MVP Development: Competitive Analysis and Feature Sets

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Developing a Successful MVP

Before developing a minimum viable product (MVP) developers conduct their due diligence to make decisions about the MVP prior to releasing it. That ensures the MVP includes vital features that display the core functions of the app. While there are many aspects to consider, two are especially crucial. Firstly, there is the competitive analysis.

The Competitive Analysis

The competitive analysis is a way to determine the specific competitive advantage of the mobile app. In other words, the comparison of mobile apps in the same market. Mobile app developers find valuable insight from these comparisons. Insights that highlight differences between mobile apps.

These differences then become differentiating factors. Enough of these factors form a competitive advantage. A comprehensive competitive advantage then informs the marketing strategy.

Another important aspect to consider when conducting a competitive analysis is the product-market fit. The product-market fit helps determine exactly where in the marketplace any specific app fits. Thus, leading to important insights that the marketing team leverages into different marketing tactics. In turn, forming the overall marketing strategy.

Feature Sets

Feature sets are also incredibly crucial in the development of a successful MVP. The feature sets of an app are the high-level pillars of what makes the app viable. In other words, feature sets make up the core skeleton of the app.

Another way to look at the feature sets of a mobile app is to define what solution the application offers the end-user. Essentially, what purpose does the app serve?

Defining the feature sets of the mobile app is an important step in the MVP development process for a spectrum of reasons. One of the most crucial is that some to many of the aspects defined as a feature set need to be included, to some capacity, in the MVP.

Moving Forward With The MVP

After determining the feature sets of the app the developer can begin designing and building the core of the application. Once the development process is a little further along, the app will be ready for the competitive analysis. Between these two components, an MVP is born.

While the MVP is being built behind the scenes, the marketing team surely is surely not sitting idly by. Once developed, the MVP needs groups ready to test it. These groups often include early adopters.

After the MVP undergoes testing, and the competitive analysis is complete, a mobile app is ready for it’s home-stretch.

At this point in the process, there is plenty of data readily accessible for mobile app developers to complete the app. Insights garnered from conducting the competitive analysis and the product-market fit. Additionally, extra aspects of feedback offered by test-groups from the released MVP.

Develop an MVP with NS804

NS804 is the mobile app developer of the people. NS804 brings mobile app development services to the everyday person with a good idea. With experience that spans the entire mobile-app marketplace and a team of expert developers and designers, bring your mobile app idea to life with NS804.

Benefits of Custom Development in Enterprise Apps

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Custom Development in Enterprise Apps

There are many way s to go about developing an enterprise app. However, there is no one-size-fits all solution. There are pros and cons to each of the different available avenues. Two of the most popular avenues to develop an enterprise app are to commission a custom development team, or to purchase an ‘off-the-shelf’ solution. While a pre-packaged enterprise app can be a quick-fix with a smaller price tag, there are significant benefits to choosing custom development for your enterprise app. 

Some ‘off-the-shelf’ solutions include providers of CRM softwares. Plus project management solutions. Lastly, communication solutions, and even marketing automation software. Any vendor that has pre-made applications to address various business needs can be considered ‘off-the-shelf’, pre-made, or non-custom enterprise apps. 

There are certain instances that going with a non-custom enterprise app solution makes sense. For companies that are just starting out, or companies that don’t need extensive or unique solutions for their various functions. However, there are some crucial benefits to choosing custom development for enterprise apps. 

Unarguable Benefits

Before choosing a premade enterprise app solution, or going with a custom developer, conduct an internal review. It’s important to understand your company’s needs before making a final decision. 

You Get What You Pay For –

As is very often the case, “you get what you pay for.” In other words, the amount invested into an enterprise app, is going to reflect the ultimate product that the company receives. Custom enterprise development is likely going to be a larger upfront investment. Yet, the end result will be more powerful. Additionally, the solution will be more to specific to your company, than an out of the box solution.

Not to mention, while the upfront investment for a custom enterprise app to be developed may be hefty, there is likely going to be less year-after-year cost associated with a custom enterprise app. Meanwhile, a premade solution comes with subscription and various other annual fees. In other words, choosing custom enterprise app development could actually save your company volumes in the long run.

