App Development: What you need to know

Have an idea for an app? What you need to know

At Calo, we love building apps. It is why we do what we do - from the problem solving, to working with interesting people, organisations and industries to bring their great ideas to life, and pulling together the right team from our collaborators to build effective digital solutions, we love it all. So why do we dread hearing the words, “I’ve got an idea for an app”?

Every software developer has worked with clients that don’t understand what goes into developing an effective app and have unrealistic or uninformed expectations of the process, cost and timeline. They expect a lot of work and information from us, without having done any preparation or research.

So you have an idea for an app? Here is what you need to understand before reaching out to a developer.

What is the problem?

Successful apps are those that solve a problem.

Our clients have either recognised a problem and have a solution they believe people will pay for or they need a tool to create operational efficiencies in their organisation. Developing software requires investment, so the problem it solves has to be significant enough that people will pay for a solution, or building an internal tool will save enough time and money to make it worth building.

Either way, you need to develop a business case before taking it further.

• Research
• • Do you have a business plan? The goals of your app should align with the goals of your business plan (if you need a hand with this, give us a call)
  • Is there already a tool available to solve this problem? If yes, can it be adapted to your needs instead of building from scratch?
  • Does your idea improve on existing solutions enough that people would switch, or it would reach people that aren’t using the existing tool?
  • Is the problem you are solving widespread enough that people will pay to solve it? If so, how much are they willing to pay?
  • For an internal tool, will this tool save time and/or money, reduce errors, improve workflow, or help manage compliance obligations? If so, what is that worth to your organisation?
  • Will there be barriers to employees using this tool? How can those be mitigated or managed?
• Funding
• • There is a significant investment before getting a usable or sellable product, so you need a clear idea of how you will pay for it
  • If it is an internal tool, the development of your business case will give you the pitch you need to get the budget to build an app
  • Depending on the target or scope of your tool you may be able to get external funding or investment, but you need to have a strong business case and may need to invest in developing a scope of works or MVP to have something compelling to present
• Pitch
• • Your pitch can be used internally to justify the project and get decision makers on board, to present to investors or funders, or when approaching a developer
  • A succinct description of the problem and how your tool solves it
    The result of your research into existing tools and your target users
  • Value proposition - what makes your app unique, its features and why they are important
  • A budget
  • A timeline

Once you have developed your business case you will have a budget for your app. This is critical because it is the first question a developer will ask. Not because they have dollar signs in their eyes, but because there is very little they can do for you without knowing what you can spend.

Creating the Scope of Work

Once you have developed your business case and have a budget you are ready to contact a developer with your idea. If you approach a developer with a thorough brief and budget ready, you are well on your way to becoming their favourite client.

At Calo we start by creating a scope of work. For some clients this is a standalone process, for others is the first step of the project.

Over a full day workshop we learn about your organisation or industry, dissect the idea, identify the functions it needs to include, the user story, (how they engage with the app and the flow of information), and understand the current process and how it would look using the app.

We then develop the scope of work, which explains how the goals of your solution will be met. You can think of it as a plan or blueprint of the app and the development process, including the functionality of the app, the tools we would use to build it, a prototype, mock-up or wireframe, what is and isn’t included in the build, timelines, and the cost. This plan will be something we can build, but is complete enough that you can take it to another developer.

How much does it cost to build an app?

With unlimited money we can build unlimited solutions, so the short answer is that it depends. The more complex the functionality, the more it will cost to develop and you need to come to the process understanding you will spend a lot before having useable functionality or recouping your investment.

As a base guideline, you will need to spend a minimum of $40K for a simple, functional launched app.

We can build a basic MVP for $15K which allows you to test the idea. This MVP won’t have admin tools or a dashboard to manage it, it will simply provide something that allows you to test the main function of your idea or present it to investors.

How long does it take to build an app?

You need to expect an absolute minimum of three months. Factors including the complexity of the project, prior research, responsiveness to information requests, how much and what sort of testing needs to be done and so on all impact the project timeline.

The scope of work lays out timelines, so all parties have a clear idea of what to expect and their responsibilities to make it happen.

Tips for a successful app development process

While building digital solutions with different organisations, industries and clients we’ve gained some insights into what works well.

Have a project champion: Your software developer should have one point of contact within your organisation and this person should have the authority to make decisions, answer questions, and be able to track down information and get it back to the developer quickly.

Trust your developer: The right developer will listen to and respect your ideas, but also draw on their previous experience and knowledge to refine and improve them. We’ve seen how clients benefit from our outside perspective and fresh eyes on their organisational processes, and the most successful app projects have been those where they respected our expertise.

Know your problem, solution and budget? Then you're ready to talk about your app idea and we’d love to hear about it.