Mobile UX Best Practices For User Retention

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User experience denotes the ability of any virtual object or material to be accessible, understandable, and easy to use. When a user logins into your mobile app or website, what features do they find that compel them to “come back?” Think about how long it takes for a user to return to Twitter after trying out a new application when there are millions of mobile apps out there.

Keeping the user retention up can be a daunting task, especially today when a sea of applications battles up in popular app stores. Yet, there are practices and steps that you can leverage to stay at the top of the game.

Our colleagues at NS804 share the best practices for mobile UX user retention to help keep your users engaged through a superior UX design. Apart from the discrete functions, the overall app’s design makes or breaks it. Keeping the right mix of customer experience, features, and support can go a long way when user retention is low.

1. Fluid User Experience

Completing actions from start to end is an optimal solution for any app. The linear app flow estimates the time needed to conduct any activity, providing a clear view of what the app has to offer. With a clear-cut direction – users will not feel lost swiping through multiple screens. One action in every screen will simplify the process, keeping unnecessary complexity out of the equation.

2. Attractive First Impression

For users to visit your app for the second time, you need a great first impression. The first few screens must be simple, succinct, and appealing, tucked in one package. The overall UX design in the first few pages should host all the core functions, clearly explained. It’s advisable to declutter irrelevant information to separate the wheat from the chaff.

3. Mix with Animation

Motion design is gradually taking the front seat in the app market, especially after the release of the iPhone X. With gesture-based techniques now becoming a spotlight, animated hints help users become aware of app functionality. Animation clarifies the relationship between AI elements while maintaining the overall app smoothness.

4. Use HD Images in Correct Order

App users value relevant content that matches the logical order and structure of UI elements. So, it’s advisable to maintain a set of high-quality images. App owners must set enhanced visuals that highlight certain elements and significant information. In our experience, contrasting colors work best sometimes when users are forced to take desirable actions.

5. Deliver Personalized Content

Conveying messages in a language best understood by users immensely helps to keep them around. App users are exposed to different content every day – from TikTok videos to fresh, sizzling tweets on emerging socio-economic issues. Some of the content the app users are engaged in is confusing to navigate through. That’s why it’s advisable to personalize app content with relevant emoticons and images and provide content that conforms to your target audience.

Note that emoticons also offer a great way for users to interact and rate certain aspects of your application. This informs you about any potential future improvements.

Contact NS804 to obtain useful insights on using UX best practices for user retention.

Enhancing User Acquisition and Retention Strategies

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There’s no doubt that a central tactic for driving mobile app success is achieving user acquisition, engagement and retention. However, without an effective acquisition and retention strategy that keeps active users around, higher rates of downloads won’t yield any lifetime business value.

Mobile app engagement and retention are two critical metrics that give a clear and accurate insight into the success of any mobile app. Lower app retention and engagement rates are a sure-fire recipe for disaster.

App developers, brands, and enterprises must know that achieving sufficient app engagement and retention is difficult. For instance, Statista reports that only 32% of mobile users will return to a mobile app ten times or more after downloading. What’s even surprising is that a whopping 25% of users will abandon an app after one-time use.

Enhancing user acquisition, engagement and retention leads to an active user group that drives leads and sustains growth. The following tips for increasing user acquisition and retention will help you reduce your app churn rate and help your enterprise see the desired ROI and the results it anticipates from your app investment.

Let’s delve right in!

  1.   Efficient Onboarding

While it may seem simple to welcome users to your app, not all apps kick-start an efficient onboarding process. Therefore, it’s advisable to make your onboarding process as simple and as efficient as possible to initiate user acquisition and retention. The more difficult it is to use an app, the more likely new and existing users will abandon it.

Some of the ways to simplify the user onboarding process include:

  • Cut down the number of steps required to set up a new account — and capture multiple registration platforms (Facebook, Google, Twitter, and others)
  • Educate users throughout the onboarding process to launch the app’s functionality, but don’t overload users instantly.
  • Teach and educate through actions and pointers to show the main gestures in the app’s functionality.

An efficient onboarding process equals faster and easier user acquisition and engagement.

  1.   Track Data Early Enough

To accurately evaluate and measure data and improvements, you need to start tracking your app’s data early enough. Early data collection and tracking will give you what you need to evaluate performance. It will also help you fast-track which features and strategies affect engagement and retention.

  1.   Push Notifications Right Away!

Users who experience personalized brand interaction are reportedly more likely to return to a mobile app for ten or more sessions. To put it simply, if you walk into a retail outlet and you aren’t acknowledged, you’d most likely feel disgruntled. Consider app experience the same way.

An app interaction can be as simple as sending a push notification, thus providing valuable information as users leverage the app. Successful mobile applications use this approach to shape the customer’s journey. They’re strategic and thoughtful in how they access and engage new users. For instance, giving relevant retail deals based on user patterns and geo-location are clever approaches to promoting app retention.

  1.   Offer an Incentive Program

If your business model allows you to offer loyalty or a reward program, it’s vital to capitalize on this opportunity. Not only do reward and loyalty programs incentivize users towards the app, but they also make users feel recognized and part of the brand.

Realize that apps that utilize in-app purchases as a monetization approach, especially the quick router set-up (QRS) applications, offer time-sensitive discounts. However, freemium mobile apps can be incentivized with usage-based discounts instead of monetary benefits.

  1.   In-app Messages

The more disposed your app experience is with your users’ needs and preferences, the more likely users will continue using the product. Brands utilizing in-app messaging to communicate with users will see a retention rate within a month.

