• Mobile App Design

6 Tips for Conceptualizing a Mobile App – Success is a Result of Focused Thinking

Effective mobile app development is about proper conceptualization. Yes, you can be as technically astute a developer as possible, but if the ideation behind your app is haywire, there is very little chance that the app is going to achieve any degree of success.

This is why effective conceptualization is called the foundation of a successful app. As can be imagined, this is not something that is easy and a great concept is an outcome of a lot of effort. You need to clearly define a conceptualization strategy that allows you to create an amazing iPhone app.

Let’s take a look at six tips that will have a bearing on the conceptualization strategy that you put in place for developing a mobile application.

It Begins with the Client Brief

When a client comes to you with a project proposal, the bells of ‘conceptualization’ start to ring. But, first, all you need to do is listen to what the client has to say. You must clearly and comprehensively understand the project brief, meaning you need to be very clear about the project’s purpose and its objectives.

There is a good chance that the client doesn’t have a very clear idea about what he wants. So, all he knows is that he wants a mobile app to satisfy a particular need or demand of his business. But the purpose, objectives etc. are not clearly defined. As can be imagined, this makes proper conceptualization difficult, so as a developer, it’s your job to flesh out the project details. You will need to conduct a comprehensive process of requirement gathering and analysis to ensure that you have a clear idea about what the client’s project, is all about.

This help you think in the right direction.

Researching the Market

Focused conceptualization is also a result of getting more knowledge of the market. So, if in this case, you are developing an iPhone app, you need to know about the market of iPhone apps and also all the apps making their presence felt on the iTunes store.

You need to undertake focused research about your target market, which includes the consumers of your app, and all the competitors. This will allow you to conceptualize an app that keeps the demands of the market in mind. If you know what you’recompeting apps are up to and also get an idea about their strengths and weaknesses, you will get an idea of what to do and what not to do.

Here, it’s ‘what not to do’ that counts. You shouldn’t make the same mistakes that your competition is making.

Capturing and Brainstorming Every Applicable Idea

Don’t limit yourself as far as ideas are concerned. While you are at it, you will need to get a collection of ideas on the table.You need to screen these ideas for their feasibility, uniqueness and engagement quotient. You will need to keep assessing, analyzing and reworking your idea, to zero in on that one concept that you think perfectly fits each and every project requirement.

This is a long drawn out process, but very interesting. It will have you brainstorming on different ideas that will lead to the best concept. You need to adopt a focused thinking approach here, that will help ensure that this stage of conceptualization doesn’t take up a lot of time and yet, delivers handsomely.

Take the whole Team Onboard

Ideas for a concept can come from any quarter. Don’t think that it’s just the management team or the designers who can come up with a great concept; it can even be the development team that can come up with one. Also, some companies make a mistake wherein it’s the people at the top of each department, be it, the top guy in the development hierarchy or the numerouno in the design department that head the conceptual decision making. While this is not the wrong approach, it does not mean that options for a concept cannot be sought from people who are lower down the chain of command.

An inexperienced designer might come up with a great concept for a particular app, which is way better than something that a very experienced developer could come up with. What I mean to say is that you shouldn’t underestimate somebody purely based on the experience or technical skills.

Get ideas from everybody, and only then ta freeze on the concept.

Test Uniqueness and Innovativeness

You might think that the concept that you have chosen for your iPhone app, is unique and very innovative. But, the fact that you think so doesn’t mean that it’s actually the truth. There might be plenty of apps out there that might be built along the same lines as your app concept.

You can even ask a small group of target users to give feedback on the uniqueness and the innovative value of the app. Ask them what they feel about the app’s concept, and whether they have any inputs to make it better (Yes, even a layman can give you a leg up on your concept).

So do anything and everything to ensure that you have judged the apps merits on the parameters of innovation and individuality. Only this will ensure the success of a concept.

Sitting Back and Taking Stock

Once everything is said and done, you need to time to think over your decision to choose a particular concept at the cost of others. So, you need to sit back, take stock and give all your ideation a rethink. Chew on it for some time, led the idea gestate on paper and in your mind and only then tack action on it. What it will do is it will help you look at the concept from a distance by disassociating yourself from it.

This will help you take a look at your concept, impartially, which in turn will help you rework or make any tweaks if needed. This, in turn, can help you fine tune your concept and polish it, so that there are absolutely no rough edges.

In Conclusion

App conceptualization, whether it’s an iPhone app, Android app or a mobile application for some other platform, will involve the same basic steps. You need to have an abundance of creativity, patience, technical knowledge, and capacity for making a wholehearted effort, to conceptualize a cutting edge app. Only then will your efforts at conceptualization bear fruit.

Author Bio:

Carlos is an iPhone app development expert with MyFirstMobileApp.com, a world renowned web and mobile application design and development firm. He has worked on a diverse range of mobile apps cutting across different business domains. He loves writing about the same through his write-ups on various blogs and websites. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.