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​After putting in months or years of hard work of creating an app, the most vital thing is rolling it out in the market. The mobile ecosystem is ever-changing and sometimes you might feel lost determining the best marketing strategies for you mobile app promotion. Remember, content is king, so use your words wisely.
Your pre-launch marketing should be stretched out over a period of three months. Condense the most important elements of pre-launch one week before rolling out the app and push the rest of the items to the post-launch roadmap.
Let’s take a look at the 33-Step guide to market you mobile app into the play store and making your app a success. 

 
1.Fix a release date
It is very important that you schedule a launch date taking into account fixes and bugs that you might find during your final review stage. Don’t try to scram in last minute “things to do” just before the app release. For instance, Apple has a strict review process and the changes suggested might delay the process. The hard launch should be planned at a date that you know you wouldn’t have to further delay.

2.Determine the demographics of your user
According to the research done for your app during the planning stage, determine the demographic that you will be targeting. Understand who your target audience is and determine the features that you need to highlight while marketing the app.

3.Competitive analysis
As there are millions of apps in the market, there are definitely quite a few apps that are similar to yours. Make a list of the top 10 competing apps, their current price (if your app is not free), their ranking, their version type, their features, their reviews by the users and then compare them with your app. Think of how your app solves a pain point for the user or find the x-factor that it can offer to users. This will determine your entire marketing strategy.

4.Establish your Unique Value Proposition
As mentioned in the earlier point, determine what makes your app unique and capitalize on that.

5.Define the message of your brand and its positioning
A story behind the app can help you market your app to users that identify with the struggle or the reason your app was made. For example, a helpline app for safety of woman travelling at night (or day) will strike a chord with the female demographic. Here, the brand’s voice will be a woman.

6.Brand styling
Your marketing strategy needs to have a particular font, logo or image that the user will recognize. For instance, if your app has used cartoon images in the app as well as, to promote it, the marketing strategy should revolve around cartoonish elements.

7.Make a pitch deck
If you wish to attract investors to buy into your app, you need to make a visual representation of the story behind your app along with its mission and vision. The pitch deck needs to be concise and easy-to-understand.

8.Prepare your Press Kit
Once your app launches, you will need to send out app details and pitches to several marketing agencies, users or potential investors. You need to create your press kit that has high-res images of your app’s logo, screenshots, marketing images and content that includes information about the app’s functions and features.

9.Create a Media List
In today’s digital world, the best way to PR your app is by using influencers, publications and bloggers that have a huge audience. It’s even better if you filter them according to your app’s target audience. Connect with them and give them a brief about your app. Also, try to work out a promotion strategy with them.

10.Create a website, micro site or landing page
Create a launch page or a small video trailer about your app.

11.Create an address book with the emails acquired
A good marketing plan involves sending emails to users interested in your app. Keep your followers updated on the launch date, new updates, features, etc.

12.Optimize your app for mobile visits
Most searches are done through the mobiles. Ensure that your marketing strategies or tools are optimized for mobile.

13.Establish your monetization strategy
Mobile app monetization can be done through freemium based apps (in-app purchases), ad-supported or subscription-based. Choose your strategy as it is a key element that you need to work with during your app marketing process.

14.App Store Optimization (APO)
App Store Optimization involves optimizing your App Store page to rank higher in search results and convert at a higher rate.

15.Choose a keyword for your app name
A good title for your app will attract users to download your app. Use a keyword that helps the users search for your app. Keyword research is probably the most crucial part of ASO. A great tip would be to create long and short tail keywords.

16.Highlight the features and benefits in the app description
Note down the features and benefits in the app description to attract the users to download the app. List the feature/benefit that makes it different from other apps, first in the list.

17.Add key screenshots and videos in your app description
iOS and Google Play both allow for a short video preview of your app. Use this to show off game play, demo functions to compel users to download it.

18.App category
It is very crucial to select the correct category for your app. For example, if you have made a game that is adventure, don’t categorise it in sports.

19.Create a content marketing strategy
Drive traffic and brand awareness with content and build trust with your users through your content. Create a quality blog with great content and keywords so that it appears on the first page of search engines.

20.Set up social media pages
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and other social platforms let you expand your web presence and allow you to directly communicate with your target audience. Regulate your posts and engage with your users through these pages.

21.Set up Google Alerts
Set up a branded keyword alert to track places that users are talking about your app.

22.Create promotional offers/discount coupons
Offer promotion and discount coupons on products in the app or for a partner company. For instance, a coffee shop can have a certain percent of discount on updating a code in the app.

23.Plan contests and give-away gifts
Planning contests is a good way to communicate with the user. The chances are that the user will visit the app more often for playing contests or winning merchandise.

