resume of the head of Designing team and resume of two more members of the team.
Developers: The agency should mention how many developers does the agency has, their skills and specialization, type of developers (freelancer, full-time, overseas), the way of communication with the developers and how often will the interaction take place, resume of the head of the development team and resume of two more members, the development process followed and measure taken to ensure proper development.
App Security Protocol: The security of the app is crucial, therefore, answer the security measures that will take place. Mention how will the app be protected from malicious codes, use open source libraries, security of third-party libraries and client materials.
Quality Assurance Process: Details about the QA team members and their qualification, type of QA members (freelance, full time), interference with QA team and communication facilities with them, resume of the head of QA team and two other members, a summary of the QA process they follow, etc. should be mentioned here.
Project Managers and Management Process: Information about the number of project managers, type of managers (full time or freelancing), any overseas work or in office team, etc. The agency must also answer the communication process with the project managers, capabilities of the PM team, resume of the head of PM team, a short resume of two PM members, communication with the two PM members and the automation strategies.
Reference Projects: The agency needs to provide at least three similar reference project for which interviews shall be conducted.
This was all about the practices to write RFP for mobile app development. Contact our app developers’ team at Anteelo for further details.
Till a few years back there were around 285 million visually impaired people in the world a number that is now growing and is expected to reach 115 million by 2050.
On one hand, while the number of visually impaired is on a rise in this colorful world, on the other, technology has made a series of advancements to impart all the possible visual abilities to the impaired so that there is no difference in the digital experience that someone with a perfect vision and those who challenge on the front encounters.
However, if you look at the time that has gone by, while it is impossible to argue that revolutionary work has been done to make the visually impaired independent (such as voice-based user interfaces), the grim side of it all remains – out of all the mobile app user demographics, visually impaired are the ones that are rarely planned for (if at all brought out of the backseat).
But when you too, like those technologists who work at making the digital experience similar for both the user set, look at designing accessibility apps for visually impaired holistically, what you are likely to find a promising scenario. A situation suggesting that designing apps for the visually impaired is not just a humanitarian move but also your ticket to reaching that n – 285 million user base.
For those of you who are still sitting on the edge on whether or not to invest in accessibility apps development or if you are still unsure on the clarity if at all your user base is made up of any share of the visually impaired population, let us concur here that there are in fact ways to make your app accessible without having to ignore the 70% of world’s population.
In this article, we are going to look at the different ways you can inculcate accessibility in your app design to impart a memorable user experience to the millions of people suffering from visual impairments in the world.
But before we head there, let us step into the shoes of the visually impaired and see what they see.
Colour Blindness
The concept of color blindness does not automatically mean a situation where visual impairment sufferers see things in black and white. In most cases, users simply confuse one color with another for they cannot see any difference.
Apart from color blindness, a disease that every 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women have in the world, there are a number of visual impairment challenges that you will have to attend to when you work on accessibility app development.
Let us now show you what different visually impaired people see by making you visually impaired for the next 2 minutes through the help of NoCoffee Vision Simulator Chrome Extension.
Now that you have stepped into the shoes of the visually impaired and have seen what they see when they visit a website on desktop, imagine how annoying would be their experience when the screen size reduces several inches and the device changes from a widescreen laptop to a palm-fitting smartphone.
And while you are imagining the irritability also note how low your app’s usability is proving to be with every passing visually impaired interaction.
With you now having stepped in and out of the same shoes as the million of your visually challenged users and witnessing their frustrations and your lackings first hand, it is time to look at the solution – How to Make Your Mobile App Accessible for Visually Impaired?
How to Design Mobile App Experiences for the Visually Impaired?
1. Use ENLARGED TEXT in Abundance
Sometimes, what your users need is a large size text. Now instead of relying on the zoom function which is notoriously famous for increasing the unnecessary time in the app session and spoiling the user experience, what our team of UI UX app designers, who excel in design for visually impaired suggests is giving a manual option to the users to adjust the font size of the text on the mobile application.
2. Use Alt Text for Images in Surplus
A number of structural elements like images can be a difficult area for people with very low vision. Now what happens is that the visually impaired people generally use in-built screen readers present in mobile devices.
In the case of images, these screen readers read out the entered Alt text, hearing which users imagine what the image is portraying.
In that context, it becomes of prime importance that you use a very descriptive text explaining what is happing in the image instead of 4/5 words when you design for visually impaired.
3. Be Wary of Contrasts
Deciding on a color combination can be one of the most difficult choices that you would have to take when designing accessibility apps, especially for the color blind user segments. Now, instead of limiting yourself to a Black and White combination, there are a number of other pairings you can use to show the difference in background and the front element or any two elements.
