Validating an app idea is the first step you should be doing at your end before hiring a mobile app development company or developing the app yourself. There is a well-known fact that 99% of the ideas that get generated by a human mind are not unique. The same follows with app development process so if you come up with a brilliant idea then just don’t get it blindly developed and first learn how to validate an app idea and perform simple tricks that we’re going to discuss in this post. You need to figure out that whether your app idea provides any added value to your target audience or is it really worthy to be developed? Thinking of these consequences can prevent a huge or subtle business risk in the end.

Let’s now discuss about different methods that you can use to validate your app idea.

1. Share app idea with friends: We at Agicent believe that sharing an app idea doesn’t spoil it and therefore always encourage our clients to get their app idea reviewed by experts, their friends, and even general public. You need not feel hesitated to sharing your app ideas with peers, friends, or anyone else with whom you can interact. There are chances that you can even identify a pitfall in the app idea yourself or get a long list of suggested features while the conversation is taking place.

The important thing to note here is that people with whom you are interacting can be the future users of your app. So, collect as much information about the app idea from as many people as you can. This will give you an insight of the idea and how people might react to your developed app.

2. Get online feedback of your app idea:

In your quest to get your app idea validated directly by potential customers, you can also leverage the power of the Internet. You can use online surveys and social media polls to get thousands of user reviews in no time and then take a look at these user reviews to evaluate your app idea.

To conduct online surveys, you can use Google Forms or any other similar tool to create a basic set of questionnaires that you want to ask people regarding your app idea. After that, share the created user feedback form with your target audience. People will then fill out the form and submit it back. You can then read their answers to know how they feel about your app idea.

For social media polls, you can use Facebook and Twitter. Both of these social media platforms let you create polls which you can share within your circle and ask people to vote. Based on the number of votes on each option, you can assess your mobile app idea.

3. Use tools to validate app ideas:

Interestingly, there are many online tools like Viima and IdeaSquare which you can help you to assess your app idea. You can share and discuss your app ideas with other users on these portals. However, make sure that you get a patent for your app idea before sharing it online as it can also be very easily stolen by others. When considering launching in another country such as Canada, understanding the process of patenting your idea in Canada is essential to protect your intellectual property.

4. Competitive Analysis:

Once you have noted all the reviews from previous methods, you will surely get a better understanding that whether your app idea is viable or not and even if the idea is feasible then will people be reluctant to get on your platform or feel encouraged?

Now, here comes the next step i.e. Competitive Analysis. With over 3 million apps in the Google Play Store and 2 million apps in Apple’s App Store possibility resides that the app idea you are coming up has been already implemented. A simple Google search or Play Store and App Store search can show you the related apps that share the same idea as you have already thought. If you find some low-quality apps then it is a green signal to go and start the app development process. Conversely, if there are many apps sharing the same idea then there are 2 things that can be done:

1. Find another idea with low competition, or
2. If you want to stick to your current app idea then do some aggressive competitive analysis.

In competitive analysis, you have to see how well the existing apps are performing, from where they are getting funding, and most importantly identify their missing features (call it gap areas). See if you can add those missing functionalities to your app idea as it will make yours stand apart from your competitors and grab eyeballs of potential customers.

5. Market Analysis:

After successful analysis of your competitors, you can step into Market Analysis. Having a validated app idea at this stage will help you to analyze the current market in terms of market size, demographics, previous trends etc and you can better create a launch strategy and overall marketing plan.

6. Get an MVP App:

MVP stands for Minimum Viable Product where you launch a product in the market with limited set of but “most compelling” features, and then notice user’s behavior with the same. If they liked the product idea, you can then launch another set of attributes and finally end up presenting a full-fledged product to your audience over a period of time.

If you have already planned to get an MVP app for your app idea then you can hire our team of experienced Android developers and iOS developers to get the job done. Not just this, we will also help you in validating your app idea, analyzing its market scope, along with all the App design & Development services.