In-app notifications denote notifications that don’t demand immediate action or response but are altogether crucial in the customer’s engagement journey. These messages can capture notifications or warnings about version upgrades, app issues, or payment failures. Therefore, remember that not every notification you see is relevant to every user. Fragmenting your audience ensures the information you convey is relevant to their needs and expectations.

Contact NS804 to discover how your app can respond to new user acquisition, engagement and retention needs.

 

The Future of Enterprise Mobile App Development

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Enterprise mobile app is a sophisticated software system designed, deployed, and maintained to deal with routine business operations. The app is developed according to the company’s global strategy and makes certain app functions available on mobile devices to streamline business tasks and enterprise operations.

Enterprise mobile app development focuses on developing apps for employees to address their immediate needs and streamline business processes. Thus, these apps serve their core purpose in making your company’s operations results-oriented and focused. The app performs several other crucial but mundane tasks, including tracking sales, invoicing, and inventory tracking.

The future of enterprise mobile app development is bright. Today, enterprise mobile apps are experiencing an upsurge with the rapid adoption of mobile strategies by companies. Small, medium-sized, and large organizations alike are adopting high-end mobile strategies to optimize offline and online marketplaces.

Organizations are also using mobile applications to manage their employees and routine operations remotely. Enterprise mobile app development has become an integral part of every business – from designing and deploying marketing campaigns to managing routine operations. Mobile apps are further leveraged to engage small communities in social platforms to create brand visibility and strengthen brand value.

So, what indicators mark the future of enterprise mobile app development? Let’s dive right in.

  1.   Transaction control and additional payment features

Transaction control and additional payment features are especially valuable for retailers involved with e-commerce payment systems. Having an enterprise mobile app focused exclusively on money management can help you cut spending and improve your money management. The evolving role of enterprise mobile apps in routine money management tasks has made it a frontrunner in the contemporary business landscape.

  1.   Improved data management

Enterprise mobile apps help enterprises to improve their operations related to data processing, analysis, adjustment, and data verification. Routine data management can have a big difference in the overall business efficiency and can positively improve the bottom line. Mobile applications also record users’ data such as product interaction information (likes, loves, impressions, etc), user attitudes, and comments. This data provides actionable insight and improves business decision-making on different fronts like product design, marketing, pricing, and product positioning.

  1.   Eliminating paperwork and the human factor

Human error is to blame for 90% of the workplace and occupational hazards, can cost money, interrupt workplace productivity and create a loss of time. Knowing the different sources of human error can help you learn how best to prevent them. Enterprise mobile applications reduce the amount of paperwork and automate routine tasks. In addition, these apps enable employees and workers to focus on complex problems and mission-critical enterprise operations.

A New Dawn for Enterprise Mobile App Development

Enterprise mobile applications are doing wonders in the contemporary business domain and across various sectors: manufacturing, retail, finance, telecommunication, and logistics. With automation, transaction control, improved data management, and supply chain control, enterprises cannot help but leverage the revamped capabilities of these apps. In addition, enterprise mobile apps are automating employee onboarding and certification processes, and client support.

With NS804, we guide you through deploying the best-of-class enterprise mobile app that responds accordingly to your business and market needs. NS804 expertise and experience in mobile app development help businesses transcend contemporary operational challenges, including invoicing, customer relationship management, accounting, and enterprise resource planning.

Contact NS804 for time-to-value solutions in enterprise mobile app development.

What You Need Before Developing An Android App

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Developing an android app requires a deep understanding of design and programming. When approaching a new technology or project, it’s advisable to break it down into pieces. If you’re an experienced website developer, many of the techniques (and tools) involved in Android app development will be synonymous with things you already know.

Building mobile apps requires the mastery of more nuanced concepts. Mobile devices have simpler processors, smaller screens, and in the case of android devices, different manufacturers. Developers should keep their codes flexible and account for various user-interface scenarios. So, what does it take to become a qualified or expert android developer?

Here’s what you need before developing your android app.

  1.   Java

Java is the best programming language that underscores Android mobile app development. For those who have gained their programming experiences from languages like Ruby and JavaScript, there can be a learning curve when using the Java programming language for the first time. Like Ruby and JavaScript, Java is object-oriented; but it’s stricter about processing different data types. Developers need to be careful with their codes by defining the different data types, using, and allocating scarce memory resources.

  1.   XML Understanding

XML is a language that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is human-readable and machine-readable. XML was created as a standard approach to encode data for internet-based mobile applications. The XML is a structured mark-up language that shares many features with HTML including; angled brackets, tag types, and the deep nesting of elements. In short, XML allows information to be conveyed between devices in a manner that can be understood easily.

  1.   Android Software Development Kit SDK

The software development kit SDK may conjure up images of a briefcase packed up with all sorts of spy tools. But in essence, it’s a fancy name for a set of pre-packaged codes. Android SDK is a module of Java code that extends developers access to mobile devices functions and capabilities like accelerometer and camera. One key element of the Android SDK is a library called Gradle. So, let’s say you want to integrate a social media platform like Facebook with your application. To do this, you’d download a code library from Facebook, then tell Gradle you’re using this code so that when your application compiles, your code remains well-organized.

  1.   Android Studio

The integrated development environment for Android developers is the Android Studio. Android Studio is designed on top of the well-respected IntelliJ IDE and comes with great out-of-the-box support for many of the most common software development kits.

Android studio also entails many features and capabilities that developers expect of a fully-fledged IDE environment. For instance, the code completion feature makes auto-complete suggestions as you type. Code debuggers help you review your code to identify sources of error.