When deciding on the contrast, you should ensure that the contrast ratio is at least 4:5:1 between the text and background.
Also, there are some clear combinations that you should avoid at all costs to ensure that your app is not a nightmare session for your color blind users.
Green & Red
Light Green & Yellow
Blue & Purple
Green & Brown
Green & Blue
Green & Black
Green & Grey
Blue & Grey
4. Make Textures Your Friend
While the majority of your visually impaired users would have a problem with identifying the different color shades in the mobile application, using textures in place of colors to differentiate one element from another will help solve your purpose while helping your users have a memorable experience within your application.
In fact, it is not just your visually impaired users who would appreciate the usage of textures but also all the other users as usage of different textures can be very appealing, design wise.
5. Refrain From Using Just Colours to Give Out Information
Haven’t we all experienced the time when we fill in a form and accidentally put in the wrong information which makes the box turn red? While the whole situation has been in-built in our digital journey, imagine someone who has difficulty understanding colors facing the situation. Imagine how they would struggle not knowing what they are doing wrong simply because they can’t see a red margin box on the screen.
The solution to this dilemma is pretty simple and even aesthetically alluring – using icons, vibrations, and text to show every right and wrong action taken by the user within the application.
6. Make Minimalism Your Mobile Accessibility Apps Design Principle
Whether you are making Android accessibility app or one for iPhone, if there is one element that can make your mobile app a visually impaired user’s magnet it is Minimalism. The secret that revolves around giving the most minimum to the users design-wise, has a two-fold benefit – A. The visually impaired users have a memorable experience and B. Your visually strong users will also love working around the white space in the application.
7. Make Dark Mode Your Companion
This one element would come in most handy when you have a lot of texts in your mobile app. The low vision users will find it much easier to read the content in the Dark Mode as opposed to the Light mode on your app.
A thing to note here is that if you are making an Android accessibility app, you will have toimplement the dark mode design, but if you are developing accessibility app for iOS, you will ensure that your team of developers is working on an app that is compatible with the Smart Invert Colours feature.
What is Accessibility Testing?
The process of testing whether or not your efforts to make your app design right for low-vision users was successful is what defines accessibility testing for visually impaired users.
As you are making accessibility refinements in your mobile app, you can make use of the accessibility scanner app available on the Play Store. But what our experience tells us is that accessibility testing for visually impaired users is more often than not incomplete until you take your application to real users. While the accessibility testing tools for mobile development can come in handy, you can never be too sure.
Also, instead of waiting for your whole accessibility app development process to end, conduct testing at every stage to prevent yourself from going too down in the wrong way.
Navigation, Multiple browser design, and perceivable content are just a few things that you will have to prepare your application for to ensure that ALL the users who visit your app, irrespective of whether they have a 20/20 vision or are colorblind, have a great experience.
Now that you have seen it all, there is just one thing left to do – shed the misassumption that these accessibility refinements in your mobile app will only attend to the low-vision users and understand that they will benefit all – as ALL your users will be able to have an easy on the eye experience in the application.
Well, there you go. You are now ready to launch your accessibility app in the market and reach all the users who were unconsciously left behind.
How many times have you opened an application and have found the button and element placement going beyond your device screen? Or do you remember how you felt the last time you clicked on an option and it took you to a screen which was filled with bold colours and a lot of text?
Everytime we face an issue related to the app design, especially in terms of it being starkly opposite to what we expected, the outcome is almost always app uninstallation.
The design industry has crossed many rivers to become innovative and immersive. While there are some brands like Uber with its design guideline or MailChimp who have understood and went with the flow, there are brands that are still not giving app design its fair share of attention.
Read this blog as a beginner’s guide. One that will help you, an entrepreneur with the understanding of what makes the role of user experience and UX review process as important as the development and testing process itself – After all, the present time is operative in such a way that the importance of UX and UI design in an App development is not just crucial but unquestionable.
To understand the importance of mobile app UI/UX design, let us understand both the terms first.
What is UI Design in a Mobile Application?
The abbreviation UI stands for User Interface. It is the way through which users can interact with any mobile apps. Mobile app user interface design is aimed towards easy, enjoyable and effective interactions between users and the app. UI in IT is any device that allows users to interact with monitors, screens or mobile devices. The primary goal of mobile app UI principles is to provide the best interaction possible.
What is UX Design in a Mobile Application?
UX stands for User Experience. The whole idea of UX is to create a system that provides the best experience to the users. The aim of mobile app UX principles is to turn customers into loyal customers by providing a positive experience to them. UX is responsible for a user’s journey through the mobile app or website which ultimately decides the success of the business.
