{"id":10651,"date":"2016-12-06T10:30:22","date_gmt":"2016-12-06T16:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/?p=10651"},"modified":"2016-12-06T10:35:05","modified_gmt":"2016-12-06T16:35:05","slug":"4-final-questions-to-ask-before-building-a-mobile-business-app-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/4-final-questions-to-ask-before-building-a-mobile-business-app-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"4 final questions to ask before building a mobile business app (part 3)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-725\" alt=\"Education\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/Education.jpg\" width=\"76\" height=\"100\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><em>Summary: As businesses rush to build mobile apps, they often dive into the project without proper planning, or without an adequate understanding of their mobile app options. As you might imagine, this causes problems. It produces the wrong type of mobile app, or mobile apps that the company doesn\u2019t really need&#8211;wasting time and money in the process. In this article, we cover the final questions you should ask before creating your mobile business app.<\/em><\/span><br \/>\n<a name=\"20161205\"><\/a><!--more--><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9245\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9245\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9245\" alt=\"photo credit: Unsplash via pixabay cc\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/cell-phone-801946_640-300x199.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/cell-phone-801946_640-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/cell-phone-801946_640.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9245\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">photo credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/en\/cell-phone-person-cell-mobile-801946\/\">Unsplash<\/a> via <a href=\"http:\/\/pixabay.com\/\">pixabay<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/publicdomain\/zero\/1.0\/deed.en\">cc<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We\u2019ve finally reached the end. In this article, we wrap up this three-part series on questions to ask before building a mobile business app. I hope you take the time to read each one, as it\u2019s such a broad and important topic.<\/p>\n<p>In the <a onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', 'Blog', 'Inside Link', 'First article'); \" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2016\/10\/4-essential-questions-to-ask-before-building-a-mobile-business-app-part-1\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: red; font-weight: bold;\">first<\/span><\/a> and <a onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', 'Blog', 'Inside Link', 'First article'); \" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2016\/11\/4-more-questions-to-ask-before-building-a-mobile-business-app-part-2\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: red; font-weight: bold;\">second<\/span><\/a> articles, I explained why this is such a crucial topic. Businesses are diving into mobile app development completely unprepared. Studies find that most enterprise apps get abandoned after their first use&#8230;and cost over $200,000 to create.<\/p>\n<p>What can you do about it? To avoid this problem, you must ask the right questions before you develop a mobile app. In the previous articles, we\u2019ve explored these important questions:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"arrow-list colored\">\n<li>Is your mobile app a \u201cVitamin\u201d or a \u201cPainkiller?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>How does a mobile app support a higher level business goal?<\/li>\n<li>Will My Mobile App Produce a Compelling Experience that Only a Native App can Provide?<\/li>\n<li>What platform will we use?<\/li>\n<li>How do our potential users currently deal with the problem we\u2019re trying to address?<\/li>\n<li>Do we have the resources for this project?<\/li>\n<li>How will this be updated and maintained?<\/li>\n<li>How do you plan to bring in users?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Today, let\u2019s finish the series. In this article, we\u2019ll explore the 4 final questions you must ask before building a mobile app for your business.<\/p>\n<h3>1. What will bring users back to this app?<\/h3>\n<p>In the last article, we asked the question: How do you plan to bring in users? Today, let\u2019s go a step further. How will you bring users back to your app?<\/p>\n<p>Quick side note: Some businesses assume these questions don\u2019t apply to them if they\u2019re building mobile apps for internal use. This is false. It doesn\u2019t matter whether you\u2019re building an app for distribution in the app store, or within your own company. You still need a plan to get users\/employees using the app.<\/p>\n<p>Even more importantly, you need a plan to bring them back after the first use. <a onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', 'Blog', 'Outside Link', 'study'); \" href=\"http:\/\/mlabs.boston-technology.com\/blog\/the-ultimate-list-of-50-enterprise-mobility-statistics\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: red; font-weight: bold;\">One study<\/span><\/a> found that 80% of enterprise mobile apps are abandoned after one use. <a onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', 'Blog', 'Outside Link', 'another mobile study'); \" href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2016\/05\/31\/nearly-1-in-4-people-abandon-mobile-apps-after-only-one-use\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: red; font-weight: bold;\">Another study<\/span><\/a> finds that roughly 25% of consumer apps are abandoned after the first use. The same study finds that 62% of users will use an app less than 11 times.