24.Collect reviews
Set up alerts for your users to post a review about the app. After two weeks is the best time to ask for a review.

25.Track user acquisition
Use an attribution platform like AppsFlyer or Kochava to keep track of where your downloads are coming from.

26.Link to your app
Create a link of your app that you use in all forms of communication, it could be emails, posts, images, etc. Anything that interests the viewer could become your potential user if a link is provided in that vey post.

27.Engage with your existing users
It’s imperative that you engage with your current users and hold their interest. You don’t want to end up with users uninstalling your app.

28.Apply for mobile app awards
This can help you reach new networks of potential users.

29.Push notifications
Push notifications have been shown to increase user retention, with statistics showing anywhere from a 56% to a 180% improvement. Users who have opted into receiving push notifications exhibit 88% higher app engagement than those who haven’t.
Reference site: http://info.localytics.com/blog/app-user-retention-improves-in-the-us

30.Focus on customer service
Ensure that if your user is facing difficulty with your app, there is a way that they can contact you. A prompt reply and a solution can really help you gain loyal customers for life.

31.Organize a Burst Campaign
“Burst campaign” is one of the most popular techniques used by mobile app marketers who want to climb the app store ranks. The idea of a burst campaign is to provide a “burst” of exposure for your app in which you aggressively purchase paid media exposure over a short period of time- usually 24 to 72 hours, depending on budget.
The goal is to get as many paid installs as possible, boosting your rank.  All this with the hope of increasing the volume of quality organic installs – that should follow when the app is finally ranked high enough to be discovered.

32.Offer referral bonus
Offer your users a bonus when they advertise or help you spread the word. “With a staggering 3900% growth rate, Dropbox is an excellent example of how powerful referrals can be. The company had just 1,00,000 registered users in 2008, which climbed to a staggering 4,000,000 registered users within a mere 15 month period as a result of their referral program.”
Reference site: https://www.referralsaasquatch.com/dropbox-customer-referral-program-by-the-numbers/

33.Continuous updates and maintenance
Based on the feedback received and the bugs pointed out by the users, ensure that the new version doesn’t have the same. Continuous maintenance and updates for the apps ensures seamless working of the app for the users.
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Conclusion
These strategies will help you promote your app for a long-term. Engaging with the users is of utmost importance. The marketing strategies should be based on your target audience. The true success of your app does not lie in the number of users or downloads but is based on the functionality and user engagement of your app. 

​It has just been a few years that the entire world has been taken to storm by mobile app development. There is a massive playing field for developers considering that they can deliver on Android and iOS platform. Every need now has an app! For instance, you can sit at your house and order from your favorite restaurant, you can call a cab to your doorstep and even get your house groceries delivered to your doorstep.
Apps that are built for enterprises need to be built for a certain purpose. They should be meticulously planned and carefully decided, only then can a company build a top enterprise mobile app. There have been a lot of instances where businesses have achieved unimaginable success by developing an effective mobile app. 

What if you have an exceptional idea but you don’t have the resources or skill set to make it a reality? The most logical step is to outsource the app development. But when you choose your third-party vendor, you must ensure that you do not making these 7 mistakes.

Weighing Skill and Cost

Firstly, you need to begin with verifying the credentials of the party that you are going to outsource your app. Who were their clients? What apps have they worked on prior? Try and download these apps to understand the look and feel of what the outsourcing developers are capable of.
Coming to the cost aspect, remember that if the developer firm or contractor gives you an exact price tag in five minutes after you’ve described your app to them, there are setting you up to fail. To truly calculate the cost, the developer needs to calculate the functional and non-functional elements and needs several other details. So if he just gives you the cost in a few minutes, it’s definitely a concern.

Functional and Non-Functional Requirements

Document your functional and non-functional needs – don’t make the list too short or too long. Also, don’t try to move too fast and skip the essential details.

Functional Requirements:

• List down the core features
• List the differentiating features
• Mention the functionality of the app
• Jot down the user experience from start to finish

Non-Functional Requirements:

• Ensure that your app is secure for the user, especially if you are developing an e-commerce app where monetary transactions take place.
• The performance of the app should be seamless. This is possible if you understand the usage and guess the amount of users that are going to be using the app. The key is finding the sweet spot where you are not over or under built.
• It’s important to understand the language your app is built on? In case of any discrepancies, can it be taken over by another developer? It’s good to know that in case if things go wrong with the current developer, it doesn’t make impossible to maintain your app. 

Monitoring the Development of Your Project and Communicating your Requirements

The first thing before beginning the project is to prepare the project brief and ensure that everyone is on board. Keep a close eye on the documentation and app development process; don’t assume that people know what to do and what the next logical step might be. Guide them!
If in doubt, spell out the screen, feature, button or project element, clearly, in the scope of work. If you have outsourced your work to an efficient software agency, they will look for gaps in your brief and challenge any assumptions or loopholes that they discover.