Mobile app UI UX design is always put together as they are complementary to each other. For an app to be successful it must be the best.
What are the Deliverables of UI/UX App Design Development?
The work of any UI/UX designer has many phases. During the UI and UX designing process, various deliverables are created for the clients. These deliverables are created for reasons like better communication with clients, documentation or presenting the ideas in a proper way. Both UI and UX have their separate deliverables, let’s take a look to get a clearer understanding of the role of mobile app UI/UX design in the mobile app design and app development process.
A. UI deliverables
Mood boards
Mood boards are used for presenting innovative ideas in a way that everyone understands. It helps the clients understand the app idea that the designer will be working on.
Visual designs
Visual designs will help understand the effects of elements in a design. The effects of elements like photography, typography, space, colours, layouts, images, etc. are better understood with visual designs.
Dynamic prototyping
Another one of the UI deliverables is the dynamic prototypes. Prototypes help in improving the overall functioning of the app as well as making improvement as and when needed. With dynamic prototypes, UI can be built as per the clients’ desire.
B. UX deliverables
Competitive analysis report
The competitive analysis report is created to measure the level of competition your app has. All the efforts go into vain if the app is in a highly competitive market or if it is not prepared to beat the competitors. With a competitive analysis report, the strength and weakness of the competitor’s app can be found out.
User personas
Designers have to make sure the client understands what their customers need and expect from the products. Creating a buyer persona not only helps in understanding customer behaviour but also in communicating the same to clients. The UX process involves user research to learn the behavioural pattern.
User journeys, experience maps and user flows
Experience maps showcase users overall behaviour towards a product. The expectations, time spent, reactions, thoughts, needs, etc. are all displayed in the experience maps.
User journeys or user flows are specific steps taken by the user to interact at different stages of the product. These can be the current interactions or potential interaction with a product.
Interactive prototypes
Interactive prototyping is another one of the deliverables of UX. Rudimentary prototyping saves a lot of time and effort and works well enough to get the job done. The prototypes help in demonstrating how the actual product will work once it’s fully developed. It also helps the designer communicate the ideas better.
Now that we have looked into what UI and UX stands for and what is the role of mobile app ui/ux design in the app development process, let us move on to the importance of UI/UX design in delivering a bespoke product.
The Key Components to Know When Designing Mobile Applications
There are some main components which have to be considered when you design mobile apps UI/UX.
A. Information architecture:
The idea behind IA is to offer users an easy navigation, irrespective of which browser they are using. It mainly surrounds offering them a top-level navigation experience.
B. Interaction design:
It is the creation of a conceptual design through which users interact with the app. It includes elements such as colors, aesthetics, icons, fonts, images, etc.
C. Usability:
This part of the mobile app design principles deal with figuring out if users are getting the information they need through the use of the application and if the app gives them a self-serving way to handle issues.
D. Wireframe:
This part of the user interface design for mobile applications is all about the creation of an app’s sample for the purpose of testing features, usability and look of the app before it gets live in the market.
E. Visual design
It is all about defining the app’s brand in the users eyes. It is not only about choosing the best colours, icons, images, fonts, etc but also its appearance that can have an impact on the users at different times of their interaction.
Importance of Mobile App UI/UX Design
To know the significance of ui ux design in an app development is a must. Most developers create an app with great performance but fail to focus on the designing which leads to the downfall of the app. The balance between the functionality and importance of UI UX design of an app is hard to keep but that’s what needs to be done.
To answer the question, ‘What are the Benefits of User Interface and User Experience design?’, let us look at the pointers below:
Attracts users
A saying goes, ‘A good teacher is the one that grabs and holds the attention of the students and then teaches the lessons.’ This saying is very apt in the case of UI/UX design for mobile apps. The designs grab the attention of the users and ensure they spend as much time on the app as possible. However, the users should be able to understand the designs and navigation well enough to stick around for the long term.
Creates a good impression
For a startup or any small business, the importance of a UI/UX design lies in the creation of the first impression. When users visit your app, they should be hooked to it immediately so that they come back for it again and again. A good app has higher usage time and this can be done with the app’s UI UX design.
Get featured in app stores
Whether a mobile app is good or not is determined by how many users like it. The ratings and reviews by satisfied users will bring your mobile app to the top lists. To get your app featured in Play Store or App Store, make sure the users get a good UI UX. getting featured in the top lists of any category will automatically bring more traction to your app.
Get loyal customers
Attractive apps have more users and it’s a fact. Apps like Instagram, Facebook, Candy Crush, etc. have great UI/UX which has drawn millions of users to them. The satisfaction that comes from great user experience is what makes users loyal. Word of mouth is another reason why UX design is important.