App Funding:

This is also an important aspect of validating a mobile app idea as you just can’t expect an investor knocking on your door the next day you launch your app. Yes, it can be true but chances are quite rare as in most cases, you need to show results to investors in order to convince them to make a funding. Thinking of worst case scenarios, you need to ask yourself a question “how long can I make the app sustain without a funding?” If you can answer it then go ahead and start the execution plan otherwise you need to pick an appropriate revenue model for your app idea so as to keep it running until and unless you get an offer from an investor.

Many of our clients who are first time into app development ain’t readily well versed with app monetization techniques, so we at Agicent App Development Company help them understand the pros and cons of each app monetization strategies and help them choose between freemium, subscription based, and other revenue plans as per their best-fit.

So readers, these were some of the methodologies that you can use to get your app idea validated. If you are still confused then feel free to contact us. We will guide you through the whole process with our app development experience of over 8 years and give you an affordable app price quote to turn your app idea into reality. Also, you can use our app cost calculator to measure the cost of creating an app.

You may also like to read:

• How to write an app specs document.
• Updating your apps on a regular basis can boost your business.

The post How to validate an app idea, and launch! appeared first on Agicent.

1. Separate sections for apps and games.
2. Redesigned product pages.
3. Additional app metadata on the app product page to provide more information to users.
4. Deep search which makes your content more discoverable.
5. Better app search results.
6. Streamlined in-app purchases.
7. Today tab to show users new hot apps and games daily.

With so many changes in the latest iOS App Store, app publishers and marketers should rework their ASO strategy to maintain constant app rankings. App Store Optimization is a technique to improve the discoverability of your app in the App Store. For a good ASO strategy, you should have the perfect app name, icon, description, and other elements. As we said, Apple has introduced a new set of app metadata that app publishers can specify to make their app more presentable in front of users. So, it is the perfect opportunity for every mobile app marketer to get updated with the latest changes and that is the reason we decided to form an iOS 11 App Store Optimization checklist which can help you.

So let’s begin writing the iOS 11 App Store Optimization checklist as follows:-

1. App Name

Just as before the app name in iOS 11 App Store is still limited to 30 characters. So, keep it simple, easy to spell, memorable, related to core functionality, and distinctive. There is no change in Name limit as far as iOS 11 App Store Optimization checklist is concerned.

2. Subtitle

Subtitle is the new important entry in App Store product pages. The app subtitle is limited to 30 characters and therefore should be compelling as it is shown below the app name throughout the App Store. We will recommend you to use this field to highlight the key feature of your app or you could also add your brand tagline (only if it is related to the app usage). Do note that you can only update the Subtitle of your app while submitting its update, so consider it as an essential part of iOS 11 App Store Optimization checklist.

3. Icon

As usual, there is an app icon to represent your brand. The app icon must mark a very good impression on users and should be unique. Unique icons drive more app installs.

4. App Previews

Now, app publishers can add up to 3 videos called “App Previews” (30 seconds each) demonstrating the app functionality. The first 3 seconds of the app preview should be visually compelling as they are automatically played (with muted video) when a user lands on the app product page. In order to target multiple geographical areas, you can also localize the preview videos.

5. Screenshots

App Store now allows app owners to feature up to 5 screenshots on the product page. The app screenshots appear after Preview Videos. Include high quality and localized Screenshots as they appear in the App Store search results. Depending on the orientation of the iPhone, one to three screenshots will appear in the latest App Store search results.

6. App description

Write a short and concise paragraph followed by the list of key features of your app. Remember, it’s not a blog post, so don’t include unnecessary details and keywords. Avoid keyword stuffing as it sends a negative signal to the App Store. Only include the right keywords at the right places. Also, note that the very first sentence of the description important as it appears in the search results. So, make sure it is catchy.

7. Promotional Text

The latest Promotional Text allows mobile app publishers to share the latest news about their app such as marketing messages, new content updates, new features, and so on. This Promotion Text will appear on top of the app description and is limited to 170 characters. This is a great additional to the iOS 11 App Store Optimization checklist.

8. Right app category

Assign the right category to your app as it helps the App Store to place the app in the right section, so that, users can find your app more easily. It also improves the discoverability of your app in the App Store. There is nothing new with this part, but keep it as an essential item of your iOS 11 App Store Optimization checklist.