More Customizability For Unique Cases –

One of the strongest cases for custom enterprise development is the simple factor of customization. In springing for a custom enterprise app, the company is able to dictate the stipulations and design from top to bottom. This results in a software that more accurately and definitely assists a company in achieving their goals, and covering their needs.

Brand-Specific Experience –

Delivering a unique and stand-out brand experience is growing in importance in today’s market. As the era of information and the age of the appreneur continue to advance, customers and professionals are eager for new experiences that still feel somewhat familiar. A custom enterprise app can deliver this exact experience, and help differentiate your brand from the competition. 

NS804 has experience across industries, technologies, and the entire breadth of the app development marketplace. Dedicated to making development services more accessible to the everyday appreneur, and helping companies achieve their biggest and brightest dreams, look no further than NS804 for all your app development needs.

5 Common UX Design Flaws to Avoid in Mobile Apps

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Creating a Positive UX

UX design is an aspect of mobile app design that is fluid and continual in nature. Similar to many elements of a mobile app, a good UX design includes planned evolutions and updates. Therefore, including planned updates ensures that the UX remains modern. A current UX delivers the best experience possible to the modern audience and user base. On the other hand, UX design flaws can cause users to jump ship, and leave your mobile app a metaphorical ghost boat.

Besides keeping the mobile app UX current and updated, avoiding critical UX design flaws is also crucial. Specifically, GKM IT reported 77% of ‘user stops’ is due to a negative user experience. Therefore evidencing the importance of a positive UX that is intuitive and user friendly.

While there are many mistakes seasoned and beginner UX designers can make, understanding the most common will help get the UX design started on the right foot.

Five Flaws To Avoid in UX Design

It is the age of the appreneur, and with it being the opportune time to invest in a mobile app design, knowing the UX design flaws to avoid from the start saves loads of time down the road.

  1.  Aesthetic over function: Prioritizing aesthetic over function is a good way to chase users out the door. Providing a beautiful interface with additional media is beneficial to a mobile app. However, it needs to be balanced with the actual functionality as well. This can be a tricky balance to achieve, but the pursuit is well worthwhile.
  2. Non-responsive: Responsive design is simply a standard in 2020. Creating a mobile app without cross-platform adaptability just isn’t viable in today’s marketplace. Especially with the surge in mobile app users, the competition is more fierce than ever before.
  3. Unintuitive: Relating back to functionality, mobile apps need to be built with intuition in mind. A digital native should be able to enter any mobile-app and immediately have a sense of how to access the information they need. A smooth and intuitive design will keep users coming back day after day.
  4. Following the trends: There is an art to following trends and maintaining a uniqueness. Both are vital to creating modern mobile apps that are user friendly, while also standing out from the crowd. Since each element is so crucial to the success of a mobile app in the hyper-competitive marketplace, the blend should be influenced by the niche-market of the mobile-app and other mobile-app specifics.
  5. Poor font and contrast design: Keeping the content accessible means making it easy to read. This is a direct result of both the font design, and the color-contrast design. Users aren’t going to want to fight through a migraine just to use a mobile app.

Avoid UX Mistakes, Design with NS804

NS804 has been dedicated to bringing mobile app development services to the everyday appreneur for the past 8 years. Visit NS804 today and get in touch with a design professional ready to tackle the absolute toughest mobile app design needs.

NS804 RANKS T0P 60 ON LIST OF TOP 100 MOBILE APP BLOGS

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Feedspot Ranks Top 100 Mobile App Blogs On The Internet – NS804 Top 60

The pursuit of creating a more accessible and dynamic market within the mobile app industry has been the main priority of NS804 since its founding in 2012. Created for everyday idea-people, appreneurs and entrepreneurs, and commercial businesses alike – NS804 has always prioritized the cultivation of knowledge.

To share as much as possible, assist in the spread of knowledge, and guide DIY designers to learn from both NS804’s prideful achievements, and humble lessons; NS804 blogs regularly. The NS804 blog has been an important part of this journey, offering a place of self-reflection, improvement, and brainstorming. Crucial ingredients to the core software of NS804 itself.