Saves time and cost in the long run
When you work with the understanding of the mobile app best UI/UX practices from day one, you have the guarantee that there will be less need for app maintenance and updates. And since those two things will be at bay, the challenges that you might face after app launch will also be very low.
Builds brand
Putting resources into a productive Ul/UX design helps in rising consumer satisfaction subsequently ending up with cheerful customers. Individuals like working with brands that make them happy. They will be willing to take up features that can be upgraded, and thus, put resources into improving your application. This builds the credibility of your business as a customer makes great relationships with your organization and brand. The aftereffect of this is the development in the worth of your business and your brand name.
Increased traffic
A good UI/UX consistently makes their users stay. If your website or mobile application is designed splendidly and client experience is staggering, nothing can prevent them from exploring the pre-decided target and transforming the users into valuable customers. Hence, it’s the duty of you and the UI/UX Developers’ responsibility to guarantee the greatest UI/UX of your site/application.
Now that you have seen the importance of mobile app UI/UX design, let’s move further into the concept. It’s a common assumption that if you have mastered the UI/UX development process then you don’t need tips for improvement. However, there’s no harm in going through some great tips, considering how the effect of UI/UX design can be long lasting.
Mobile App Best UI/UX Practices
Use conventional elements
Using familiar elements in the app will save time for users. They can quickly learn the app without getting confused. Elements like buttons, icons, colors and symbols should be designed in the way it’s designed in most apps. The quicker users learn to operate the app, the higher will be the chances of liking the app.
Maintain uniformity
It is very important for the design to be uniform across all the windows. The uniformity shows the quality of work put in the UI UX designing of the app. Not only with icons or buttons but the colors and patterns should also be the same across all media.
Employ the right UI and UX designer
If you are focusing on the mobile app user interface design and experience then working with the experts is highly recommended. You can also outsource app development for your app from an expert app development agency to make sure the UI UX designs are on point. The UI UX designers should understand all the end-to-end user interaction and incorporate them within the app.
Make it as interactive as possible
An interactive app is better than a non-interactive one and that’s a fact. When you allow users to interact with the app, it creates a connection between them. Interactive apps give freedom to users to navigate themselves through different windows.
Consider platform specific designs
There is a stark difference in the iOS app UI design and Android app UI design. Likewise, considering the way both the platforms are designed at the device level, the iOS app UX design also varies from the Android app UX design.
What is important is for you to understand both Material Design and Human Interface Design in addition to the elements that separate them from each other.
Don’t hamper the speed of the app
The speed of the app is just as important as the design. Startups do make this mistake by thinking the app only needs its appearance to attract users. But the truth is, the functioning of the app is just as important. The mobile app needs to be speed while having a good mobile application interface design.
Keep it simple and don’t complicate things
If a feature can be put in a simple way there is no need to overdo it. The users will appreciate the simplicity just as much as the overall app. Complicating designs leave app users either confused or furious and we don’t want either of those. It is also seen that apps with simple design have more users than complicated ones.
Keep the focus on limited things
Often the UI/UX development process focuses on so many elements at the same time that the entire user experience turns bad. If too much is going on the screen then that won’t let the user focus on the content of the app. Overcrowding content on the screen is another way to quickly lose users.
Have detailed understanding of your audience
After everything’s said and done, the only thing that can save the effect of ui/ux design from being negative is having an understanding of your users. Only by knowing who you are making the product for, you will be able to deliver a memorable experience to your user set and the world. One way to achieve that is through a well strategized product discovery workshop.
The only thing left for you to do is find a trustworthy and reliable app design company to partner with. A proper app design and app development company will help you expand your mobile ui ux design services.
The Top UI/UX Trends 2021 and Beyond
To get started with the best mobile app UI UX designing, let’s look at what the future of UI/UX holds in 2021.
Voice-based UI
Google Home and Alexa have taken over the voice assistant world. These two technologies are being used by people to get anything and everything done. Voice searches are becoming more and more popular and by in the end of 2021, 50% of the searches will be voice-based. Users are preferring buttonless options to do their everyday tasks, and increasing with this demand is the need to understand how to design voice user interface.
Foldable/Split screen
With foldable phones app development being on the rise, the split screen trend is one of the hottest 2021 app design trends. The idea of actively using two screens together, whether on websites or mobile phones, is amazing! The trend has come back after a short break and is looking more alive than ever. Split screen in mobile allows more user interaction all the while giving aesthetically appealing visuals.