9. Positive reviews

Apple has now introduced SKStoreReviewController API by which you can prompt users up to 3 times to leave a review in a 365-day period. Foster positive ratings as they are shown in the search results. Positive reviews decide whether users will download your app or not. So, ask your app users to leave a positive review in the App Store.

10. Promote in-app purchases:

One of the major changes in the iOS 11 App Store is that now app publishers can promote in-app purchases right on the App Store. That simply means users can now see various in-app purchases right on the product page and buy them before even downloading the app. The app in-purchases will also be shown in the search results. Therefore, it is important for app owners to frame lucrative in-app purchases over their competitors.

In iOS 11, in-app purchases and subscriptions are shown in the separate sections on the app product page, and you can list up to 20 items. For each item, you can specify a unique name, promotional image, and description. In-app purchases and subscription names are limited to 30 characters and descriptions are limited to 45 characters.

That’s all readers for today’s and we hope this post will help you to upgrade your existing App Store Optimization strategy, keep this iOS 11 App Store Optimization checklist handy before you launch. We will keep this post updated with all the latest stuff you need to know about iOS 11 App Store. Meanwhile, if you want to speak with us and share some valuable info with our readers, then feel free to write us at sales@agicent.com. Also, don’t forget to spread the love by hitting the social share buttons on the left.

Our other posts that you can check out:

• Why should you update your app, and how frequently so?

The post iOS 11 App Store Optimization checklist for app publishers appeared first on Agicent.

App development process is a simple to understand step by step software programming process that starts from idea generation and goes to the app launch and then the cycle repeats if you need more enhancements, though it gets tricky at times when more than one components are involved like backend, admin panel, multiple platforms and then it needs more formal professional approach.  An App idea, when goes into production moves through various steps of feasibility, refinement, fine tuning, R&D and what not before it comes to life as a quality app.

The success of your app depends upon how good your app is in terms of performance, user convenience, security, reliability, and other user-centric factors, and these factors don’t come on their own. The teams involved in the design & App development process should first of all have a great “clarity” on what is to be done and then a professional approach in breaking down that “what is to be done’ into meaningful chunks of user-stories, and then putting those user stories into development, starting with raw mockups to polished design, and then real app that works great.

In case of startups having new ideas, we recommend taking a Rapid MVP approach first, so that you can quickly (and in low cost) develop the core and most compelling functionality of your app and launch it for the end users, and do an aggressive marketing and generate early response as well as feedback, you can always add more side-features later on. The development time is fast, the cost is less, so as the risk and scope of enhancing with real experience is more.

In case of existing apps that need enhancements or introduction of more features, we recommend dividing the new features into smaller chunks (that we can user as job cards) and implementing those in weekly sprints, and going live every weekend or fortnight. This way the work keeps ongoing, and at the same time app is being updated for end users frequently, without waiting for months. You keep them engagement, and that is most important. Giants like Facebook, Google, or dropbox follow this approach and we offer the same facility to our clients.

Now, for the uninitiated, following is the Mobile App Development Process, well defined:-

1. First Contact:-

You contact us via web, phone, personal email or social media and share just a brief about your idea. We then interview you and get information about the features you need in your app, your business strategy, your marketing plans and  overall expectations of services from us. While we gather the requirements, we also welcome you to ask us as many questions as you want (Please read- Questions to ask before hiring an app development agency). We suggest you the betterment where it is needed, propose you with a commercial quote, and development approach, and then we sign the contract. The project is divided into several milestones (on an average 4), and each milestone is connected with a progressive build and corresponding payment percentage.

It is recommended to read “how to write app specs” post of ours, and learn writing great app specs yourself. You can also use our app development cost calculator to answer some simple questions and know the overall cost range of your app idea.

2. Wireframes:-

The next stage in our mobile application development process is designing wireframes of your app, wireframes are the blueprint of the how the actual app would work. With the help of wireframes, we explain how the end product will function, we jointly discuss and do iterations on the wireframes and once all looks fine, we move on to the next step of the mobile App development process.