It is with great honor that NS804 is able to announce inclusion in the list of top 100 mobile-app blogs published by Feedspot.

Placing as the 60th blog on this list is a testament to the many hardworking people involved in the design services offered by NS804, and of course to the amazing clients and friends of the company with which NS804 has had the privilege of working.

Having only 8 years of history, NS804 is still very much in its first few phases. While the company is thrilled to be included on the list of the top 100 mobile app blogs on the internet, there is still plenty of room to improve, and strive for even greater heights.

Keeping clients, friends, and the everyday mobile-app developer in mind, NS804 is committed to showing continual improvement, and will always strive to provide the best, most up to date, and most helpful information possible.

NS804 expresses the most sincere gratitude to its readers and supporters.

Nick Jones, CEO

How To Successfully Run a BETA

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BETA Testing Basics

Hard data is a powerful asset. As such, it can be difficult to gather. Yet, it’s integral to decision making. Especially leading up to product launches and app release. However, there are ways to compile insightful data that will help dictate the direction of a mobile app before it’s official launch. One of the best tools to gather this sample data is conducting a BETA test.

BETA testing generally consists of creating a series of small-groups. Then presenting those groups with an early version of the app (or the BETA version). When the small group concludes their trial of the BETA version, their feedback is then prompted and garnered. Importantly, these small groups should represent samples of the various target demographics included in the marketing strategy.

As enterprise apps grow in popularity, and the volume of mobile app development continues to increase, quality becomes even more vital. To deliver this quality in mobile apps and enterprise apps alike, the BETA testing process is crucial.

The Small Group Sessions

As mentioned above, the BETA version of the app is a skeletal version. Therefore, user design and user experience will likely be incomplete. However, the BETA should offer users a very similar experience to that of the end-product, as initially designed. That being said, it’s important to have an updated design plan aligned with the latest trends.

There is information that’s particularly important for developers to note from these small-group sessions. This information can be garnered in one of two ways.

Group Discussion

The first option regarding this process is an open and honest group discussion. The discussion is usually led by a facilitator. They can ask specific questions. Therefore the feedback is poignant when needed and open-ended elsewhere.

Individual Feedback Surveys

This is another tool. A tool to gather feedback. Instead of a group discussion, these responses are written. Written on a hard-copy survey that asks the testers questions. The questions are about various aspects of the BETA version.

After conducting the surveys, collect them. Then review them.

Utilizing Feedback

After collecting the feedback the small-group concludes. Then reiterate the process. After conducting a variety of small-group sessions with representatives from a spectrum of target markets, there is ample feedback.

Utilizing the feedback means comparing the various sources of feedback to each other. In other words, cross-reference the feedback from the various focus groups. This should reveal some trends.

Upon reviewing and cross-referencing patterns will emerge in the data. These patterns help make informed decisions regarding a range of important factors.

Marketing Strategy:

Not every app is for every person, and this is an important reality to face as a developer. BETA testing will reveal key insights into the most marketable target-demographics.

Additional Features:

Through BETA testing, users will define features they felt the app was missing. These notes are specifically helpful, as they can directly impact the end functionality of the app.

Unnecessary Features:

Similarly, users may identify features the app currently includes that they find unnecessary and suggest removing.

UX Direction:

Finally, as mentioned above, there should already be a design-plan in place – but BETA testing results will undoubtedly provide vital information that provides additional direction for the UX.

NS804 is dedicated to making mobile app design services more accessible than ever before. For more information on developing mobile or enterprise-level apps, and all the help you need – visit NS804 today.

Why More App Companies Will Transition to Work From Home

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The Work From Home Wave is Far From Over

Working from home is swiftly becoming the new normal. Since COVID-19, employees and companies alike are adjusting to these new circumstances. One major adjustment, has been the overall shift to a work from home environment. Working from home helps prevent the spread of the pandemic, and many professionals can accomplish most if not all of their normal duties.

In the wake of COVID-19, it became apparent that some companies were experience an increase in individual performance and efficiency. Upon this realization, the choice to permit working from home was easy. In addition to the new circumstances, many employees had already begun on this path.

