The Partech Shaker had the privilege of hosting Anaïs Vivion, founder of Beapp, a mobile innovation agency and winner of the West Digital Entrepreneur Award in 2015. Anaïs Vivion presented the 7 key steps to successfully launch a mobile app project.
1 - Serve a purpose, not an idea
What is the purpose of your app? What problem would you like to address? What is your added-value for your users? These are all questions you should ask yourself before launching your mobile application.
KEY QUESTIONS
- Have you worked on your value proposition as you would for your own business?
- What is your strategy? Are you a challenger or new offer? If you are a challenger, make sure you offer added value to your users. If you are a new offer, you will need to evangelize your future users.
- Is your app 100% mobile or cross-channel?
2- Offer a recurrent and punctual service
When launching an app, make sure that you provide users with a recurrent service and not just a one-off offer. Ask yourself what content or use you can deliver that will make them come back. And remember that the most innovative products are mobile-only and not also developed for the web.
TIPS
- Whether you are a challenger or a disruptive app, work on your mobility differentiation
- Define your benchmark objectives
- Define your associated push actions: transactional push offering, continuity of service or commitment push
3 - Be driven by user experience and not by functionality
Initially, one app delivered one service. Today, a single app offers a multitude of services. If your app has several features, you have to be able to prioritize them. You should be able to summarize your app in two minutes. The UI sublimates the UX: UX is always more important than app design, which should meet ergonomic rather than aesthetic objectives.
TIPS
- Involve your future users in the building of your product. How is this done? Design thinking, for example, is an easy-to-use method. You can also show your work-in-progress app to your future users.
- Prioritize your features in line with the value of your users.
- Define your interfaces to reflect design trends and manufacturer guidelines.
4 - Choose your technology for functionality potential, not for cost optimization purposes
Today, there are many technologies to choose from: native, generated hybrid... There is no such thing as bad technology, but you need to choose the right technology for your project and your ambitions. Keep in mind that the more users you have, the more technical issues you will have to manage.
When choosing your technology, you also need to think about future versions from day one. Apple and Google have created their own IOS programming platforms: Swift for Apple and Java Mobile for Android. Although they are not the cheapest solutions, these are currently the best technologies available, as they offer open access to all their features.
TIPS
- Do your features mainly use device components (augmented reality, home automation, offline management)?
- Is your application your core business?
- Make sure that your technology choice is not driven by cost: anticipation is key.
5 – The core of your project should be the user, not the technology
Be agile and continuously make adjustments to your app based on user feedback. We recommend running series of Beta tests and presenting your app to a panel of users with a test book for their feedback. For €500, EasyPanel, for example, can recruit a panel of 10 testers and provide test administrative management. Remember that making changes once your project is finalized is more expensive than making them during the design phase.
TIPS
- Don’t be afraid to test your unfinished prototype with your future users
- Don’t be afraid to create a community around your project even if it is at the confidential phase
- Dare to change your choices to reflect user feedback from the project tests
6 - Don’t confuse traditional product marketing with marketing an app
Marketing an app is an entirely different process from marketing a traditional product. Working with a communications agency will not necessarily bring traction for your app. Your app is your showcase. Keep in mind that the user’s first impression will trigger a download.
TIPS
- Leverage the power of social networks like FB or Instagram ads
- Use inter-app acquisition campaigns (more expensive)
- Meet with your users during special events: in the digital world, it is always good to build cohesion with your users and to create community moments
7- Favor an evolution of your app every 2 months, not once a year
V2 and V3 of your app should be released every two months. They don’t have to include major changes; micro-evolutions are fine. Listen to your users, hunt for bugs. All apps have bugs. Make hyper-reactivity your asset: listen to your users, hunt out bugs and correct them within a week. Customer service needs to be irreproachable, you have to take your users’ expectations into consideration. One motto: modify, refine, improve.
TIPS
- Build your V2 and V3 to integrate your vision with that of your users
- Update your app as often as possible and communicate around new features and content
- Build a community of private users to hunt for untraceable bugs. For big apps, users even volunteer to become your ambassador!
About Beapp: In less than six years, the Nantes start-up has become an agency specialized in strategy and innovation around mobile applications, valued by press groups, insurers, bankers, retailers, e-health group and start-ups.
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