  1.   APIs

As an android developer, you will want to interact with many other services. For instance, you may want your users to access a calendar or events sessions from a third-party service provider – or even check the stock market. An android app development company usually offers APIs and will show you exactly how to query them for data in a consistent, secure way. While you’re free to interact with an existing API, Google makes it easy to connect to their APIs using android apps. For instance, you can use Google APIs to monitor the geo-location of your users.

  1.   Database

If your app handles huge amounts of data, most likely the data won’t stay on the device for long. Instead, your app will most likely interact with a database living outside your phone. Cloud services like Parse and Firebase provide simple APIs to host data in the cloud and make it available across different devices. These cloud platforms provide Java libraries to plug in your app, making it easy to cache data on the user’s device.

This synching of data between remote database and local storage is vital if you want your users to use the app while they’re offline. So, before developing an Android app, ensure to have adequate storage. That is achieved by outsourcing cloud services that provide a simple API to secure your app’s data.

How To Become a Better Android Developer?

Becoming an Android developer is easy but being an expert developer who stands from the crowd is difficult. It takes a great deal of passion, dedication, and perseverance to become great at design and programming. So, what do you need to become a better Android developer?

  • Get familiar with android framework internals. It’s advisable to get familiar with Android’s actual framework code. Many developers are afraid of delving right into the Android framework internals. Luckily, it’s amazing how much you can discover how things work.
  • Get over the fear of missing out. Android is quite big. You cannot learn it end-to-end in a month or three months. The more you learn, the more you understand how much you don’t know. As a beginner, it’s perfectly normal to feel that you’re missing out on learning crucial information.
  • Start reading more code. Most developers don’t take the time to read what other developers are writing. Instead, they spend more time writing the codes they already know. The best way to become an Android developer is to read the excellent codes of more experienced developers.
  • Learn more languages. It’s crucial that you learn more programming languages. You need to keep yourself updated with the industry’s happenings rather than confining your thinking to the Android space. Learning more languages and opening your mind to new possibilities will inspire new ideas, open up your perspective, and help you improve your Android development skills significantly.
  • Learn Java design patterns. Learning Java design patterns is crucial in your Android development career. Whenever you’re stuck in solving programming problems, design patterns can be lifesavers. You also need to be on the same page with other designers and programmers so that when they’re talking about using a Decorator, Factory, or Façade pattern, you instantly know what they mean.
  • Contribute to open source. If you have developed a plugin, library, or any other useful piece of code, consider open-sourcing it. There’s much to learn in the process of maintaining your projects or contributing to open source projects. Contributing to open-source is an excellent crash course in open-source development that will exponentially increase your value as a developer.
  • Make your IDE work for you. Start spending more time understanding the integrated design environment you are using: Android studio. The IDE can do much more than you think. There are many cool features hidden in the IDE that most developers don’t even consider. Make it a habit to discover new and better ways of making your tools work for you, thereby improving your productivity and workflow.

 NS804 – Kick-starting Your Android App Development 

Android app development comes with many benefits. Firstly, android app development features higher returns on investments with lower costs; the availability of the Android software development toolkit provides cost savings to individual developers. In addition, Android app development comes with faster deployment cycles, offering a competitive advantage to companies willing to have a quicker go-to-market for new ideas. Other benefits include targeting multiple platforms, versatility, scalability, security, and easy customization.

Contact NS804 for timely android app development solutions.

How to Monetize An App

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There are many routes you can take in mobile app monetization. In this post, we are going to discuss several mobile app monetization strategies and their potential impact on app engagement and growth.

  1.   Paid and free app versions model

One reputable app monetization strategy is to offer both the paid and free versions of your mobile application. With this monetization model, app developers will either limit some of the app’s features in the free application to encourage and compel the free app users to upgrade to the paid version of the app; or even monetize the free app with in-app advertising.

The benefits of this particular monetization strategy are two-fold. On one hand, it provides users with a free option to experience and experiment with the app’s basic functionality at no cost. On the other, it gives the app developer the user base much required for potential monetization via in-app advertising or app upgrades.

  1.   Free app with an in-app purchase model

Another app monetization strategy is in-app purchases. The app and all its basic features are free. However, if the user wants to upgrade in the app faster, for instance, gaining more lives in a gaming application, or enjoying certain premium features in a dating app, they can subscribe to the pay-to-play model.

In some cases, users can still access premium features and functionality without paying a dime. If they’re patient enough to wait for certain features to be unlocked or interact with the app long enough, they can use the app for free. In other cases, such free options may not be available, and the app developers would only make particular things for free, and others would be only attainable through in-app purchases.

  1.   Email lists

Using an email monetization strategy tie-in with your mobile app is a fantastic way to gain engagement from your users, which leads to more money and sales. Why? Well, because people hardly change their email addresses. That makes an email marketing strategy an effective model to ensure people see your content and engage with it. Regular emails also keep you at the forefront of a customer’s mind, making them more likely to purchase from your business.

The average life of a Facebook post is a few hours; a tweet’s lifespan is only over an hour, and an email has an average lifespan of ten days. And the best way to gather all email addresses is to add an email subscription form to your app.

  1.   Free app with a subscription model

Some programmers and developers decide to design free apps with a subscription model. With this strategy, the app is free to download with limited access to certain services and products. This model requires users to opt into a subscription plan to enjoy the full benefits. This app monetization strategy is common among service-oriented apps or content-centric apps such as news apps (Washington Post, New York Times, Gannett, Weather Channel, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Athletic). The free app with a subscription model makes your app easily discoverable in the app stores when users search for related content. This model is a great monetization strategy to build an initial user base and cultivate this into paid app subscriptions.