Failure to Prototype

After the interface of the app has developed, it is only logical you test out the prototype. It is very important to test the prototype of the app, especially if you are a non-technical founder. Imagine waiting till the end to discover that your app hasn’t turned out the way you wanted it or more than 50% can’t log in to your app or ending up with a complicated and confusing user interface.
Also, the best way to get honest feedback about the app is to make other users test it and mess around with the features of the app.

Product Testing

There are two kinds of product testing approaches; the first one is the manual approach and the second one is the automatic approach.

Manual approach: In this approach, you will need to run through all the different user flows and possible scenes that the user might face while operating your app. If your app uses location services, ensure that the search is based on that particular geographical location. For example, if you are in New York and you get a list of restaurants in China, then your app isn’t meeting your user’s needs.

Automated approach: It’s not always easy to do a manual testing, especially when you have a big app with numerous possibilities. In this case, you can use the automated approach. It runs through basic screen functionality, crash reporting and even how the app would work on different smartphones or iPhones. Automated testing comes at an additional cost, so ensure that the same is discussed with the outsourced agency.

Lack of Code Reviews

As development progresses, it is important to perform consistent code reviews. This is equivalent to being a spellchecker for your code. This applies for both software; Android and iOS development.

Manual codes: While updating manual codes, one must check for syntax, standardization, structure and other vital details. This review should be ideally done by a senior developer, technical architect or team lead.
Static codes: Static codes can be reviewed by several open source tools that run automated reviews and flag security problems. If you are unable to run the reviews, your app developer can run it for you.
Hence, it is important for the outsourcing party to be open to communication and being transparent about the progress and updates on the app. These tests should be run periodically and the results should be shared with you.

Poor Marketing and Ignoring Room for Improvement

You need to treat your Enterprise app like a commercial app. You will need to create interest in the employees about the app. To ensure that the employees use the app regularly, you will need to make them see the benefits and offerings of the app or provide them with a good incentive to log on to the app.
Once the app is rolled out in the Enterprise, you need to collect user feedback. Ignoring the feedback is only going to hamper the number of app users. Your app will be rendered useless in just a short period of time if there aren’t any active users.

Conclusion

If you take into considerations all the points mentioned here, you will steer clear of the mistakes or pitfalls. Remember to manage the project brief, test the prototype and carry out the testing and coding phases. Implement standard meeting with your outsourcing company. So, learn the technical jargon, roll up your sleeves and proceed to outsource your genius idea and turn it into an app.

​It’s been 20 years that the Internet has entered into our lives. In today’s date, we have more than 2 billion users accessing the internet through various technological equipment not only on desktops, laptops, smart phones and tablets but also through everyday devices such as cars, lights, TV, thermostats, etc. Most electrical devices are now attached and controlled via the internet. These devices are “things” in the term commonly used, “internet of things”. 

Origin and Meaning of Internet of Things

Kevin Ashton, digital innovation expert coined the term ‘Internet of Things’ or ‘IoT’ as, “If we had computers that knew everything there was to know about things—using data they gathered without any help from us—we would be able to track and count everything, and greatly reduce waste, loss and cost. We would know when things needed replacing, repairing or recalling, and whether they were fresh or past their best.”
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Reference: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/kevin-ashton-describes-the-internet-of-things-180953749/

​The Oxford dictionary is has defined IoT as, “The interconnection via the Internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data.” The IoT is an umbrella term that covers ‘things’ such as sensors, communication technologies, applications, IoT gateways, etc.
Reference: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/internet_of_things
IoT is growing and will continue to grow in 2017 and beyond. Whether it reaches the lofty predictions of 50 billion connected devices by 2020 remains to be seen, but I strongly believe that businesses who learn to harness the data created by the Internet of Things are the ones who will survive and thrive in the future.
Reference: http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/telecom/internet/popular-internet-of-things-forecast-of-50-billion-devices-by-2020-is-outdated

The IoT has a unique IP (Internet Protocol) address is allocated to each end point or device. Hence, consumer devices such as fitness trackers are attached to things to make them IoT-enabled. To put in simple terms, the unique IP address of an endpoint allows it identify it via the Internet. It can retrieve and/or send data from/to it.

Examples of IoT

Let’s take a look of a few examples of IoT.