3. Database, Design & Architecture, Polished designs

Once mockups are finalized,  it is time to put the seasoned brains at work. We design the overall architecture of the system, consider various current and future factors, security considerations, scalability, and business vision and at the same time our designers work on creating polished UI & UX, and share with you running PoC for your review and feedback. We understand the fact that nor all audience have same taste neither all apps are same, so we consider design and subjective and pick a design approach strictly on the basis of target audience, product type, and latest trends. This blend has always worked good so far.

4. Coding, Implementation, and Unit Testing:-

And when all things planned, it is time to get your hands into it, and do the coding! Our passionate App developers use latest technologies and tools to start converting these designs into real app. While writing the code, our developers ensure that the code is highly cohesive and loosely couple which makes the app faster and more responsive. Data and user identity security is our utmost priority; we follow mobile app security best practices to build secure apps right from the client side to the server side. To keep you updated on the progress of the project, we facilitate weekly Skype sessions with developers and also share a fully functional build of your app after unit, functional, and UAT testing.

The work happens in weekly or bi-weekly sprints, and you get an interim release of the app for your own review and testing at every sprint and gets an OK-tested label only after all parties are satisfied.

5. Final Testing and Store Launch:-

After development, and ongoing testing, we put the App for final User Acceptance Testing and also stress testing and go live only when all things work absolutely fine. We work with you in writing compelling marketing copies, and also assist you in on page App Store optimization and then also make the apps live on your behalf, using your iTunes developer or Google play developer accounts only.

6. Post Launch Support & Warranty:-

Our job isn’t over yet, We stay beside you and help you out if the app faces any issues or bugs. Yup! You got it right, customer satisfaction is our main business policy and doing repeat business is what we always strive for. For any project, small or big, we offer a minimum of “free 3 months bug-fixing” warranty program. We fix any problem or issue found during this time for absolutely no Fee, meaning FREE. And even when warranty time is over, we’ve highly cost effective yearly maintenance packages that you can always opt in and keep focusing on increasing the business, while we take care of all things tech.

Nothing ends even now, therefore we also offer initial and regular boost to your app promotion by sharing it on our decently followed social media profiles and personal network circles. In some cases, we can even help you to develop your app marketing strategy to promote it and even get it reviewed on app review websites.

We have fine tuned this simple looking process as most-productive one over years, and still do so everyday because there is never a day when you don’t learn anything new, so what is better than improving for good? No matter how early-stage or mature your app idea is, you can share that with us not only for a quote always but also for discussion. An idea grows when shared, so drop us a note at sales@agicent.com, and get the ball, well, bouncing for heights!

The post App Development Process of Agicent App Company appeared first on Agicent.

Mobile app security best practices are much different than website security practices, as in the former the attack surface for hackers is quite large. Any minor security flaw from the operating system to the network level can give access to a hacker into user’s phone, if not the server side of the app. So, it is essential to perform regressive security testing before delivering or publishing any app and save users against hackers and cyber crimes.

As we are in the apps development business for quite a long time now, we have to keep ourselves updated on minor to major app security threats and their solutions, and also follow mobile app security best practices religiously and keep doing the backup and updates of the App data. Every mobile app developer at Agicent keeps a mobile app security checklist, and ensures that the standards are being met before we make anything live.

Let us now discuss some of the best mobile app security best practices that our mobile app developers follow religiously:

1. Encrypt the source code

Mobile apps can be easily tampered by hackers to inject malicious code into the app source code which can leak device and user data. To avoid this potential threat, we highly recommend encrypting the app source code with AES or DEC algorithms, so that, it can’t be accessed by anyone else. Code obfuscation and minification are some other measures that you can try as good security layers.

2. Ensure User data security

 An hacker can go to any extent to trespass the security checks and steal the user data. Therefore, developers should take extra preventive steps to make sure that there the user data is well secured at both server and client ends.

The best way for developers to keep user data secured is to encrypt every single user file stored on the phone. Encryption ensures that hackers will not understand the stolen data as it will appear gibberish to them. However, data encryption alone can’t make your app pretty secure and, that is where our next security tip will help you.

3. Use the latest Cryptography techniques

Old cryptographic algorithms like SHA1 and MD5 are not enough to tackle modern day attacks anyone and that is the reason that it is considered a good practice for developers to adhere to the latest techniques like 256-bit AES encryption and SHA-256 for better mobile app security.