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s the key to a \u201csticky\u201d app that users want to use? As mentioned below, it boils down to two areas: Solving the user\u2019s pain, and delivering clean navigation.<\/p>\n<blockquote style=\"line-height: 1.7em; background-image: none; margin-left: 0; padding-left: 18px; height: auto;\"><p>&#8220;If you think you have an app idea that solves a real business pain, before building it you need to ask yourself: \u201cdoes the experience of using the app contain enough empathy toward the target audience?\u201d, asks Shawn Parrotte, Marketing Manager, <a onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', 'Blog', 'Source', 'Designli'); \" href=\"http:\/\/designli.co\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: red; font-weight: bold;\">Designli.co<\/span><\/a>. \u201cThere\u2019s little incentive to use an app again if it\u2019s confusing or clumsy to navigate. So how do you make sure your users will want to come back to your app again and again? Make the experience of using it as effortless as possible by deeply understanding who your users are and how they think. By learning about those that will actually interact with your app and the problems they face will you know how to best craft an experience that they\u2019ll enjoy. Spend time with your users and discover what they need for the app to succeed, and it just might.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>2. Are we prepared to change?<\/h3>\n<blockquote style=\"line-height: 1.7em; background-image: none; margin-left: 0; padding-left: 18px; height: auto;\"><p>\u201cOne of my most important questions to first timers is \u2018are you able to put your ego aside?\u2019,\u201d says Erin Essex, Creative Director at <a onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', 'Blog', 'Source', 'Webonise'); \" href=\"http:\/\/www.webonise.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: red; font-weight: bold;\">Webonise<\/span><\/a>. \u201cHave confidence in your idea but put your ego aside. So many entrepreneurs get defensive about their idea. You&#8217;ve spent a lot of time thinking about your app; as consultants we fully understand and it\u2019s ok to defend your idea. What most first timers don\u2019t realize is that as consultants we have seen apps succeed and fail. With that background, we will poke holes or offer suggestions to make your app even stronger, not to criticize.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10193\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10193\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-10193\" alt=\"photo credit: OpenClipartVectors via pixabay cc\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/comic-1296117_640-300x258.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"258\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/comic-1296117_640-300x258.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/comic-1296117_640.png 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10193\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">photo credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/en\/comic-fear-flee-fright-1296117\/\">OpenClipartVectors<\/a> via <a href=\"http:\/\/pixabay.com\/\">pixabay<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/publicdomain\/zero\/1.0\/deed.en\">cc<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s a great question, and one that applies to any business&#8211;not just entrepreneurs. Are you prepared to put your ego aside? Are you prepared to change?<\/p>\n<p>Why is this so important?<\/p>\n<p>Suppose you come up with a great idea for a mobile app. Everything is planned out perfectly. You know what problems it will solve. You know how it will help your business. You know how users will navigate the interface.<\/p>\n<p>But, after you deliver the app, you\u2019re surprised to see that users didn\u2019t embrace it as you had hoped. Or, they struggle with the interface. Or, they use the app in an entirely different way than you had anticipated.<\/p>\n<p>What will you do? Do you adapt to their needs, or try to force your original plan on the users?<\/p>\n<p>One of the most important mobile app development tips is this: Be prepared to adapt. Listen to your users, and change as needed. That\u2019s one of the biggest keys to mobile app success.<\/p>\n<h3>3. What happens if a user loses their internet connection?<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9470\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9470\" style=\"width: 199px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9470\" alt=\"photo credit: SpikeyFox via pixabay cc\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/cellular.jpg\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9470\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">photo credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/en\/cellular-tower-sky-blue-clear-sky-1676940\/\">SpikeyFox<\/a> via <a href=\"http:\/\/pixabay.com\/\">pixabay<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/publicdomain\/zero\/1.0\/deed.en\">cc<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Living in the Chicagoland area, mobile coverage is pretty good. But, it\u2019s not perfect. You\u2019ll find that some suburbs have spotty coverage on certain networks. You\u2019ll find \u201cdead zones\u201d in certain places. If you travel south for about an hour, you\u2019ll run into many coverage issues.