Smart Home

Do you fancy stepping into a cold room before you reach home? Or having hot water in the shower after a tiring meeting? Now, that’s possible with the tip of your fingertips. It’s easy to make a smart home and connect these technological equipments to an app that you can operate over the phone!
A smart home is the new way of living a luxurious life. It’s not as expensive but is very convenient for the end user. More and more people are converting their home into a smart home. It is said that 70% of people who purchased their first smart home device believe they are more likely to purchase more, according to a Smart Home Technology Survey.
https://www.coldwellbanker.com/press-release/2016-is-the-year-smart-home-technology-will-be-mainstream
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Wearable Technology

Wearable technology is the tomorrow! People no longer want to carry bulky devices, the smaller the device the better. For instance, every mobile company is trying to build a lighter and smaller version of a cell phone with maximum functions.
Wearable technology that has swept the market includes FitBit watches, Apple watches, Wearable music devices, etc. As per research, it is said that there were 78.1 million wearables sold in 2015 and the market is expected to grow to 411 million by 2020.
http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/wearables-statistics/

Smart Cars

“It is estimated that a staggering 82 percent of cars will be connected to the internet by 2021. App integration, navigation and diagnostic tools, and even self-driving cars will be ways the Internet of Things transforms the automobile industry.” Currently, the auto industry is investing heavily to determine the next IoT innovation.
http://www.businessinsider.com/internet-of-things-connected-smart-cars-2016-10

Internet of Things – What’s Special?

IoT devices such as cars, fitness devices, electrical devices, etc. have different sensors. These sensors can monitor movement, temperature, moisture levels and location even in the most complex environmental factors.
They make it possible to inject a broad range of data into applications as they are connected to the Internet. This is also possible because of their connectivity features, IP address and a wide range of fix and wireless communication networks.
The outcomes and goals is where the real value of IoT lies. It’s not about the sending and receiving of data only. The reasons that it makes a difference in lives of people are:

• The end result for which people acquire it; for example, people purchase the FitBit in order to keep a record of their fitness levels
• The analysis of data that is where the data is being generated, for example in the cloud or at the edge and the insights that are generated through the analysis

Use Cases for Consumer Internet of Things

Personal Healthcare

A trending use case in the Consumer IoT is personal healthcare. Fitness trackers are very simple devices that helps keeps track of some health-related data and some activity-related data. These are then combined and shown within applications that enable you to improve your personal health, fitness and lifestyle, sometimes with group features.

Track and Trace

A typical so-called cross-industry IoT use case is the tracking of goods, products, people and even pets. As we know, a tracking system sensor allows you to find and follow a person or an object that has the sensor in it.
Track and trace, leveraging IoT, however is also used in the industry, logistics and transportation, often with more complex devices that also provide info on environmental factors and the state of goods. These trackers can be used for something as simple as tracking the location or as complex as tracking a container of goods on a ship in the ocean.

Predictive Maintenance

Let’s understand predictive maintenance with the help of an example. Imagine a vendor of big industrial robots wants to know upfront which robots might needs maintenance. The cost a company faces when these robots break down is very high.
Here, IoT can intervene and predict which robots need to be maintained when and where. This reduces the cost and the customers of the robot manufacturer enjoy great benefits. This IoT requires far more complex systems, devices, networks and platforms to analyze and intervene.

Disadvantages of IoT

With the advantages that the IoT technology offers, there are a few disadvantages attached.
IoT needs to work on the security features of the product to protect it from the hackers. In 2016, millions of devices were hacked and a lot of malfunctioning occurred in the infrastructure.
Users should also ensure that they have a backup and keep their devices secure. 

Bottom Line

This is just a start for the IoT industry. Business have started to now develop and expand the IoT technology in their products, services and operations will realize soon about the competitive advantage that they will have.

The Bitcoin fever has been spreading like wild fire throughout the world. Everyone wants to make some easy money by investing in this crypto currency. Bitcoin works on the blockchain technology. Blockchain was originally created to support the Bitcoin but soon the tech community has started using this technology for other purposes.
Blockchain is the brainchild of a person or a group of people known by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto. In 2017, the global blockchain technology market is predicted to reach 339.5 million U.S. dollars in size and is forecast to grow to 2.3 billion U.S. dollars by 2021.
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Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/647231/worldwide-blockchain-technology-market-size/

Don & Alex Tapscott, author of Blockchain Revolution (2016) stated, “The blockchain is an incorruptible digital ledger of economic transactions that can be programmed to record not just financial transactions but virtually everything of value.” To make this simple, let’s take a look at the three main components of blockchain; the blockchain itself, peer to peer networks and consensus mechanisms. Without these three components, this technology will not be able to render any technical functions.    