Variety & combinations in fonts
Fonts that will fit any writing space will have another place in the latest UI/UX design trends. Earlier, inserting text in writing spaces had limitations in terms of adjustment. It also made designers send multiple files for the font designs used. Variable fonts are a great solution for this, since it only needs one file for any design.
Dark mode
With both Apple and Android focusing their efforts on bringing health focus in the picture through dark mode app design functionality, the 2021 trend is also inclining towards it. In fact, our app designers feel that it is only about time when health betterment will become the outcome of the importance of a good user interface design.
Animation
The use of animation in apps makes them more visually appealing. It connects with customers more than any other design. Designers are using this tool to create a positive impact on the users with the help of meaningful animations. Earlier, things were simple with flat logos, icons, buttons, etc. but now animated buttons, icons, and even logos are happening. In the coming years, animation will be one of the trends for UI UX designing.
This was our take on the importance of User interface/User experience design system services for mobile apps and the foreseeable future of UI/UX as we reckon. The next step for you herein is to get in touch with a bespoke mobile app design agency that can help you deliver lasting memories.
FAQs About the Importance of UI/UX Design
Q. Why do apps need efficient UI/UX Design?
The importance of UI/UX design in mobile apps goes beyond simply making them appear well to the end users and the other stakeholders. These are some of the other reasons that mark their importance:
Attract users
Increase probability of getting featured in the stores
Increase brand’s ROI
Lower the app maintenance time and cost in the long run
Q. Why is UX important for business?
Here are some business benefits of investing in an efficient user experience –
It has a direct effect on your conversion numbers
It helps saves long term app updation costs
Increase the probability of getting word of mouth referrals and ultimately brand evangelists.
If there is one thing common between Uber, Facebook, and Snapchat it is the fact that they are losing on their active user count and engagement rate.
And the brand that they are losing out to is one that has become inescapable and a major revolution of the entertainment world – TikTok.
The multi-faceted immersive mobile app that is present on both Android and iOS has not just ruled out its dominance in the world of the millions and billions of users around the globe but also thousands of businesses that are marking their presence in the platform to enjoy the many perks that the app has to offer.
Well.
The intent of this article is to help you join the short-video creation and distribution revolution that has been initiated by TikTok by helping you understand what it takes to develop a TikTok mobile app. We will look into the technical and monetary side of the app and in the end, the cost of video creation app development which is entirely TikTok focused.
Before we go on with the article and look at factors like the top players in the industry, the funding rounds that have been held in the segment, the technical aspect of the app and the costing element the application, let us first give time to looking at how TikTok managed to become the top-grossing application of the world.
The international version of Chinese hit platform, Douyin, TikTok took very less time to enter and rule the mobile entertainment industry. The app which allows users to lip-sync dialogues and re-enact their favorite scenes from different movies and music videos has become a go-to entertainment hub for almost every teen and pre-teen in the world.
The app which has Artificial Intelligence powering its every single move has defeated a number of hot-shot businesses of the world with its engagement and revenue numbers.
Here are some statistics that prove how big the TikTok market is and how the app is ruling the world while setting new standards in the Entertainment app sector and how you can too whether you make TikTok app for iOS or build TikTok for Android
The latest TikTok statistics show a picture that TikTok has placed itself at the top of the market acquisition pyramid. Does it mean that a monopoly picture has been drawn in this specific entertainment sector?
Well, the answer is no.
TikTok, in spite of being the most installed and immersive of all the apps in the category, is not the only one that the users are following, there are a number of other similar apps in the domain that have been keeping the category up and running.
Also, the demand that the segment is seeing is something that has acted as a catalyst for other businesses, like yours, to enter the in-demand market segment. So, all in all, the list of TikTok competitors is not limited to just these names.
Fundings in the Segment
It is not just the market demand and emerging competitors count that has seen a rise ever since the TikTok app, earlier Musical.ly started witnessing a high demand from the world. There has been a sharp rise in the number of investors as well, who have shown their interest in putting their money into apps working around video creation and sharing.
Here are the three major funding rounds that hit the category between 2017 and now.
Bytedance – The parent company of TikTok received funding of around $3 Billion from the SoftBank group in October 2018. The use that they cited for this fund round is international expansion. The company plans on taking the Chinese platform across the globe.
Clip – The multi-lingual app which allows users to develop and edit videos alongside an active chat functionality, raised $6 Million in Series A funding round led by Matrix Partners, where the platform’s present investors Shunwei Capital, and India Quotient were also there.
While these are just two high-level funding rounds that the app category has witnessed, there have been a number of other funding sessions in the segment as well.
One thing and probably the sole thing that has been driving the attention of both investors and end-users towards the interactive video creation and sharing platform is the set of features that it comes with.
Let us look into it next.
