How to Plan Your Mobile App Features Before Development Starts

So you have a great idea for an app! You want to get started developing, right? Not so fast. Just like building a house without first creating a blueprint could be an expensive, drawn-out affair, launching an app without a clearly defined feature-set is a recipe for failure and can result in wasted time and money.

Success with either your mobile app or website will be the result of creating a valuable, user-friendly product that has been developed well. Thus, it is essential that you create a feature plan that allows for the growth of your mobile application from the very beginning.

This article will outline the most critical areas to consider when creating your mobile application feature plan, thereby allowing you to move smoothly through your mobile application development process, creating a targeted and cost-effective product.

Why Planning App Features Is Crucial

Too often app developers try to add too many features too quickly into their apps. The result is that they are left with complex app developments.

• Complex development – More features = more coding = more bugs.
• Higher costs – Unplanned features increase time and budget.
• Poor user experience – Too many options can confuse users.
• Difficult scaling – Features that don’t align with user needs can hinder growth.

By defining the right features early, you can:

• Concentrate on resolving the customer’s main issue
• Allocate the resources for developing features in the best way possible
• Developing the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) allows you to test your app in the shortest amount of time
• Avoid excessive cost involved in developing a feature that creates difficulty for the user.

Step 1: Identify Your Target Audience

You will need to know who your audience, or customers, are before you begin developing the features.

• What issues are they experiencing?
• What devices will they be using? (Android, iOS, or both)
• What other applications have been used?
• What functionality can be integrated to make their experience easier to navigate?

Identifying your audience will guide your development of app features that provide the proper “value” for your targeted audience.

Step 2: Define the Core Problem Your App Solves

Successful applications are developed for an exact purpose. Therefore, when considering your app concept, ask yourself, 

• What is the main purpose of my app?
• What is the primary action users should take?
• Which features are essential for this action?

Start by thinking about the essential core features that are critical for use of the app before you go on to any advanced features. Doing so will reduce the complexity of the application as well as assist with future scalability.

Step 3: List Potential Features

Brain dump Take a list of all your ideas about developing a mobile application in a brain dump approach (i.e. free flow list).

• Step tracking
• Calorie counter
• Exercise library
• Social sharing
• Push notifications
• Premium subscription

At this phase, there is no need to be concerned with feasibility – the idea is to get ideas.

Step 4: Prioritize Features

Write down the list of the potential features and classify them. Break the features up into the:

1. Minimum viable product or must-have to launch the app.
2. Should-have Items that are attractive to the overall quality of apps.
3. The features that are considered as nice-to-have and can be added later, to add more value to the user.

The features are categorized to provide your development team an opportunity to prioritize the apps and concentrate on what provides value and do not over engineer the app.

Step 5: Consider Technical Feasibility

Not all features are created equal. Collaborate with your development team to discuss:

• The duration of time required to develop each feature.
• The technical difficulty of the feature development.
• Any external integration requirements.
• Hours/minutes required to support the feature.

Some other cases have found you discover a very valuable feature, but, at the same time, it is extremely complicated and cannot be implemented in Version 1 of the app. Under such circumstances, it would be advisable to publish a basic variant of the feature before the complex one.

Step 6: Map Out User Flows

Once you have given your feature list, make user flow diagrams to figure out how users are going to use your app.

• The initial thing visible to them is the screen.
• They will be able to move around to other features of the app.

Developing user flow diagrams will assist in eliminating confusion, as they will offer a visual representation of the paths that one will follow in the app, and will assist in ensuring positive user experience.

Step 7: Test Feature Ideas Before Development

Test the concept of the feature before building it out. The following should be done before developing the full-featured version of the app:

• Prototypes or wireframes – Low-fidelity designs to visualize features
• User testing – Collect feedback from potential users
• Market research – Check competitor apps and see which features succeed

When you validate early on, it saves time and money, and makes sure you build an app that meets your user’s actual needs.

Step 8: Plan for Scalability

Even if you start with an MVP, plan features in a way that allows future growth:

• Can new features be added without redesigning the app?
• Is your database scalable?
• Are your APIs ready to handle more users?

A well-planned app grows smoothly as your user base expands.

Step 9: Keep Track of Metrics

Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) for each feature:

• User engagement
• Retention rate
• Feature usage
• Conversion rate

Tracking metrics helps you decide which features to improve, remove, or enhance in future updates.

Why Proper Feature Planning Benefits Your Business

1. Reduce Development Costs: This reduces how much coding or fixing needs to be completed.
2. Decrease the Time From Development to Launch: Concentrate your development efforts on only those features necessary for your initial app launch.
3. Enhance the User Experience: Only include the features your users want/need in the app.
4. Support Organizational Growth: A scalable app allows for future adjustments to meet customer demand.
5. Reduce App Failure Risk: Features that have been validated will improve the chances of success of the app.
   

How Device Doctor India Can Help You Plan App Features

Planning mobile app features correctly is crucial for success, but it can be overwhelming without expert guidance. Device Doctor India helps businesses define, prioritize, and validate app features before development starts. Their team works with you to:

• Identify your target audience and core app functionality
• Prioritize features for MVP and future updates
• Create user flows, wireframes, and prototypes
• Ensure scalability and technical feasibility
  
  

With Device Doctor India, you can save development costs, avoid unnecessary complexity, and build an app that truly meets your users’ needs from day one.

Final Thoughts

Planning your mobile app features before starting development is a critical part of your app’s success.

By defining your user base, determining core features, prioritizing features properly, and proving out ideas early, you can design an app that adds value, will grow with your organization, and keeps users engaged.

As a reminder, a well-planned app will be less challenging to create, less difficult to maintain, and have a better chance of succeeding in a competitive environment.

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