Understanding Blockchain

Blockchain is basically structured data; it’s like a ledger file that keeps track of all the financial records. Let’s compare this to a book. The page numbers of the book are equivalent to the ‘blocks’ used in this technology. Just like pages, there are numbered and appear in a chronological order. For example, page number 86 comes between page number 85 and 87. Similarly, blocks have a timestamp. The blocks are added in a chronological order with the latest timestamp forming a chain of blocks.
Blockchain technology is considered to be a secure system because cryptology is used to ensure that nobody can intermingle with the timestamps or blocks. If somebody does so, there is digital evidence in the system. This makes it ideal for handling data structure and to keep track of records of anything that is valuable.
We’ll take an example of Bitcoin to showcase how the blockchain technology works when it comes to data management. When a transaction is made in Bitcoin, the block states ‘who’ sent the information to ‘whom’. The ledger stores the information of the person who owns the Bitcoin at any moment in time; this is called the current ‘state’ of the blockchain.
A transaction only takes place when it is included in a block and added to the chain. This sets a motion of documentation; once the block has been added that state of blockchain is updated which means that it gets stored in the ledger. Hence, if one needs to validate whether someone has actually made a transaction or not, the ledger has to be made publicly available. This is when the next component comes into place – peer-to-peer networks.

Role of Peer to Peer Networks

If you need to check whether someone has made a transaction to the address or wallet, you need to use a blockchain as a ledger for transactional data. This data is downloaded, synchronized and made available to a large number of computers worldwide. These computers are called nodes. To ensure that blockchain is secure and up-to-date, they work together in a peer-to-peer network. Every time a block is added, all the nodes are updated.
The advantages of peer-to-peer network are:

• Blockchains can be checked using a blockchain explorer.
• One does not need to rely only on one party to know the true state of blockchain.
• It makes it difficult for the hackers to hack blockchain because there is no one specified computer or system that needs to be hacked; they will need to hack thousands of computers at the same time.
• Blockchain can never be deleted, because it has to be deleted by all nodes.

There are a few concerns though about checking the data on blockchain. These concerns are addressed by a consensus mechanism, which is the third component of the blockchain.

Understanding Consensus Mechanism

There are a few questions such as:

• How do I know that the data in blockchain is correct?
• How does one know that there are no invalid transactions in the blocks?
• Are there different versions of the blockchain, how do you know which shows the true state of the blockchain?

These questions can be answered, thanks to the cryptographic code that Nakamoto developed for Bitcoin. The consensus mechanism stirs magic: it allows nodes in peer-to-peer network to work together without having to know or trust each other.
 Vitalik Buterin, founder of Ethereum, states, “The purpose of a consensus algorithm is to allow for the secure updating of a state according to some specific state transition rules, where the right to perform the state transitions is distributed among (…) users which are given the right to collectively perform transitions through an algorithm.”
Simply explained, this means that the consensus mechanism has a set of rules that makes sure that the network works as intended and stays in sync. The rules of this mechanism are based on how the blocks need to be added to the mechanism, which blocks are considered valid and how conflict of truth is resolved.  Let’s take a look at each rule in detail!

Adding blocks to the chain

Different blockchains add block to the consensus in different ways. Let’s take an example of Bitcoin’s Proof of Work (PoW). The first rule is to add a new block every ten minutes; this process is called mining. Nodes that add a block to the chain are miners; they use computational powers of their computer to solve a cryptographic puzzle. When the puzzle is solved, a block is added to the chain.

Validity of blocks

Once the miner solves the puzzle and mines the block, all nodes in the network check if the block is valid before adding it to the chain. For example, Tom received 1 Bitcoin which it sends later to Katherine. He then tries to send the same Bitcoin to Jack. As soon as Tom sends the Bitcoin to Katherine, the nodes update the blockchain to reflect that Tom doesn’t have any Bitcoin left. Hence, the block that was sent again to Jack would not be valid and will not be added to the chain of blocks.

How conflict of truths are resolved

Sometimes by mistake, two miners add a valid block to the chain at the same time. Imagine that a part of the nodes have accepted one block and another part has accepted the other block. Just like in the above example, one block was accepted for Katherine and the other included the transaction with Jack. The system will end up having two different states of the blockchain at the same time! This is called a fork. The blockchain was forked in two different chains; does Katherin or Jack have Bitcoin? The question remains, which of the two is the ‘true’ blockchain. It’s rather simple – the longest chain wins.
This is just a brief way to understand how distributed ledgers work.

Blockchain – New Web 3.0

This technology gives internet users the ability to create value and by authenticating digital information. Some of the benefits of using blockchain technology and their examples are as below:

Sharing Economy
Blockchain has decentralized sharing of economy by enabling peer-to-peer payments and letting the parties interact directly.