While on a high-level the main feature of TikTok like the application is the ability to make videos and share them on the platform for other users to view and react to it. The app gives users the facility to lip-sync either some movie dialogue or some song or even the voice of other users.
But when you deep-dive into it from a business front which is looking to enter the same entertainment space as TikTok app and others in the domain, there are a number of other features that you have to attend to in order to make the whole experience immersive and entertaining for the users.
For the context of this article, since you are just starting up in the industry, what we would recommend is making an MVP first that would contain all the must-have features that have to be present in your app as it hits the store and become the answer to How to Create an App like TikTok. The features that you read here are what would go into answering ‘How much does it cost to make an app like TikTok’
Let us look at what they are –
The Must-Have TikTok Features
When you invest in TikTok app development, you don’t just invest in one application but two – User Side of the App and Admin Panel.
Let us look at the features which should be present in both the versions, individually that come together to answer how TikTok works.
User Application Features
Login
The first and supposedly the most attractive screens of an app – Login screen is the one that you will have to pay the most attention to. At this stage, you should aim for having a small form to make users enter the app also they should be given the facility to log in through their social media account to save those extra, unnecessary steps.
Video Section
Since the whole concept of TikTok like app runs around Videos, this has to be the one section that gets the maximum attention from both development and users front. Here, you will have to give users the option to not just create and share their videos but also save them in the draft to be published on a later time. The users are also given the facility to share their videos on social media.
Notifications
The app should send over real-time notifications to the users with respect to followers’ addition, the likes, and shares activity that they make on your videos, and when people they follow make a new update on their profile.
Settings
Under the Settings section, users will be able to manage their profile, change their password, manage blocked users, work around the app settings, and contact the parent company in case of any dispute.
Admin Panel Features
Admin side of the TikTok application will give the admins the facility of doing the following tasks – user management, content management, notification management, manage the flagged videos, and handle reports.
Now that we have seen one technical aspect – App Features let us attend to the other technical element that would help define the whole development process and ultimately the TikTok app cost – Technology Stack.
The Technology Stack we Base Our TikTok Application Development On
TikTok is one of the most innovative apps out there in the entertainment sector of mobile app development domain. The technology stack, in a scenario like this, has to be prepared to back this level of innovation and scalability.
Let us look at the Technology Stack that you can use to back your TikTok like application.
Now that we have looked at both – the Marketing and Technical side of TikTok like app, it is time to look at the business cum revenue side of the app.
It has always been a very commonly searched question on the internet, which a number of users around the globe seek an answer to – ‘How do Brands like TikTok or Dubsmash earn money?’
So, next let’s look into the ways TikTok makes money and has managed to become one of the highest revenues generating brands of not just the entertainment industry but of the whole world, before we head on to revealing the cost to develop TikTok app.
How Does TikTok Like Apps Make Money?
While there are a number of ways video creation apps like TikTok can form their monetization model like Subscription and Influencer Promotion, etc. The models that TikTok uses to generate their Million worth revenue streams include –
A. In-App purchase
TikTok gives the users the option to buy stickers and emoticons to react to live videos that get streamed on the platform.
The in-app purchases themselves have got the brand around 275 percent in users spending and approximately 3.75x year-over-year revenue, bringing the revenue count to over $3.5 million globally.
B. Advertisement
In-app Advertisement also proves to be a great monetization method for the TikTok app and others in the same category.
In order to place their advertisement on the platform which is visited by millions and millions of users on a daily basis, brands tend to shell out a huge amount of money.
If you too are fretting over your app’s Monetization model, what we would recommend is either going for either of the ones that TikTok follows or start a subscription-based model, wherein you lock a few features in the app in return of some amount or you can charge the influencers for getting a placement in the platform.
With this, we have seen all – the state of TikTok like apps, the demand they are able to garner from the world, the other major players in the industry, the set of features and technology stack that makes TikTok like apps what they are, and lastly the monetization model that they carry.
It is now time to get on to the most crucial part of it – How much would TikTok like App Cost?
Well, here’s the answer to it.
What is the Cost of TikTok Like App Development?
The TikTok app cost lies in the valuation of a number of factors – features, allocation of resources, and the technologies to use.
Assuming that you are going with the exact set of features that we mentioned above, the TikTok app cost when you look at the MVP of the TikTok like the app will come somewhere around $80,000 to $100,000.
While this is the absolute base amount, it will increase as you add more features in the application like Artificial Intelligence, High-End Animations or Blockchain for handling the in-app purchase segment of your application.
With this, you have seen all that is required to get started with the entertainment revolution and what is left now is getting started, which has just one step in between – Getting in touch with our social networking app development experts who will hand-hold through the process.