  1.   Partnership model

If an app is popular among a certain population, businesses may approach the developer for strategic partnership. This partnership comes through sponsorship opportunities to put brands, products, and services in the eyes of app users.

So, when you’re planning for the next app to build, think about the target user base the app may appeal to and the type of brands or companies that might be interested in your app’s user base. If the user base is large enough, monetization through partnership, brand sponsorship, and acquisition could be a great option.

  1.   Paid app model

In some cases, developers will make their apps available only in the paid version. Usually, these apps offer unique value that’s hard to find anywhere. This strategy is most common among productivity apps.

If you take this route, the mobile app you create must offer exceptional value and unique functionality that meets certain user needs. Otherwise, you may find a hard time building the user base to generate revenue for your new app.

  1.   Transactional apps

If you own an invoicing or a financial app, one easy way to monetize it is to charge a service or transaction fee. As digital marketplaces expand and continue to grow, this strategy has also grown in its application. There are several ways the transactional model can be useful than just in the financial apps where customers are charged for making a transaction.

This model has potential advantages in any e-commerce app (product and service marketplaces alike). Common apps that use this model include wholesale and retail marketplaces, hotel booking apps, travel apps, and e-learning marketplaces. So, if you opt for the service fee strategy, ensure to charge a reasonable percentage of the entire transaction. Alternatively, you can set a flat rate that favors most consumers. Either way, you stand to monetize your app most effectively.

  1.   Creating strong code

Perhaps the most important but often overlooked app monetization strategy is creating a strong code. If you develop your unique code from scratch and it proves to be successful, businesses and brands may approach you and offer to reskin your app for their purposes.

By licensing your app to other developers, you can make money without disturbing or disrupting your users’ experiences. For instance, the popular mobile game Temple Run was re-skinned to Temple Run Oz as a film. Other games that have been re-skinned to films include: Die Hard Arcade, Bionic Commando, Tecmo Cup Soccer Game, and Black Belt US.

Another thing to consider with code-sharing is your own app’s endgame. After your brand or business has gotten enough value from the app and is preparing to delve into the next stage, you can sell it as a whole to a new buyer who is willing to use your existing framework to create their app. Luckily, there are many ways of doing this, like using Apptopia which is a popular site for buying and selling mobile apps.

In addition, white labeling your app is analogous to selling it as a whole – without selling off your IP. The only problem here is that there will inevitably be multiple versions of your code in the marketplace. Regardless, you will be sure to make money by saving other developers from having to develop the code from scratch. All it takes is for your app to be initially constructed out of a strong, desirable source code.

NS804 – Honing Your App Monetization Strategy

Creating an awesome mobile app for your brand is not the endgame. Although customers can interact with the app and learn more about your business, there’s something else you can do to make your app work for you: monetize it. Before you monetize, you need to find a monetization strategy that works best for you. To access superior mobile app development solutions, feel free to visit NS804 for inquiries.

Free Mobile App Development Tools

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The app development space is growing at an exponential pace, thanks in part to a growing number of phone ownership and rising internet penetration. Today, the app development market is one of the largest globally with an average release of 5092 apps on the Google App Store and 6140 apps on the Google Play Store.

Artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things IoT are some of the technologies that are being incorporated in most apps. A virtual assistant is one such improvement in mobile applications. Looking closely, you realize that WhatsApp, TikTok, and Instagram apps are topping the chart of leading apps with the most downloads. Amazon Prime and Netflix lead the entertainment app market, and Candy Crush is at the apex of the gaming app development market.

It’s with no doubt that mobile applications have schematically modified human life. Quick navigation and exceptional UI through mobile applications have become a trademark. The projected number of mobile phone users is expected to cross the 7 billion mark by 2025. This growth will automatically bring a shift in app downloads. So, in this context, it becomes important and valuable to understand the best app development solutions prevailing in the market, with the current and future app development trends.

In this post, we delve into the top free mobile app development tools.

  1. PhoneGap

PhoneGap is a popular mobile app development application that allows you to create a hybrid of software. With PhoneGap, the user or developer doesn’t necessarily need to know mobile programming languages. Instead, they can kick-start with languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for app creation. PhoneGap allows you to create apps that will work on multiple platforms with a single codebase to reach the largest audience.

Features

  • Allows you to view and manage any changes in the app using PhoneGap
  • Easily integrates with various library integrations for easy app development
  • Operates on multiple platforms: iPhone, Windows, and Android

Pros

  • Rapid code testing and faster code deployment
  • A single codebase for multiple platforms

Cons

  • It lacks a user interface widget
  1. Outsystems

Outsystems is a comprehensive full-stack app development platform. By using connected, high-productivity, and AI-supported tools, developers can create and deploy a wide range of applications – from consumer applications to mission-critical business applications – faster, better, and for the future.

Features

  • It has a remarkable acceleration because no code or minimum code is required.
  • Easy integrations with other platforms
  • Easy to learn as it contains free training and learning material for everyone

Pros

  • The responsiveness of the member community allows for faster and efficient learning experiences
  • All members are open to sharing ideas, and these ideas are taken into consideration in further improving the platform

Cons

  • More explanation needed for some tools or widgets
  • No synchronization between consumer and producer modules, so users have to manage dependency frequently.
  • Better training material or documentation in forging components
  1. Flutter

Flutter is an open-source app development software that is best suited for hybrid apps. It’s one of the newest members in the mobile development market, and it’s written in C, C++, and Skia Graphics Engine. Flutter is a Google UI toolkit that allows users to create applications for web, mobile, and desktop from a single codebase. In addition, you don’t have to restart your application when testing your project. The application offers the Hot Reload functionality which makes the entire development exercise optimized and stress-free.