Crowdfunding
Initiative like Kickstarter and Gofundme are doing advanced work for peer-to-peer economy. People want to work independently without a third party being involved. Hence, the blockchain technology can help them create crowd-sourced venture capital funds.
In 2016, one such experiment, the Ethereum-based DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization), raised an astonishing $200 million USD in just over two months. Participants purchased “DAO tokens” allowing them to vote on smart contract venture capital investments.
https://blockgeeks.com/guides/ethereum/

Governance 
Since, the peer-to-peer network has a transparent ledger; the company governance becomes fully transparent and verifiable when managing digital assets, equity or information.

File Storage
Decentralized storage of files on the internet has benefits. The distributed data on several servers make it very difficult for hackers to attack or files getting lost. The Inter Planetary File System (IPFS) makes it easy to conceptualize how a distributed web might operate.

Identity Management
The ability to identify your identity is a key factor went it comes to making any digital transaction. Distributed ledgers offer enhanced methods for proving who you are, along with the possibility to digitize personal documents.
“Netki is a startup that aspires to create an SSL standard for the blockchain. Having recently announced a $3.5 million seed round, Netki expects a product launch in early 2017.”
https://www.netki.com/
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Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC)
AML and KYC can be adapted into blockchain to analyze transactions. For example, Startup Polycoin can identify transactions as being suspicious are forwarded on to compliance officers. Another startup, Tradle is developing an application called Trust in Motion (TiM). It allows the users to take a snapshot of key documents and once verified by the bank, they can be stored cryptographically on the blockchain.
https://www.financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/innovation/polycoin-launches-blockchain-based-compliance-aml-and-kyc-tools/

Future of Blockchain Technology

“The future of finance could be dominated by blockchain technologies. A traceable global currency complete with an efficient infrastructure will not only result in massive cost reduction for all market participants, it will change global banking.”
https://www.shapingtomorrow.com/home/alert/665529-Future-of–Blockchain

App-Scoop blockchain team can provide more details and guidance on how to build blockchain solution for your business.
Contact app-scoop team – https://app-scoop.com/contact-us.html

What is the discovery phase of a project? Imagine hiring an employee without knowing what tasks he needs to perform, what you would be paying him/her and the reason you are employing him. You’d never do that would you? Similarly, when you take up a project, you need to go through the discovery phase.

What is the Discovery Phase?

Discovery phase is the time you take to understand and analyze the project that you are about to invest your time, effort and money into. It helps to reduce failure and ensures that you maximize the potential of the idea. Basically, the discovery phase is where you conduct all the research and plan your entire digital project, as well as understand the stakeholders and the needs of the end customers. This phase helps to reveal the real pain points that you might face while developing the project and understand the how and why. 

Develop a blueprint of your project – outline a project goal statement that includes the exact outcome of the project. You can jot down the following outcomes:

• Major milestones of the project
• Cost estimated
• Functional requirements
• Potential visual designs
• Information architecture that explains how the content should be displayed

Basic Steps of the Discovery Phase

Data analytics
Learn about the user habits and go through the analytics of a similar project that is conducted. Look at the areas where the users drop off and the pages of high and low traffic. Try and understand why these problems are occurring and make sure that you don’t make the same mistakes while developing your project.

Audience poll
Understanding what the users want is the key to creating a successful end product. Users can be categorized in age groups, demographics and backgrounds. They all have different needs and wants out of the end product. You can either plan your project so that its applicable to all users or focus on a certain type of users and base your project around that.

Map the journey
Making a plan on the whiteboard is never waste of time. Jotting down the steps and different stages of the project is of key importance. Ensure that when you map your journey, you give enough time for any hiccups that might occur while planning the project.

Questions to be Asked during the Discovery Phase

What are the business needs?
Imagine you are awarded a project that needs to see the light of day. The first step is to identify the stakeholder. Once you identify them, don’t assume that they are going to come with their exact needs. You will need to ask them the following questions:

• Who their target audience is?
• Who are the competitors?
• What the current website content is?
• How is the content structured? 
• What is the performance indicator and how are we going to measure it?

What are the user needs?
As mentioned before, determining user needs has a detrimental effect on the finished product. In the discovery phase, you are expected to conduct surveys, expert reviews, speak to focus groups to gather user needs.
You can ask questions such as:

• Why do the users want to use the service or website?
• What sort of users are you going to have?
• What is the user’s journey while using the product going to be?

 
Consequences of Skipping the Discovery Phase

So, what if you plan to skip the discovery phase? What happens then?
Your guesses can go off the mark and you cannot give accurate estimates. You might have to make a “best guess” approach which might go amiss.
The costing is likely to increase if a certain functionality or content does not produce the results as expected. This would increase the overall timeline and efforts for the project.
New or different technologies cannot be put to use if there is no expert advice taken or any research done. This could mean the loss of opportunities to explore ideas.

