Creating an android app sounds easy, but trust me it takes much more than lines of code to develop one. In the following lines I would like to share my experience of developing my first proper Android app
I had always wanted to create a software product on my own. What better way to accomplish than an Android App. Not just any app, but one which could prove useful to the users. The downloads would automatically follow. Or would they?
It was 2018 when I had launched my first arcade-style game on Android. It was a fun unique 2D side scroller arcade game which got rave reviews from friends and users who tried it out but the app died a slow painful death. After amassing 700 downloads in the first month, it crashed to a meagre 800 downloads over the next 1 year. I had missed very basic steps in designing my product, but more importantly, I did not have the experience or the desire to carry the project through.
Fast forward 2 years, with my experience in product development internship at Unilever, the numerous case studies during the MBA life in the first year, and discussions with my peers I had a changed perspective towards marketing and product development. The final icing on the cake was the hit TV show 'Shark Tank' which I was binging on during the Corona Virus lockdown period and had motivated me to go ahead with the idea. Some of the pointers that I focussed on while developing/designing my app:
An Idea Isn't Enough: There are hundreds of thousands of apps, but to survive the vast arena yours must distinguish itself from the other fish in the sea
The Customer Is Top Priority: The focus must be on customer satisfaction, and this is exactly what I did, analyzing other competitor apps and incorporating and innovating on the in-demand features
Have a Growth Plan: You must plan your release cycles and the road map for the product well in advance. Have an outline of the features that you wish to offer in each release, so that the customers are kept satisfied
Test the Market: Perform Alpha and Beta testing with your immediate support network of friends and family, and then expand it to unknown testers as well. Google Developers Console provides you with ample opportunities to try this out professionally
Start, and Do not get bogged down by the effort required: Finally, and most importantly, you have got to start working on the project. Many a time, I have faced difficulties starting projects thinking about the long road ahead. Well, guess what, that isn't the way to go. Get started on working on the project, and start working on that big idea
With the necessary gameplan at my disposal, I started developing the app. And nearly 4 weeks later, I sit in front of my PC penning down my experience. While there are more unique features to be added in the future releases, with plentiful positive reviews from the supporting community this is the right time to launch the app in the play store.