Since the technology was already available, the transition to working from home has been relatively smooth. There are many benefits to working from home. Plus, with the increase in individual performance, mobile app companies are happy to move forward.

Benefits to Working From Home

The benefits mobile app developers see implementing work from home policies are wide and varied. While some of the benefits are financial, others are operational.

One of the financial benefits to working from home is a reduced overhead. With employees working from home, there’s no need for an office space. Once the office space is removed from the budget, additional capital will become free. Then, that additional capital is available for use elsewhere.

Taking a look at the bigger picture, industry leaders are making large strides regarding working from home. Industry giants like Microsoft and Zillow are making working from a priority. Since industry leaders are taking such large bounds in this direction, it’s only logical the pack will follow.

Another reason companies, and mobile app developers, are pursuing work from home environments, is for the environment. Working from home is proving to have a smaller footprint ecologically than not.

Diving even deeper into the work from home wave, individuals receive a wide spectrum of benefits from the option as well.

The Employee Benefits to Working From Home

Without a commute involved, employees immediately see time back into their day. Additionally, this leads to improved moods. The lack of a commute means less stress.

Speaking of less stress, employees that are able to work from home have a better chance of achieving a healthy work-life balance. Happier, less stressed employees that are more connected to their families lead to powerful business results. Some of these results include a reduction in error rate, better customer service, and higher rates of customer satisfaction.

Not only that, but employees are reporting higher rates of job satisfaction as well. All-in-all, the work from home environment is proving very beneficial. One surprising result from the work from home wave is actually an increase in diversity.

Now is the opportune time to start working on your mobile app development project. With the help of NS804 experts, and mobile apps seeing higher user-rates than ever before, your mobile app could be ready to launch in no time. Visit NS804 and get in touch today to start working on your future.

User Acquisition

Enhancing User Acquisition and Retention Strategies

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The Importance of User Acquisition and Retention

Building a functional app is only the beginning of the journey. Once available, app developers need to attract users to the finished product. A task accomplished through a series of tactics and strategies known as user acquisition.

While user acquisition is aimed at gaining new users, user retention is the other side of the coin. In other words, keeping the acquired users. There are many strategies related to boosting user acquisition and user retention. Yet these tactics are always evolving.

It’s important to stay up to date on the latest in user acquisition and user retention.

Five of the Latest User Acquisition Strategies

CleverTap lists 10 of the most impactful user acquisition strategies. Let’s take a closer look at five of those 10.

  1. App Store Optimization – Discussed in NS804’s original post on boosting UA, app store optimization is a vital strategy in user acquisition. There are many ways to optimize for the app store. Including updating keywords, and logos, and other media associated. Keeping these elements updated will help continuously attract new users.
  2. Organic Mobile User – This is a newer model of user acquisition. Essentially, it is the leveraging of existing social media channels and the brand online presence to funnel traffic to the mobile app. Twitter, Facebook, and any social media platform can direct users to the mobile app. Additionally, paid advertising can accompany organic mobile user strategies to further drive results.

    The Last Three

  3. Influencer Marketing – Influencer marketing is also a product of the new age. Going hand-in-hand with organic mobile user acquisition strategies, influencer marketing has become quite powerful. The endorsement from well-known celebrities or personalities can drive hundreds of thousands of users to a mobile app.
  4. Traditional Marketing – Sometimes however, the traditional way of doing something is still one of the best ways. There are a myriad of traditional marketing techniques that are still very powerful and impactful. Incorporating email marketing, traditional content-marketing, and more broad avenues of paid advertising are still great ways for mobile apps to gain exposure and acquire new users.
  5. Referrals and Invites – Word of mouth is still one of the most powerful and influential factors out there. No matter the market or product or service. Word of mouth can make a business thrive, or make a business dive, so to speak. Providing a strong user experience will encourage users to tell their friends, post through social media, and garner more natural traffic to your mobile app.