Our Experience with TikTok Like App Development
Our team recently worked on to create a musical video app like musically that was based on the idea of TikTok, which took around 6 months to finish the whole ideation to the development process and is set to hit the app markets very soon.
While there were some challenges associated with the creation of app like TikTok in line with AI integration that we faced initially, the learning and application curve was fairly low and we were able to overcome them in very little time.
Keeping the technical complexities aside, there were some business model issues that our clients were facing in terms of finding the right demographics, the promotion plan to follow to take the limelight away from TikTok, and the revenue model selection – Solutions to which lied with our Business Analysis Team, who would love to pass them on to you.
In the next eight minutes, you are going to read about how Material Design came into the inception to impact the mobile app design companies around the globe. You will read of the guiding principles that the Google Material Design standard is based upon, How different Material design is from Flat design. And lastly, how to incorporate Material Design into your mobile app. Let’s get on with the Design Journey called Material Design. UI and UX are the two mobile app elements that decide the present and future of not just the app but also of the mobile app design company that designed and developed it.
All the proven tips to enhance the mobile app UI gets concentrated on one element – Mobile App Design.
The way how your app is designed is what impacts the emotion of experience the users are facing when operating inside your Android app.
The demands of a modern day app user – apps that look the same way as their real-life elements feel – while seemingly easy to understand, can pose a challenge when converted into a design.
Now when it comes to the creation and inclusion of interactive design elements that give the feeling of the material world, Google with its Material Design, gave the Mobile app developers the much-needed aid.
The designing world that was earlier ruled by the minimalistic flatness was now replaced by the elements of minimalistic interactive materials with the introduction of Material Designs.
Before we delve in further into the Google Material Design UI and its tips and tricks, let us quickly look back at how it started.
A Lookback at the Google Material Design
Google had the reputation of being broken when it came to understanding the importance of Design. And today it is impossible to think of a good design (even on iOS) that doesn’t come from Google.
So how did this transformation happen?
This transformation resulted from the efforts that Larry Page took when he took the office to make everything look good and connected.
A directive that led to the creation of a design standard that is now followed and loved by the world – Google Material Design.
Material Design (codename: Quantum Paper) was the biggest part of the Android L release announcement in Google I/O 2014.
The design standard that made an appearance 4 years back, now allowed mobile app designers to infuse their own colour palette in the app, offer screen transition, bring in new system widgets, and animation.
Google, which was earlier lying behind Apple when it came to designing intuitive and experimental Android apps, now came steps ahead with the Material Design launch.
Material Design showed how technicality and the laws of physics can be added into the designing elements to develop a mobile app UI that offers a resonating enjoyable user experience.
Material design is what Flat design could never get to be, which brings us to our next section – Material Design vs Flat Design.
Difference in Material and Flat Design
The entire difference between Material Design and Flat Design lies in their core.
When we do a comparison between a flat design app vs material design app, the one striking difference that a user will find is the presence of shadows and multi-dimension in one and aesthetic flatness, lack of skeuomorphisms in another.
While both Android Material Design and Flat Designs are minimal, when it comes to implementing them in an Android app design, the decision between them both is usually taken on the basis of the need of the user.
While, Material design UI is preferred more for the development of complex, robust, and interactive mobile apps; Flat design UI is preferred by mobile app design companies for simplistic need and when there is a time crunch from the development side of the app.
Now that we have seen the difference between Google Material Design and Apple Flat Design, let us dig further into the Material Design.
Here are The Principles of Google Material Design
Material Design Apps are guided by the three principles shown in the image above. The principles that are sweared upon by all the leading Android App Design Company around the world.
Material is the Metaphor
The imaginative principle is based upon the study of material and how they look different in the varied amount of light, how they look when piled up one above another.
The principle is backed by attributes like edges, shadows, dimensions, etc.
Bold, Intentional, Graphic
Intentional white space in design, usage of bold and yet in-sync set of colours, and graphics that fit from screen to screen, while serving their direct purpose is what defines the second most pointer in the Google material design principles.
Motion Offers Meaning
Animation in Material Design is one that does not interfere with the other design elements, nor does it look forced. They emerge as the result of the user’s primary actions and follow their cues.
While these are the three main guiding principles of Material Design, there are other two principles as well which defines the globally accepted designing standard – Flexible Foundation and Cross Platform.
Flexible Foundation
Material Design comes with the advantage of the custom codebase that allows mobile app UI designers to add their branding elements into the design.
Cross-Platform
Material Design help maintain a similar UI across the different platforms, which help use shared components across all – Android, Flutter, iOS, and Web.