Conclusion
​
 As the old saying goes, “It is always better to be safe than sorry!” Getting the discovery phase right is crucial in creating a successful project. It defines the problem space, and sets the parameters for what that service is trying to achieve. The customer satisfaction at the end of the project will heighten the chances of bagging more projects in the future. They may not know the endless meetings and diagrams that were made at the beginning of the project but they will be satisfied with the end product from the get-go. So why not limit the risks to failure by just putting in a little more effort before you start the project? Think about it!
 
 

Bitcoin has been the latest topic of discussion between work colleagues, business meals and even amongst friends. This virtual currency has made millionaires. Some believe that Bitcoin is a bubble that’s about to burst; while others think that it’s going to magnify its presence and believe that in the near future each Bitcoin could cost around $60,000. Who wouldn’t want to invest in a market where the returns are phenomenal? Everyone wants a piece of this pie!

Like the old saying goes, “With great power comes great responsibility!” Here, the responsibility lies on the digital ledger that records the transactions in a decentralized database located in multiple places – also known as the blockchain. ​

What is a Blockchain?

The word blockchain literally means a chain made of blocks. A block is the permanent set of data that is recorded in a ledger. For example, Jack has made a certain monetary transaction with Rose. This information is encrypted and stored on every computer on the system. These blocks are stored in a chronological order and such a chain of records is called a blockchain. The order of these blocks is important as each block has to contain a link of the previous one. These links help to secure the whole data system, so if any one adds any block between two chronological boxes, it is impossible to do without getting noticed. In 2017, the global blockchain technology market is predicted to reach 339.5 million U.S. dollars in size and is forecast to grow to 2.3 billion U.S. dollars by 2021.
Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/647231/worldwide-blockchain-technology-market-size/
But can a blockchain only be used for financial transactions? Well, the answer is no. Blockchain can be used in various different branches and it can be used in your app too!

Key Point

​The key point to note here is that blockchain technology doesn’t need the support of a middleman or a third party to conduct transactions. One of its most vital features is that it is based on a peer to peer payment. This mechanism will ensure that blockchain can go really far in the app industry.
Global spending on blockchain solutions in 2018, according Stacey Soohoo, Research Manager, Customer Insights and Analysis at IDC, says, “The year 2018 will be a crucial stage for enterprises as they make a huge leap from proof-of-concept projects to full blockchain deployments. As a leader in blockchain innovation and integration, the US will continue to invest in blockchain throughout the forecast, spending heavily in financial services, manufacturing, and other industries.”
Source: https://enterprisersproject.com/article/2018/2/5-blockchain-statistics-cio-reality-check

Blockchain and Mobile Apps

An app based on blockchain technology can be used to make payments, transfer money, prove identity (in case of enterprise apps) and manage health care and property records.
Firstly, the developer needs to create the architecture for the app that is similar to bit coin. But note that the design will vary as per the requirements of the app.
Secondly, the developers should be aware that to develop the app with this technology can be a tricky situation. The developer needs to test and debug the software so that it can run on a single system.
Thirdly, the developers should know about heisenbug – a bug that changes computer operations behavior. Another types of bug is mandelbug – this one creates problems such as abstract behavior of computer, whereas, a bug called schrödinbugs could lead to the app displaying unexpected behavior during an unconventional use.

Benefits of Using Blockchain

Identity Protection
When it comes to security, blockchain has trustworthy mechanism that can assign private key encryption to users and work on cryptography. As we know it is impossible to modify information while working on this decentralized public database.
Also, every data that is entered in blockchain becomes general knowledge with its track record of origin. Blockchain makes data transparent by giving all the parties a direct access to the reports.
Source: Tech Crunch

Infrastructure Protection
A major hack on the brand’s infrastructure can be removed by storing the DNS entries on blockchain. Hence, when the domain records are under the owner’s control it’s impossible for another individual or government to manipulate the entries.

Alternative to Passwords
As we know that the data is already protected by the infrastructure of blockchain technology, its distribution allows authentication of devices and users without the need of password protection. The network decentralization helps in creating consensus between parties for authentication through the blockchain-specific SSL certificates.

