This is the first part of our series on effective app development.

The first step is to establish the vision for your app—what is the opportunity or area of pain it is addressing.

If the app is expected to generate revenue, the first step is to establish:

1. What is the potential market in terms of size, revenue potential?
2. Is there anyone else with an app that serves the same market? If so, how will yours be different?
3. How do you intend to market your app? Do you already have the audience from another business? Do you have a marketing partner willing to support your new product?
4. What are your ongoing costs versus anticipated revenues and how long do you need to get to break-even?
5. What are the chances that a major competitor can beat you to the market?
6. Is there a major potential competitor who might be tempted to buy your app if it succeeds instead of creating its own version to compete?

If the app is intended for internal use, the key questions are:

1. What area of pain or opportunity is being addressed?
2. What is the return on investment in terms of cost savings or enhanced stakeholder experiences?
3. Who will be in charge and what is his or her experience in creating an app?
4. What is a realistic timetable?
5. What benchmarks will be used to measure success?

The next post will focus on monetization.

Keep up with these and other how-to articles on our blog.

Effective App Development Part 1…
This is the first part of our series on effective app development.

The first step is to establish the vision for your app—what is the opportunity or area of pain it is addressing.

If the app is expected to generate revenue, the first step is to establish:

1. What is the potential market in terms of size, revenue potential?
2. Is there anyone else with an app that serves the same market? If so, how will yours be different?
3. How do you intend to market your app? Do you already have the audience from another business? Do you have a marketing partner willing to support your new product?
4. What are your ongoing costs versus anticipated revenues and how long do you need to get to break-even?
5. What are the chances that a major competitor can beat you to the market?
6. Is there a major potential competitor who might be tempted to buy your app if it succeeds instead of creating its own version to compete?

If the app is intended for internal use, the key questions are:

1. What area of pain or opportunity is being addressed?
2. What is the return on investment in terms of cost savings or enhanced stakeholder experiences?
3. Who will be in charge and what is his or her experience in creating an app?
4. What is a realistic timetable?
5. What benchmarks will be used to measure success?

The next post will focus on monetization.