So here were the 5 guiding principles of Material Design for Android Apps. To speed up your approach to understanding these principles, let’s look into what all Google Material Design apps are prevailing in the market.
Best Apps That Revamped their Design with Material Design Guidelines
1. Google Calendar
Google Calendar is the foremost application that has received really impressive changes over the years with the implementation of Google Material Design guidelines. The application has ample useful touches such as graphics and maps that are introduced to the events automatically and a simple auto-suggest system that brings ease to add a new appointment.
2. Gmail
Thanks to Material Design, emails in the Google Gmail are categorized in a card-style interface. Also, a completely new slide-out menu is added to the interface along with a floating button for creating a new message, reminder or perform any other action.
3. Lyft
Lyft is another app that employs the power of Material Design. The app showcase a bunch of controls and a map displaying the required information by following Google material design principles without making the UI annoying.
4. BuzzFeed
Another mobile application that has made its mark among Google Material Design apps is BuzzFeed.
The application was earlier popular for its highly engaging entertaining content. But now, it is also known for setting a standard of how a Google material design web application should appear.
5. Google Maps
Last but not least, Google Maps is another application that is showing a major difference that embraces Material design. As per the recent news, Google Maps new design includes round and colored icons in the search section and a white background, which was earlier available in black and light grey color, respectively.
The application currently does not support dark mode, which brings an adverse impact on battery usage. But, it is expected that Google will add a dark mode in the app when it introduces dark mode feature in Android Q, the upcoming Android OS version.
And now, since you now know the different apps revamped (or revamping) using Google Material Design and the associated guidelines, it is time to look into how you can apply them in your mobile app UI design.
How to Master Google Material Design in Your Android App?
Assuming that you would have read the official material design resources released by Google as your Bible, let us get you started with applying those guidelines in your Mobile app.
Below are the tips that would help you build a Google Material Design mobile app and emerge as the designing star of your Mobile app design company.
1. Use Shadows to Show Hierarchy
Edges, surface, and realistic shadows count as the main tool of Material Design UI. Use shadows to show the hierarchy of the design elements to show which element comes on what.
2. Bold Colours
Intentional, Graphic, and Bold is the mantra of implementing Google new material design when it comes to mobile UI/UX development. Usage of bold colours make thing interactive and fun for the users, while making the app enjoyable to use.
3. Usage of Primary and Accent Colour
Google Material docs ask mobile app designers to use three shades of the primary colour and one of the accent colour.
The primary set of colours would be used for fonts, boxes, and backgrounds etc, while the accent colour can be filled in to show the main element of your mobile app screen.
4. Extract Colours from the Images
Google constantly encourages us mobile app designers to extract the colour from the images and use them as your colour palette when you are developing an image based design.
5. Incorporate Motion
Google goes big on the use of motion in an app UI design. It makes us understand how things move in the app and how the users should interact with the app.
6. Make Everything Float
If there is one visible Material Design App USP, it is the floating design elements. Your app’s button or the CTA bar should appear as if they are floating on the screen and not lying there flat on the screen.
7. Choice of Icon
Icons, when chosen rightly, enhances the usability and the design of the app. Now, Material Design gives you the choice of a number of icons falling into two main criterias – Product Icons and System Icons.
8. Make the App Typographically Right
If you are just starting with the idea of developing a an Android Material Design App, what we recommend is that you should stick with Roboto and Noto typography styles.
9. Incorporate Responsiveness in your design
One of the main guiding principle that Material thrives on is consistency. And the same should be visible in your mobile app design.
Every one of your design elements should work the same across all the devices the user interacts with.
While these 9 inclusions would help you with your current apps, the designing standards is all set to get redefined again with new Material Design Version being prepared inside the Google creative lab workshop.
Here’s what next in line for Material Design –
What Next for Android Material Design?
After changing the designing world standard with the Google Material design guidelines, Google has yet again brought in a change in its structure with Material Design 2.0.
The second generation of Material Design, which would be made live for the world in a few days, will bid adieu to the rectangular interface and move on with the rounded edges mobile user interface design.
With its new material design app guidelines, Google is planning on giving a facelift to all its crucial products such as Gmail, Google Search, Google Maps, etc.
The goal of Material Design 2.0 – The Material Design Successor – is to increase efficiency, readability, and eliminate clutter – thus providing the cleanest implementation of a UI, till date.
So here it was, the guide to Android Material Design for the not just the Android App Designers but also for android app development company which has just stepped into the world of Android app designs.
Now whether you are a designer or a business looking to rule the million Android hearts, to prepare your app to join the list of the best Google material design apps, consult our team of Mobile UI/UX Designer, today.
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