Features

  • Offers fully customizable widgets to render faster development of native apps
  • Incorporates critical platform differences like scrolling, navigation, fonts, and icons
  • Creates plugins using channels that can easily be used by every developer

Pros

  • Builds native apps in just minutes
  • Expressive and flexible user interface

Cons

  • Contains not-so-rich library collections
  1. Ionic

Ionic is one of the best free, open-source mobile applications for developing hybrid apps. It allows developers and users to build apps for various platforms including web, iOS, and Android using a single codebase. What’s more, Ionic offers intuitive UI components, thus accelerating the app development process. This app can be deployed almost everywhere. Ionic boasts of over 120 predefined elements, native device features, and a large community of members.

Features

  • Written in JavaScript, this application is covered by the MIT license
  • Includes mobile components, interactive paradigms, typography, and an extensive base theme
  • Allows Cordova based app building

Pros

  • Ease of learning and contains popular technologies
  • Wide range of library integrations

Cons

  • There’s no hot reloading capability
  1. Buddy

Buddy is an open-source mobile app development application that allows for seamless, change-set-based code deployment. Thanks to a plethora of dedicated, pre-configured services and actions, app automation has never been easier than now. Therefore, if you’re looking for a tool that will build, sign, test, and publish your android or web app effortlessly and in a single click, then Buddy is the ideal choice.

Features

  • Intuitive and clean UX/UI
  • Over 100 actions
  • A wide integration including Azure, Google, Amazon Web Services, and WordPress integrations.

Pros

  • It contains dedicated android actions: Ionic, Reacts Native, and Flutter
  • It supports all popular languages and task managers
  1. Kobiton

Kobiton mobile app development software makes the continuous testing, IOS, and mobile app development exercise a reality. This app also prevents bugs before pushing codes to test, thus perfecting your website or mobile app with functional, performance, and visual test automation. It also helps developers to resolve issues before the production release, and rapidly deploy tests with seamless CD/CI integrations.

Features

  • Allows you to test on real devices in the cloud
  • Cloudify all your local devices for remote access
  • It integrates with Jenkins, CircleCI, Travis CI, and so on.

Pros

  • Scriptless or scripted automated functional, performance, and visual testing
  • Commercial scalability with unlimited user policy
  • Access to real devices in your integrated development environment for rapid debugging.
  1. Xamarin

Xamarin is an open-source mobile app development application founded by Microsoft in 2011. It’s a set of tools that enable developers to build apps for various OS like Windows, Android, and IOS, all in one programming language. One of the reasons that Xamarin is quite reputable is because it uses the C# programming language. Besides using the Xamarin Test Cloud, you can automatically test applications on around 200 real mobile devices.

Features

  • Easy integration with modern back-end services, native APIs, and components
  • Enables you to build stunning cross-platform user interfaces
  • Extends a real-time testing module to monitor and catch app errors when they occur

Pros

  • Full technical support by Microsoft
  • Flexible with .NET and C#

Cons

  • Not build for game development
  1. Buildfire

Another best in this category of best open-source mobile app development software is Buildfire. Buildfire offers a robust set of tools to build applications for web, android, or IOS. This software is well-known for its high-end custom app development capabilities, as well as its easy, intuitive DIY platform. In addition, Buildfire supports more than 10,000 applications and it’s flexible enough to scale as your enterprise grows. Users and developers cannot ignore the simple and functional drag-and-drop user interface, as it makes it easier to build the app faster.

Features

  • Offers an interactive and intuitive app builder where no coding is needed.
  • Allows users to build custom functionality with their developer SDK
  • Can be integrated with any third-party API or pre-built integrations

Pros

  • Has an excellent social networking feature
  • Includes advanced development features

Cons

  • Does not have a reliable customer support service

NS804 – Your Partner in Mobile App Development

Every app development software has its uniqueness and demerits. To understand a software better and to pick the one that perfectly fits your needs, consider the following elements:

  • Privacy and security.
  • Reseller options
  • Push notifications
  • Customer discounts and loyalty programs
  • Instant messaging
  • Geo-targeting
  • Social media integration
  • Third-party integration
  • Analytics and reporting
  • Admin control
  • Customer service

Now that you know the best open-source app development software, it is time to kick-start your app development journey. We always encourage you to contact or consult the experts anytime you’re stuck in your app development exercise. You can also contact NS804 for questions concerning mobile app development.

Why Mobile App Development

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Mobile devices have evolved from just a means of communication into highly versatile business tools. As technology advances by the day, so do users get addicted to their mobile devices and spend more time on these devices. According to a 2017 survey by a media marketing and analytics firm, an average American spends around 3 hours every day on mobile devices.

When the above estimate compounds over a month, it adds up to half the total time they spend on a full-time job during the same period. It’s emerging that the core functionality of mobile devices, other than making phone calls, is to run a whole suite of applications that serve unimaginable purposes.

Enterprises from all corners of the world offering a ridiculous range of services and products have begun transitioning from the physical world of printing leaflets, hanging billboards, and printing advertisements, to the mobile and digital realm. Most people think their businesses do not need a mobile app to sell products to their loyal customers simply because that’s been the case in the past.

However, if you want to prepare for the future and start seeing the benefits of going digital, you’ll need a mobile app. Are you still not convinced? Here are the top reasons how your business will reap by creating a mobile app for your customers.