4. Minimize Storage of Sensitive Data

 Another smart way to secure user data is not to actually store the sensitive data on the device in the first place. Avoid storing credit card numbers and personal user info inside apps, and let this be done by the payment gateway provider only since they already have big security layers at their end to prevent any hack.

5. Secure app connections at the back end

Securing app connections at the backend prevents unauthorized access to the app and its server side. It becomes more important when there is communication app or when you transfer passwords, credit card numbers, or any other sensitive info from the app to servers or vice versa. Usually, unsecured network connections are targeted by hackers to do a “Man in the middle” attack and steal data flowing over the network.

Developers should use secure transport layer protocols like TLS, SSL, and HTTPS to make the app communicate with the server. In addition to that, you can also take help from Network Analysts to penetrate your network and identify major security errors and fix them.

6. Plan API security strategy

APIs are the core of mobile applications and makes sure the apps are running with dynamic data exchange with the servers. Hackers can even get into servers and corrupt or alter your APIs to acquire data illegally. So, you need to have a solid API security strategy in place. Apply authentication and authorization rigorously and separate out API implementation and security into different levels.

7. Integrate with Mobile Device Management

In case of enterprise apps, the data becomes much more sensitive and in such scenarios Mobile Device Management software can help. This corporate MDM sites are especially designed to help Network Admins to secure and monitor employee’s devices. Most companies with “Bring Your Own Device” policy are following this technique to stay protected from hackers.

Let us, in the same breath, also discuss some practices that Mobile App users should follow to secure their apps, info, and devices. Some basic Mobile app security best practices for users are as follows:

8. Don’t use jailbroken or rooted devices

When you jailbreak an iPhone, or root an Android device, it removes most of the important underlying security components of the mobile operating system which makes your device vulnerable towards hacking attacks.

9. Keep applications updated

App updates bring in more features and security fixes too. So, you must always use the updated version of the apps to stay hack-proof.

10. Keep mobile OS updated

Just like app updates, OS updates also resolves the security bugs in the previous version. Therefore, it is recommended to keep the mobile OS updated.

11. Install apps only from legitimate app stores

One of the best ways to stay secure is to install apps only from the official or legitimate app stores only. So, if you have an Android device, then Google Play is the best option and iTunes (App Store) for iPhone users.

We shall keep this article updated with any further security tips as we come across, or might write a new article on the same topic with new list of best mobile app security practices. We want the web and mobile space to be free of hacking threats so that all kind of users including seniors or non-tech people can enjoy their mobile apps to the fullest, so feel free to send us more tips and tricks that we missed, and we shall publish those on our blogs with credits to you.

Some of our other latest articles that you may like:-

The post Mobile App Security Best Practices for App Developers appeared first on Agicent.

Why should you update the app frequently?

When you have developed the app and people will start using it, then you will notice that people will report certain issues. App update focuses on the fixing of bugs, adding some more features to make people retain their interest in the app, and if removing of some features that were causing issues, and many other things. All these help in boosting the success of your app.

If you are looking for Mobile App Development companies, then Agicent can be your perfect partner as the company has a reputation for providing best app development services. Get in touch with us.

The post Updating your app on a regular basis can boost your business appeared first on Agicent.

• Moqups: Enjoy superior flow with this web app while creating interactive prototypes, wireframes, and mock-ups for a great look both for on-screen as well as on paper. This is made possible by the Scalable Vector Graphics technology.

• Wireframe sketcher: This wireframing tool is of great help to the product managers, developers, and designers alike in the quick creation of prototypes, mockups, and wireframes for mobile, web, as well as desktop applications. Primarily a desktop app, it also has a plug-in version for almost every Eclipse IDE.

• MockFlow: Full-featured wireframe software featuring publishing capabilities and an extensive set of editor functions, MockFlow represents a comprehensive tool that is a must for any developer.

• Mockup Builder: This is a prototyping solution that helps in designing websites or softwares while bringing about significant reduction in cost and time for the negotiation stage in comparison to others.

• io: This is the first mobile platform to offer a cloud-based environment for rapid development with an integration towards API plug-ins and back-end services.

