The worst thing that can happen to an on-demand business is to see its Mobile App Development project fail to meet the set expectations. Somewhere along the way, things fall apart, even for a good app development team. In this blog, find the reason behind this to keep your project from having problems to start with.
Introduction
Not all mobile apps are successful. Many fail shortly after their launch. But why? In November 2023, approximately 62 thousand apps were released through the Play Store and 38 thousand in the App Store. High volume means lots of competition. However, increased competition also leads to increased chances of failure.
But that doesn’t mean that every app project is doomed to fail. The truth is that it all depends on how the project can make the most of its team members. You can take control of your mobile app development project effectively, driven by high market demand.
But it’s not that easy. Some projects are considered failures if they fail to meet the ROI target. In essence, there are several reasons, and the good news is that you can address each one. Let’s quickly go over the top factors that lead to project failure.
Why Mobile App Development Projects Fail
Not Enough People
No matter how well-planned your project is, not having enough people can lead quickly to failure. Entrepreneurs assume that in-house development and QA teams are sufficient for handling complex mobile projects. In some cases, this could be true. However, more often than not, when the project is in full swing under a constricted deadline, it is better to have an extra person to handle the load.
No Coordination
The creation of mobile apps should be a collaborative endeavor between a designer and a developer. In most cases, a project manager is the one who bridges the connection for ease of project delivery. There, it is better to hire a senior app developer and designer to oversee the project, acting as project managers of their own. Whether it’s email or text, the presence of an experienced person affects the output of the project. Everyone on the team understands what’s expected, and when everyone knows the status of each project, they adjust accordingly.
No Clear Focus
Amid all that project planning, it’s a lot easier to lose focus, which is a huge contributor to why projects fail. Market research takes a lot of time and energy. Moreover, having a thorough understanding of your audience is a huge advantage for future marketing purposes. Everything has different preferences. Therefore, focusing on your idea and then performing a competitive analysis sometimes brings critical insights that you overlook the first time.
One way to guarantee project failure is to begin work without clear objectives. There’s no way to know whether you’ve succeeded when you are unsure about what you’re trying to accomplish. Having imprecise goals is just as likely to lead to failure. The mobile app development project you manage is more complex than that, which is why it’s even more critical to define your focus clearly.
No Testing
More like ‘not enough testing’ for those who don’t take app testing that seriously. Without doing enough tests, all your hard work will be for nothing. Even worse, if your app is not able to scale users during peak hours, then your brand’s reputation will be tarnished. While it’s rare for an app to launch without a few small errors, thorough testing before release assures that there are no significant problems.
Moreover, an app prone to glitches and crashes negatively affects the user experience and, eventually, rating. To conduct thorough testing, you need a committed team of quality assurance engineers. You’re unlikely to get another chance if you don’t attract users the first time.
Wrong App Platform
Each mobile platform has its own interface guidelines. For instance, Apple has a Human Interface, and Google has a Developer Policy Center. Entrepreneurs need to decide if it is profitable to devote time and money to creating a separate app for the Android and iOS platforms. It’s crucial to consider platform differences, as this can effectively lead to frustrated users. From varying operating systems to carrier networks, deciding on a platform without much planning is a major issue. For on-demand apps, it is best to opt for a native approach, even if it takes time and costs money.
Poor Budget Planning
Budget overruns are often explicitly tied to mobile app development project failures. The “time is money” adage holds, as the longer it takes you to complete the development process, the higher the overall cost will be. You might be trying to achieve absolute perfection, but the problem is that perfection is usually subjective. Instead, you must aim for a quick market launch, even if the features aren’t enough. Make sure that they are thoroughly tested and enough to get your business going.
Furthermore, if you can’t accurately estimate timelines or budgets, that means the cost of your mobile app will soon be addressing cash gaps. In simple words, for every upcoming value increase, your app needs money. Knowing the anticipated cost is important. It is not enough to have a mobile app. You must have a successful mobile app. As always, quality counts.
Poor Strategy
When an app development project fails, it’s usually due to a lack of a solid strategy. Without a strategy, expect to have a delay in development, eventually putting out a low-quality app. The solution is that you must think of providing value to your users in terms of benefits. That’s because a good strategy always revolves around the uniqueness of the app and its ability to solve its users’ problems.
If you don’t strategize the problem amongst yourselves, then there is no point in making an app because it won’t be successful. Consider agile development as a starting point for greater app execution. While the mobile app development project is a journey in itself, there is a lot to learn every day. Just figure out the next step before it happens.
Skip The Entire App Development Phase With a Pre-built App
With so much time and money invested in app development nowadays, people have come up with new methods to solve modern entrepreneurial demands. One of the approaches that has become increasingly popular in today’s landscape is ready-made apps or pre-built apps.
With the help of third-party developers, these apps are launched in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store for demo purposes. If the demo feels good, you can buy the entire thing with licensed source code. Afterward, the white-label firm that has made this app will customize the source code as per your business information, such as name, logo language, and much more.
The reason why this approach has been praised today is that it’s cost-effective compared to custom app development and takes around 1-2 weeks to finalize. That means you need not hire any mobile app developers for your project and launch straight to marketing campaigns!
Conclusion
The status of an app project depends on many factors, but beyond these factors lies the business acumen of the entrepreneur. Your smallest decision could create a large ripple, taking days or months to develop. That is why you need to take every step with precise details and as much awareness as possible. It can be the difference between failure and success when it comes to your mobile app development project.