Benefits of Mobile App Development

  1. Strengthens Customer Engagement

This is one of the most important benefits of mobile app development for individuals, brands, and businesses. A mobile app provides a direct marketing channel between your business and your customers, allowing effective communication. With a mobile app, you can communicate and send in-app and push notifications to as many clients as possible. If your notifications contain valuable and relevant information, customers will be attached and become loyal and opt for your offerings whenever they need them.

  1. Direct Communication

One of the reasons your business needs an app is to improve direct communication with your customers. With instant access to a wide array of information, business mobile application development has opened doors to a direct and clear communication channel between enterprises and customers. The information gathered from customers from these apps is invaluable, with buyer personas and shopping behaviors being incorporated to help with marketing strategies.

  1. Brand Awareness

One of the most crucial things a mobile app offers your customers is awareness of and communication with your brand. With a mobile app, you can foster regular interaction with your target market, thus fostering trust. The more your audience trusts your brand and your enterprise, the more likely they’ll be to listen to your sales pitches and commit to your products. In the same manner as calendars, disturbing fridge magnets, and other random memorabilia, mobile apps strengthen your brand and educate your customers.

  1. Marketing Channel

Custom mobile app development allows information and notifications to be sent to clients in an instant. If the information is relevant to the target market, for instance, containing information about exclusive offers and deals, it can help you market to loyal clients who value the app. The fact that information and notifications can be sent instantly implies that you can communicate to your clients anytime, thus fostering brand loyalty through targeted communication.

  1. Customer Connections

Customer service is no longer about face-to-face interactions between customers and smiling associates. Since 6.378 billion people currently have high-powered smartphone devices at an arm’s reach at all times, the ultimate game-changer in customer relationship management is mobile apps. Mobile phone ownership has escalated to 80.76% of the world’s population, meaning that businesses are restructuring how they approach customer service.

  1. Business Profitability

Apps increase sales by alerting customers about products and services they were not previously aware of and keeping connections with prospects while ultimately driving sales and increasing revenues. In a report by Flurry, revenues collected from mobile apps were estimated to be $25 billion by 2013. A study published by the research firm Deloitte found out that customers use shopping apps before and after shopping trips. Twenty-two of surveyed respondents acknowledged that they spent more money on shopping trips because of the information supplied by retailers via mobile applications. When business apps are integrated with social media applications like Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook, the amplifier effect can reach new clients.

  1. Attracting Customers

Integrating mobile applications in your existing applications allows you to meet and connect with customers on channels they already use. Mobile users spend a substantial amount of time on social networking sites, so interfacing your company’s mobile application with existing social networking channels has the potential to reach out to a large audience. By creating a mobile application for your business, you can control the environment of how the user learns and interacts with your product.

  1. Customer Service

Providing relevant content and empowering your customers to engage with your firm via mobile apps can free you labor to focus on other mission-critical activities. Since companies expect customers to be able to interact with products, it’s crucial to ensure that your organization’s mobile apps allow them to engage in ways they expect. Giving customers easy-to-find information and answers enables them to trace the information they require at their own time. While many businesses already have self-service features embedded in their websites, these same features do not translate to mobile devices. For these features to be seamless across mobile and web platforms, it’s necessary to develop custom mobile apps.

  1. Transforming Retail Experience

Mobile applications transform the retail experience, enabling retailers to remain ahead of customer expectations by delivering superior customer experiences. In addition, mobile apps drive the digital process and digital model that would ultimately cut down on storage costs and increase profitability. For instance, Walmart has bolstered its retail experience following the Covid-19 pandemic by offering seamless mobile shopping experiences. Customers presently identify this shift as a superior retail solution to the otherwise time-consuming and strenuous on-premise shopping. There are many retail stores built mainly on mobile applications. Transitioning from physical, on-store shopping reduces the overhead costs associated with typical brick-and-mortar retailers.

  1. Unique Payment Services

Mobile applications come with different features that match various sectors and industries. For example, if you’re in the service industry – healthcare, beauty, spa, salon, or online food retail – your app can be helpful for your target audience to book an appointment. The push notifications can be vital to update them on their appointment. There’s no doubt that mobile payment has become a powerful and popular means of making payments nowadays. Both small and large enterprises can integrate payment options in mobile applications that would be possible to receive payments from credit cards and debit cards. Mobile integrated payment platforms are fast, secure, and user-friendly.

Mobile Apps – The Next Frontier in Online Shopping

If these benefits have not yet solidified the importance of a mobile app, there are still more reasons to consider adopting a mobile app strategy to encourage more customer satisfaction and engagement. With mobile app development, you achieve the following for your business and your brand:

  • Inform prospects of new products, services, and exclusive deals
  • Stand out from your competitors who are yet to adopt mobile solutions
  • Reach out to younger and mobile-oriented demographics
  • Synch users’ social media accounts and emails

And if you structure your mobile integration carefully, you receive a ton of analytics on exactly how users interact with your app. These analytics range from how much time a user spends looking at your app to the amount of money you make from each online purchase. You can contact NS804 for any questions about mobile app development.

How to Create a Social Media App & How Much It Costs

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Social media apps have changed how we convey information and communicate with each other. Now more than ever, people spend much time online, scrolling news feeds on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. That is not to mention other social media apps that target a specific niche of users and can even motivate users to develop something similar.

The popularity of most social media apps is the freedom they extend to users. Users can share their thoughts, dreams, goals, and achievements with the whole world. Therefore, that is precisely why the social media app development market is one of the leading trends in IT today. People want to exchange ideas, share, and chat with other like-minded users.

So, if you want to know how to create a social media app, continue reading this post.

