The mobile app market in Canada is booming as an increasing number of Canadians communicate, shop, play games, bank, exercise, date, and stay healthy via their mobile phones.
The most popular apps remain immensely lucrative for their creators, and they all share one thing in common: They started with a simple idea.
If you are a Canadian entrepreneur aiming to enter the mobile app market, here are a few essential steps for turning a winning idea into a profitable mobile app.
Brainstorming Ideas
Brainstorming should be a process of unbridled creativity, an embodiment of the truism “there are no bad ideas.”
As you sit down to brainstorm app ideas, think in particular about your relationship to the current app landscape. What annoys you? What excites you? Can you think of existing apps that come close to succeeding but ultimately fall short due to some flaw in design or delivery?
In this nascent stage, you are trying to cover gaps in the current app market by addressing a common pain point or building upon existing ideas to add more value.
Definition and Idea Validation
Once you land on the “big idea,” you want to try your best to define the concept in clear terms. Begin by writing down a series of pointed questions. What problem does your app idea solve, or what sets it apart from similar apps on the market? How will its features and design reinforce the core concept? Who is the ideal user, the target audience? What monetization strategy – if any – can you implement to profit from your idea?
In many ways, this definition process resembles “idea validation,” the process of testing a business concept’s viability in its marketplace. Essentially, you want to understand how your app idea stacks up against similar apps. If, in the process, you discover that your app is too similar to other apps, now might be the time to tweak your concept or approach to remain unique and compelling.
Partnering
With a big idea and a clear picture of what it can do, you will take your concept to an app expert. Toronto remains the hub for expert app developers, so Canadians are recommended to start there. Find a mobile app development company in Toronto that prioritizes client satisfaction. The last thing you want is for a developer to “run away” with your idea, building it into something that doesn’t resemble your original vision.
That said, look for a tightknit company; smaller app development companies tend to be more attentive and will work closely with you to understand your concept, business strategy and aesthetic vision.
User Testing
User testing (sometimes called “user validation”) is essential for gleaning real-world insights into how people will use your app. Essentially, it involves allowing people to take your app for a test drive. The process can be budget-friendly, involving just a small sample of users in your immediate circle, or more intensive, as part of a thorough market research effort.
Growth Validation
Lastly, you want to validate your product to ensure that it makes enough money to sustain and expand your business. A quality mobile app development company will come in handy here, as they will work with you to create an app with scalable technology and that is optimized to drive your key business KPIs.