For many businesses, their own app is a new product: for customers, members or partners, often with its own business model behind it. Accordingly, there are many questions at the start. The following sections answer the ones we hear most often.
We are just starting out and don’t know everything the app needs to do
That is completely normal, and no reason to put off the conversation. Hardly anyone knows at the start exactly which features will really be needed in the end.
That is why we start with what matters most: a first version that keeps the core promise of your app and can be tried out by real users. What comes next is shown by their feedback. That way you are not developing in advance, but building what is actually in demand. How to test an idea beforehand is described in Testing an app idea.
We need the app for iPhone and Android
That is now the rule. Both platforms can be built on a shared foundation. That saves duplicate work and keeps both versions at the same level.
Some things still differ, such as notifications, payments or access to the camera and location. Which of these your app needs, we clarify at the start. Whether a web app might be enough instead of a store app is covered in Native app or web app.
What determines the effort for an app?
Not just the screens users see. We always estimate the whole product, and that includes three parts:
- App and administration. Which user groups are there, which features do they need, on which devices? And how does your team manage content, users and settings behind the scenes?
- Data and connections. Where is the data held? Do existing systems need to be connected where possible, such as a shop or a customer database? Are there payments?
- Launch and operation. Testing, publishing in the stores, hosting and regular updates belong in the plan from the start.
What we estimate is a clearly defined first version. That way you know what you are taking on before you commission anything.
We don’t want to deal with the app stores
You don’t have to do it alone. We support the submission to Apple and Google under your name, prepare the information required and handle questions during the review.
One thing we cannot promise: approval is decided by the store operators. We know the usual stumbling blocks and plan for them, but Apple and Google have the final say. What matters here is explained in Publishing an app in the stores.
We already have an app
Then we look at it first: the code, the data, the connections and what your users say about the app. Some apps can be developed further without trouble, for others a fresh start is cheaper in the long run.
Which route makes sense, we tell you before you commission anything. And if further development is possible, you do not necessarily have to replace everything that already works.
What happens after the first version?
An app is never quite finished. Operating systems get updates, users ask for new features, and sometimes the first version is meant to grow into a whole business.
So we agree early on how operation and further development will work: who installs updates, how disruptions are handled and how new features are planned. You commission each new step separately, once your users show what is missing.