Types of Social Media Apps

If you’re thinking of starting a social media app, it’s first important to know what type of social media your idea belongs to. First, you need to define your target audience, identify competitors, and offer your targeted users more appropriate functionality in their overall user experience.

Let’s define the specific types of social media apps:

1. Social Networks

The primary aim of this type is to connect people with shared interests and who pursue different goals. For example, LinkedIn helps users find professional opportunities and build professional connections. Facebook offers a lot of thematic groups and more than 2 billion users to connect and befriend.

 

2. Media Sharing Networks

From its name, you can tell that these networks allow users to share different content. Users can share live videos, photos, and images. These days, the margin between social networks and media sharing networks is narrowing because such apps as Facebook are allowing users to share live videos and images.

 

3. Discussion Forums

These social media networks are gaining popularity because they allow users to learn from experts and share opinions on different topics. For example, discussion forums allow users to find the right information on specific topics. In addition, it’s possible to start a discussion, ask questions, and get responses from experts and knowledgeable users. The leading discussion forums include Quora and Reddit.

 

4. Consumer Review Networks

The primary objective of these social networking sites is to let users share reviews, opinions, and thoughts about products, locations, services, brands, and more. Consumer review networks can bring customers to the brand in case of positive reviews. In addition, company owners and stakeholders can get genuine client feedback and improve their products. Examples; Yelp and TripAdvisor.

 

5. Content Sharing Networks

Also called bookmarking apps, content sharing networks allow users to save and organize links to various online resources or websites. Users can save links in different folders according to topics. These platforms host more exciting features. For instance, Pinterest lets users upload their photos. In other content-sharing networks, users can download pictures they like. Most users choose these content-sharing networks to look through creative images and draw inspiration. Examples include Flipboard and Pinterest.

 

6. Blogging and Publishing Networks

Blogging is not as easy as it sounds. First, you must possess creative writing skills to keep your users engaged on a topic. Bloggers need applications that will enable them to pen their ideas from any device. It’s generally not difficult for you to build a social media app like this. YouTube and Facebook are the market leaders in this domain. But over the last few years, several other platforms have gained popularity like WhatsApp, Wix, Bubble, Squarespace, Microsoft Expression Web, and Medium.

Social Media App Development Cost

There are many websites offering clones of the Instagram app. These are templates with a few options for customization. So, it can be tempting to choose one of these and try to save money. However, utilizing them can breach privacy and security. In addition, you will still be required to develop a backend.

The truth is that a social media application development from scratch stands out because of its compelling brand, design, and functionality. But just like any other functional application, it takes time and money to develop. So, how long does it take, and how much will it cost you?

Let’s take a closer look.

Social Media App Development Timeframe

The one-platform version of a social media app may take upwards of 2000 hours to develop, including UI and UX design, app development (client-side and server-side), and accompanying activities like deployment, testing, and project management. In addition, if you want to create a promotional landing page for your app, it may require another 100-200 hours.

Social Media App Development Costs

The cost of a social media app depends on how much you choose to pay your developers. You usually have three main options as outlined below:

  • Freelancers – From $15 per hour.
  • In-house development team – From $90 per hour.
  • Outsourced development team – From $50 per hour.

The problem with freelancers is the difficulty and necessity to coordinate their efforts and the possible lack of expertise which is especially difficult to notice if you’re unaware of the complexities and intricacies of web development. On the other hand, hiring a local development team is way too expensive – it means spending far too much on simple fixtures.

Therefore, the way to go is to outsource a development team. The outsourcing option is a great way to tap into the expertise of a local in-house development team at just a fraction of the cost. For an Instagram-like social media application, you can take the below rough calculations:

Application development: Android/IOS – $25,000

Client-side app development – $13,000

Server-side app development – $25,000

UX/UI design – $9,000

Total Cost: $72,000

Social Media App Features and Their Costs

So, to calculate the cost of a social media app, you need to consider the required features since they affect the cost significantly. In addition, these features must perfectly fulfill the expectations of your target users and seek to solve their problems. There are two main features you must consider: the minimum viable product MVP and advanced features.

Must-have or minimum viable product features stand for basic functionality to satisfy users’ needs and offer them the appropriate user experience. It’s common for developers to launch the MVP version of the social media app, then gain feedback before investing more money in the idea itself. The MVP allows understanding what specific features need improvement. It’s only after this basic understanding that you can add more features.

Basic MVP Features to Build a Social Media App

With an MVP, you have better chances to get investments since a working app earns more trust from stakeholders. To give you a hint, we’ve singled out some MVP features.

  • Search
  • User profile
  • Sign-up feature
  • Chat
  • Newsfeed
  • Push notifications
  • Add post

Advanced Features

  • AR filters
  • Editing
  • Location-based content
  • Post-release marketing

Social Media App Development Trends

Social media is changeable. New app designs come and go. Therefore, the following elements can prove to be a game-changer in the coming years and something to add to your next social media app development project.

  • Interactive content. 91% of social media users are striving for interactive media content. Key aspects of interactive content include 360-degree video, AR/VR, games, quizzes, and many more.
  • Video content. Video is one of the most interactive content forms, and it’s gaining more popularity. Whether it’s short videos like on TikTok and Instagram Live or long videos like on YouTube, the social media video apps are defining the future.
  • Social commerce. Social commerce is becoming the primary way of retailing, whether online or offline. Shortly, this trend will intensify with the advent of an increasing number of social networks offering new sales features.
  • Leveraging social networks to serve customers. This change took place slowly as brands began noticing customers were contacting them through social networks. It’s simply the easiest way to get in touch with some social media users.