<\/p>\n<p>Now, I\u2019m not mentioning this to complain about coverage. I bring this up for an important reason: You cannot take connectivity for granted&#8230;even in a big city. Chances are, your users will try to access your app without an internet connection at least once. Or, they\u2019ll start using your app with a connection, and lose it halfway through. What will happen when they do?<\/p>\n<p>If you want a successful app, you\u2019ll need to plan for this issue. As explained below, you\u2019ll only frustrate users if connectivity issues get in their way.<\/p>\n<blockquote style=\"line-height: 1.7em; background-image: none; margin-left: 0; padding-left: 18px; height: auto;\"><p>\u201cWhat happens if a user temporarily loses connection to the internet?,\u201d asks Nic Grange, CTO, <a onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', 'Blog', 'Source', 'Retriever Communications'); \" href=\"http:\/\/retrievercommunications.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: red; font-weight: bold;\">Retriever Communications<\/span><\/a>. \u201cWill the application continue to work or will the user lose their data and have to re-enter it in? Some people might think that we live in a perfectly connected world. The reality in many places is that you can experience poor or no data coverage. If the application can\u2019t work offline, then users are going to complain every time it stops them from doing their work. Having to re-enter information is one of the most frustrating experiences for users.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>4. What will success look like?<\/h3>\n<p>Finally, let\u2019s ask an obvious question that many overlook: What will success look like? How will we know if this project has failed or succeeded?<\/p>\n<p>Many businesses make the mistake of rolling out an app without a clear definition of success. When they step back and review the project, some business leaders view it as a success while others disagree.<\/p>\n<p>Before you start, sit down with all necessary parties and agree on success metrics. Are you looking for user numbers, or revenue? Will the app improve data access? Will it improve sales? These are questions that must be answered before you begin.<\/p>\n<blockquote style=\"line-height: 1.7em; background-image: none; margin-left: 0; padding-left: 18px; height: auto;\"><p>\u201cDo we have success clearly defined for launching a new mobile app?,\u201d asks Zack Naylor, CEO &amp; co-founder at <a onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', 'Blog', 'Source', 'Aurelius'); \" href=\"https:\/\/www.aureliuslab.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: red; font-weight: bold;\">Aurelius<\/span><\/a>. \u201cPretty straightforward here but surprisingly overlooked more often than we&#8217;d think. In short, have a clear connection to some larger business goal you have and identify specific metrics you&#8217;ll use to determine if your mobile app is a success. This is always highly contextual to the business, but it&#8217;s an important step. &#8220;Customer feedback&#8221; isn&#8217;t always the only, or best, way to determine if you have a successful mobile app.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>Summary<\/h3>\n<p>So there you have it. The final four questions you must ask before building an enterprise mobile app. Would you add anything to the list created in this article series? If you would like to add anything to this list, I\u2019d love to hear it. Feel free to share in the comments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summary: As businesses rush to build mobile apps, they often dive into the project without proper planning, or without an adequate understanding of their mobile app options. As you might imagine, this causes problems. It produces the wrong type of mobile app, or mobile apps that the company doesn\u2019t really need&#8211;wasting time and money in &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/4-final-questions-to-ask-before-building-a-mobile-business-app-part-3\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">4 final questions to ask before building a mobile business app (part 3)<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","slim_seo":{"title":"4 final questions to ask before building a mobile business app (part 3) - mrc&#039;s Cup of Joe Blog","description":"Summary: As businesses rush to build mobile apps, they often dive into the project without proper planning, or without an adequate understanding of their mobile"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[34,35],"class_list":["post-10651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education","tag-mobile","tag-mobile-apps"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10651"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10651\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10661,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10651\/revisions\/10661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}