• Frame Box: An incredibly simple frame-sharing application, Frame Box is a browser-based tool that is a fantastic option for creating easily adjustable and resizable wireframes on the fly.

• Fluid UI: A simple and user-friendly design tool, Fluid UI helps in prototyping of mobile applications so that you can easily create and test a working prototype in next to no time.

• Pencil Project: An open-source GUI prototyping tool, Pencil allows developers to create mock-ups on popular desktop platforms. An on-premise tool, it can be easily downloaded and used both online and offline.

• Mockabilly: A prototyping tool for iPhone apps, Mockabilly allows mockups to be created in a matter of a few minutes. Non-linear high-fidelity mockups that replicate the actual iPhone behavior make for the perfect usability testing experience.

• FlairBuilder: FlairBuilder allows interactive webframes to be created for both mobile applications and websites. Seamless feedback tools are its highlights as they allow easy collaboration between stakeholders and team members alike.

• Mockup Baker: Mockup Baker is a helpful Photoshop Mockup Plugin helpful to create 3D product mockups directly on Photoshop. This is a helpful Mockup tool after Photoshop discontinued its 3D feature.

The bottom line is that all best Mobile app development companies constantly strive to work with tools that make life simpler for their developers. These ten tools are certainly among the top draw as far as mockup and Wireframing tools are concerned.

The post 10 Best Mockup And Wireframing Tools For Developers appeared first on Agicent.

But there are few cases where HTML5 could be a good option, and remember that this is a Business decision and not at all a technical one; it is dependent upon the target group you’ve finalized, the demography, nature of the functionality of the App, and performance expectations. Let’s try to understand who wins the HTML5 Vs Native with some cool and straight  forward pointers:

Go for native (or an hybrid one with subtle web views only where required) if you are concerned about –

• Responsiveness of the app.
• Look and feel of the App.
• Usage of device’s capacities like accelerometer, gps, camera etc. of the app.
• Visibility of the App in app store market, and genuine user’s reviews.
• If your App is a good game.
• You want to give offline access as well to the users, in the best manner.
• You want to make your app a hit in native market first, and capture a maximum of that, which assures that if you get success then you’ll have enough capabilities to scale up for further devices or as a web app etc.
• Making the app future proof with each future release of the OS.
• You want to take advantage of all the business analytic, in -app purchase thing, iAds, and so on.
• Support and confidence from the OS manufacturer.

And choose HTML 5 way if the above given pointers are not so important for you, and if:

• Your product is already existing on other mediums, i.e an already existing website that you want to create in mobile version now, and already famous desktop web app that you want to extend to mobile browsers etc.
• Your target market is not device centric (though am not sure if such situation is realistically possible to identify).
• You feel that it is nice to target all smartphones‘ users in this way right from the launch stage, instead of exploring one or two good platforms at first completely.
• And I guess, that is it. I’m not quoting the commonly used factor that “cost of development is lesser while creating html5” here, since to build a really competent html5/ cross platform App – you need hours of expert developers for the launch product development and testing, and during support & maintenance stage too (more than when you have a native app!), which ultimately might turn out to be more costlier as compared to native app dev on one platform.

Bottom line suggestion, go for an Hybrid model – if you want to enjoy advantages of both approaches given above, make a native app and then embed web-view components cleverly wherever they fit the best (but only if required).

And one last thought before I close – if you really believe in your product, then believe me even iTunes market is too big to be exploit (or may be Android) completely. Having an app used by 1000 users across 4 platforms has lesser value as compared to an app used by 10,000 users on one platform! So don’t shy hitting one platform at first with full dedication, the user base is too much and if it becomes a hit you’ll be having enough capabilities (and funds too) to get developed for further platforms as native or web app anyways. Take examples of temple run, angry birds, evernote, google search apps, instagram or even Flappy bird etc – all got launched and focussed on iOS only at first and then after success, they easily scaled up to Android and more with customers already waiting for their App.

Feel free to ask me for more detailed suggestions on your App idea, or get a free quote for your project. Just drop me an Email at sales@agicent.com and the ball will be rolling!

Also read-

Angular.JS Vs React.JS Vs Vue.JS- Which one to choose for web development in 2018?

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