Now More Than Ever

Especially in the world today with the reality of COVID-19 still ruling the globe, consumers and mobile app users are banding together like never before. Composing a strong user acquisition and user retention strategy is more important now, with record numbers of mobile app users hitting the app stores for everything from entertainment to community, and connection.

NS804 is dedicated to making mobile app development and mobile app design services available to anyone with a great idea. Visit NS804 today and get in touch to get the conversation about your mobile app project started.

Why Communication is the Main Priority in Enterprise Apps

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Understanding Enterprise Apps

Enterprise apps are focused on providing solutions to the business world. Assisting with workflow, streamlining processes, and providing a myriad of other functions. These apps are designed with companies and organizations in mind that are executing large-scale, or even micro operations. With so many implementation possibilities, enterprise apps must have an integrated communication platform.

Built for Communication, Internally and Externally

Communication is essential for businesses both big and small. Strong communication channels are arguably one of the most valuable aspects of an organization – and with the implementation of technology, comes a necessary element of communication. Yes processes can be automated, and systems can be optimized; but if the staff running those apps have no reliable communication channels native to the systems the benefits of integrating technology may be completely nulled.

Not only does the staff need to be able to communicate; but the systems and technology need to be able to communicate with one another as well. This is key to identifying certain aspects of enterprise apps. For example, an app that is used to automate business to consumer communications might need a feature that identifies where the specific consumer is in their customer journey with that company. This information is then used to generate the right version of copy from a library, and deliver it to the user through their preferred channel.

This is a powerful example of an enterprise app that can completely alter the communications process, supplement customer support, and totally automate certain communication aspects of the consumer journey, like check-ins, status updates, and other pertinent information.

Communication During COVID-19

On top of the practical benefits seen from implementing strong communication channels into the design of enterprise apps, there are social and emotional impacts to consider as well. During COVID-19, feelings of isolation in individuals have started to climb. The lack of human-connection is palpable throughout society, and there is a real need for human-to-human connection.

Enterprise apps built and designed with systematic and personnel communication in mind can streamline operations and build efficiency into the culture of an organization. On top of that, it promotes a higher quality of company culture, and employee satisfaction.

In these hard times – being able to talk and share with members of an organization is vital for our societies success, as well as our individual mental health.

Enterprise apps are designed to be versatile, flexible, and user-friendly. This makes them marketable to businesses and organizations across industries and market sectors. Providing solutions for business owners all over the country that are looking to streamline processes and optimize their operations. Including a strong network of communication channels improves the efficiency and utility of an enterprise app and yields additional benefits to the company.

NS804 has experience in app development across the board, from AR to enterprise apps and beyond. Now, NS804 is changing the game and making app development and design services available to anyone with a great idea. Get in touch with NS804 to get the conversation about your app development project started today.

Integrating Employee Recognition with Company Communication

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Recently, NS804 discussed different avenues through which a company can enable employee recognition functions in a remote environment. Building natural channels for employee recognition is a crucial ingredient to forming a positive and rewarding company culture. With the national morale plummeting due to COVID-19, astronomical unemployment rates, and the overall economic downturn – organizations need to be elevating and amplifying their efforts in creating top-notch employee experiences that boost morale and push positivity. Integrating employee recognition functions into existing internal-communication solutions, is a great first step in bolstering an organization’s company culture.

There are many benefits to improving employee recognition avenues within an organization, regardless of the work-environment. As COVID-19 has influenced a major shift in the working environment where remote-work and working-from-home will likely dominate the marketplace for years to come. There will always be exceptions to the rule, of course, especially in industries like manufacturing and construction. However – with more information and a higher awareness of the current health-risks associated with face-to-face interactions and crowded places, the push to work-from-home is more than justified as employees rightfully prioritize the health and wellbeing of themselves, and their families.

All-in-all, the work-from-home era is really in its infancy, and will likely continue on as the normal for the foreseeable future. Especially as employees adjust to work-from-home accommodations, and organizations are able to see a level of production similar to those seen prior to COVID-19. A result from both an uptick in individual performances, and organizations ramping up their remote operations to pre-COVID-19 levels.