Contact NS804 for more inquiries about social media app development costs.

How To Create A Social Media App

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Social media applications have taken up a great part of our lives and dominated the application market. With the rapid adoption of smartphones worldwide, there have emerged opportunities for social media apps with superior, advanced features.

As a result, many entrepreneurs cannot miss the chance of being part of something big and that’s why many are thinking of building a social media application to join a wave of successful enterpreneurs. So, if you’re one of these people, you’re right to be reading this post. I will tell you exactly how to create a social media app for your target audience.

What are the Different Types of Social Media Apps?

Let’s first identify the different types of social media applications. This will help you know what specific niche you’re going to venture into and what big competitors are waiting for you. So, the following are the most common types of social media to know about:

What are the Specific Types of Social Media Applications?

  • Social network apps – These help you connect and interact with other people online. For instance, social networking apps can be used for personal needs (Twitter and Facebook) and professional needs (LinkedIn).
  • Media sharing networks – Media sharing networks help users share different kinds of media files such as photos, images, documents, and GIF files.
  • Networks for consumer reviews – Used by customers to find and review brands and businesses they have used before.
  • Community and discussion forums – Great avenues for asking questions and receiving honest reviews.
  • Blogging and publishing platforms – Allow users to create their pages, publish and manage their content.
  • Bookmarking and content curation networks – These networks allow users to create their content, view and save the content of other users.
  • Interest-based networks – These networks unite people with similar interests.
  • Anonymous social networks – These are synonymous with teens. These apps let teens convey information and communicate with each other. Some of the apps in this category include Ask.fm, Steams, Yik Yak, Whisper, Popcorn Messaging, and After School.

How To Create a Social Media App

In this section, we review the best practices for social media app design. So, the following are the simple rules you should follow when creating a functional social media app.

  • Shades of blue – It’s advisable to use shades of blue because they are considered less offensive and less annoying.
  • Navigation consistency – Use the same navigation bar with notifications, search functions, and profile icons throughout the app and on every screen.
  • Similar to any device – The design of the social media app must be adapted to a specific platform for users to feel comfortable using the apps on different devices or endpoints
  • Smooth switch – Smooth switch from a web app to a mobile app design, therefore making the user experience similar across all platforms.
  • Round profile pictures – Round profile pictures help focus on the user’s image, thus making it easier to remember or distinguish them from others in the social media list.
  • Infinite scroll of posts
  • A simple search of relevant content and users
  • Quick sign-in and entry without signing up

Why Choose NS804 Social Media App Builder?

NS804 is a leading app builder that helps developers and typical users create a compelling social media app. The social media design platform helps users evaluate their needs and instantly create a social media app. In addition, the NS804 offers customer-deployed, intuitive tools that are most favored by developers. So, you may check NS804 and find what mobile app development services you can use for your next app development project.

What Should You Know About Your App Analytics?

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It’s now a lie that the growth of your social media app depends only on the value you bring to your customers. Today, more than ever, many factors determine app performance. These factors include: complexity, design, app testing, butterfly effect, and the list is endless. So, developers are careful about how they view and assess their apps. Therefore, without knowing how your clients react to different marketing strategies and which acquisition channels work best for them, you’ll never be 100% sure of how to make your app increase traction. Today, using app analytics yields countless possibilities and endless insight. However, there are special benefits that stand out.

Here’s What You Should Know About App Analytics

  1. App Analytics Drive ROI in Every Aspect of Performance

Millions of apps on the stores are competing for customer attention and better visibility. In this cut-throat contest, you can’t afford to have an acquisition strategy that lacks monetary goals. Marketing costs huge money. As such, you need to measure how much different channels deliver and compare with different acquisition strategies to determine what results in the best ROI. A winning app analytics strategy includes the following two points.

  • Looking at which channels offer the best customer lifetime value. Customer lifetime value LTV is calculated by customers generating higher revenue and higher possibility for retention.
  • A focus on in-app messaging. Hearing from prospects who have the power to connect to your employees at any time throughout your app experience is helpful to improving your strategy.

  1. App Analytics Help You Gather Accurate Data to Better Serve Your Customer

It’s hard to listen and serve your clients without looking keenly at their feedback and use patterns. Thus, app analytics help you to gain insight into customer data to serve them across all lifecycle stages. Many apps suffer the unfortunate fate of gathering a bulk of followers and failing to serve their needs adequately.

  1. Personalized, Customer-Focused Marketing

Creating an individually targeted and customized customer experience is now possible with app analytics. Customer-targeted push messages sent to specific people can make your app double its rates in a short time. It also converts up to three times better than traditional push messages.

  1. Tracking Individual and Group Achievements

Most app marketers rely on marketing strategies they’ve experienced before to drive results. But, using app analytics gives you a whole new set of customer data. Now, more than ever, app marketers can gain insight around small groups and individuals completing specific, directed activities within the app. What’s more, the possibility of using this knowledge is endless.

  1. Data-driven Results in Issues Concerning Retention

There’s a lot of buzz concerning customer retention these days. However, you can’t have a strong app engagement score if you don’t have many customers using your app regularly. The bottom line is that apps with higher retention rates enjoy better engagement, and more engagement and retention helps the app to gain customers and achieve growth. The most successful apps use analytics by focusing on high life time value customers and acquisition channels. In addition, app analytics close the gap between churn and retention.

Bottom Line

App analytics work in your social media background to enhance your app marketing efforts. It helps you achieve better growth and higher ROI. The above benefits paint a picture of how helpful app analytics is in today’s marketing space. And now, with NS804, you can create a social media app and collect app analytics in just a few clicks.