Apps for Employee Recognition

In building the work-from-home environments, many companies and organizations decided to use communication solutions like Slack and Zoom in place of traditional email and conference calls. These communication solutions enabled employees to connect with one-another, as well as management, in just seconds. Perfect for keeping up with deadlines, asking for clarification, and getting the collaboration from colleagues that’s often vital to a projects success. However, something was still missing.

Employee recognition is a vital aspect in boosting morale, amplifying individual production, and creating a greater sense of employee buy-in. Ultimately leading to higher levels of production, efficiency, and employee satisfaction.

Thankfully, there is a wide spectrum of choices for organizations using Slack, or other communication apps, for integrating employee recognition directly into the existing communication channels. Some of these choices are:

Bonusly: Bonusly is one of the most adaptable employee recognition apps out there. Integrating an employee recognition software has never been easier. Compatible with Slack, MS teams, private internets, or almost any other configuration. Bonsuly stresses team-building and an enhanced company culture through integrated recognition functionality. This makes recognizing team members and colleagues easy, fun, and efficient.

Kudos: Kudos is a Slack-App. This means that it’s likely one of the most native employee recognition apps for Slack specifically. While this is a slightly limiting feature, it also allows for a more custom-fit. Being native to Slack, Kudos focuses on making employee recognition through Slack a total breeze.

TapmyBack: Tapmyback is a great app that focuses on establishing a culture of continual feedback. Similar to the often-discussed culture of continual-improvement, continual-feedback is the result of a collection of processes and communication channels that establish a normalcy, within an organization, of employee feedback and employee recognition. Integrating employee recognition and motivating employees to grow.

NS804 is dedicated to bringing the often costly services of mobile-app development and design to anyone with the idea worth pursuing. After years of accumulated experience designing and developing apps across industries, markets, and technologies – NS804 is ready and excited to make your app a reality.

Product Market Fit Mobile App Checklist

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Conducting a PMF Checklist, Pre-Market

Market-research is arguably one of the most  how and when to launch a product, in any given market. No matter the market, or the product, entrepreneurs and investors should conduct their due diligence. This includes conducting a product market fit. In other words, this is a sort of another product-viability check. The product market fit checklist is one of the last steps to take before launching.

As such, the product market fit should be more definitive than the earlier product viability phase. Although the two phases will have some overlap in function. The product viability tests focus on developing a minimum viable product and finding investors. While a PMF is more about ensuring that the product serves the intended market.

Understanding Product Market Fit

To properly conduct a product market fit that yields powerful insight it’s important to comprehend what exactly a PMF is. ASAP Developers defines this in as simple terms as, “having the right product for the right market.”

Unfortunately, there are no real qualitative data points to track when it comes to product market fit, or PMF. This makes it hard to standardize a measurement process related to PMF. However, there are ways to gain qualitative insight on product market fit, and make informed decisions regarding marketing, product-launch, and other important factors.

For example, a company can conduct stakeholder surveys to gain feedback. Other PMF insight comes from engagement metrics.

In the mobile app market, conducting a product market fit should include a few standard tactics.

  1. Keyword Search Volume: The app stores track data that is very valuable to mobile app developers. One instance of that is keyword search volume. This is a list of the most commonly searched words in the app store. Access to this data is greatly beneficial to mobile app developers that want to know what the people want. Understand the need first.
  2. Conversion Metrics: Once the app is up and running, or perhaps a beta version of it, the developers can track important conversion metrics. These metrics relate to how many users the app is gaining, and other insightful data points. Having a full picture of this data allows app developers to further optimize their app for the app-store, and bolster their conversion rates.
  3. Retention and KPI’s: This is another element that can be tracked once the app is up and running. Hitting certain retention benchmarks is extremely crucial to mobile app developers. In such a super-saturated marketplace, users are a hot commodity, and retaining gained users should always be a main priority.

A Final Word

Understanding product viability is crucial to mobile app success. Developing apps that aren’t just entertaining, but solve a user problem is a sure way to increase downloads, sales, and revenue. With mobile apps seeing larger user bases than ever before, now is the time to turn your mobile app dream into a reality. Get in touch with NS804 today to start the conversation about your mobile app idea.