​Case Studies on the Usage of Blockchain Technology

IBM is launching a network in the early 2018 in Canada where the people’s identity will be verified using a mobile app. They are building a network using blockchain that verifies people’s identities when they use services such as opening new bank accounts or getting driver’s licenses.
Another company called Landmapp is developing a service and mobile app that uses blockchain to document land titles and land rights. This will help developing countries, especially Africa to reduce the cost for titles. ShelterZoom has also built a service and mobile app that focuses on streamlining real estate offers are made using blockchain technology.
Forbes states that “Only 1.2 billion people have access to a bank account with payment capabilities, while there are approximately 5 billion unique mobile phone subscribers.” A partnership between the blockchain mobile payment company TelCoin and telecom companies will allow people who only have mobile phones and no bank accounts to make secure mobile payments using mobile apps. TelCoin co-founder and CEO Claude Eguienta said that the app will “provide financial services to billions of people.”
Source: Forbes Link
 
Conclusion

This technology doesn’t only make it beneficial for the app developers but they also make the application secure for the customers. Also, one can add the element of confidentiality and develop the advanced peer-to-peer payment platforms with the help of distributed nature of the blockchain.
Now that the fundamentals are covered, the developers need to decide whether blockchain fits the specific needs. The blockchain technology definitely seems to have a bright future when in the tech industry. 

With the rise of Android apps, Google Play has strived to focus on security and performance! There are more than 2 million Android devices, and in the year 2017, 82 billion apps were installed on Google Play. So, it is vital that Google Play makes it a positive experience for their users to discover and install apps that they love.
​
Source: https://www.androidcentral.com/over-82-billion-apps-have-been-installed-google-play-last-year

As we know, every Android application operates within a “process sandbox”. These silos can detect malware and contain them. But if the app requires data sources outside of its unique sandbox, they require permission. Even though Google has tried to keep the app secured, scanners don’t manage to catch everything. The user is not updated about the new permission until he/she updates the app. This makes the users data exposed to malware.
Hence, in the year 2018, Google has announced enhancements for increasing the security and performance for the app. Edward Cunningham, Product Manager of Android states that there are going to be three key changes in year 2018-2019.

Changes in API Requirement

In the second half of 2018, the new apps and app updates in Google Play must be built on APIs which can be optimized for performance and security. Google Play console will require the following updates:

• August 2018: New apps required to target API level 26 (Android 8.0) or higher.
• November 2018: Updates to existing apps required to target API level 26 or higher.
• 2019 onwards: Each year the targetSdkVersion requirement will advance. Within one year following each Android dessert release, new apps and app updates will need to target the corresponding API level or higher.

This update will encourage the developers to create apps that have the latest user-interfacing interface, along with security enhancements. On the other hand, apps that do not adhere to the latest API update will be restricted. Google Play states that it wants to “proactively reduce fragmentation in the app ecosystem”.

64-bit Support Equipment

By August 2019, Android devices will only support the 64-bit code. Android 5.0 Lollipop was the first mobile operated system that introduced higher architecture. Today, more than 40% of devices support 64-bits, and at the same time maintain the 32-bit compatibility.
“The Play Console will require that new apps and app updates with native libraries provide 64-bit versions in addition to their 32-bit versions. This can be within a single APK or as one of the multiple APKs published.”
 
Source: https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2017/12/improving-app-security-and-performance.html

Security Metadata

In early 2018, Google Play plans to start adding a small amount of security metadata on top of each APK to verify the authenticity of the app. The developers or end users have to take no action on this update. This metadata is small and will not alter the functionality of the app. Google Play has further stated, “This metadata will enable new distribution opportunities for developers in the future and help more people keep their apps up to date”.
The metadata that will be added to APK will be like a Play badge of authenticity for the Android app. This will be just like the ‘Trust’ badge that is seen while buying any authentic product. Google Play further states, “We’ll adjust Play’s maximum APK size to take into account the small metadata addition, which is inserted into the APK Signing Block and does not alter the functionality of your app. In addition to enhancing the integrity of Play’s mobile app ecosystem, this metadata will enable new distribution opportunities for developers in the future and help more people keep their apps up to date”.
Source: https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2017/12/improving-app-security-and-performance.html

Additional Security Measurements

Further, Android is imposing restrictions on giving permissions. Permissions are of two types: dangerous and normal. When the app requests for the user’s calendar, camera, contacts, location, microphone, SMS or storage, they are classified as dangerous permissions, which are as of now granted. But by the year 2019, every call for private data will be in the hands of the user.
Another component of Android’s security changes is the function that prevents the OS from trusting user-added certificate authorities (CAs) by default. The goal for changing how Android treats CAs is to provide secure app traffic. Android now offers a standardized protocol for integrating trusted system CAs.  

Conclusion

Google Play has gone tremendously in the year 2017 by reducing the risk within the Android app ecosystem. Although, Google cannot predict the new malware of tomorrow, it is taking all the measures to improve security and provide a seamless experience to the user. In the year 2018-2019, we can foresee the measurements that will be taken to protect user data for Android users, thereby improving app security. 

​Recently, one of our clients took the time to review us on Clutch, the leading B2B ratings and reviews platform. Clutch arms business buyers and sellers with the insight they need to facilitate productive business partnerships. Since August, our clients reviewed App-Scoop on Clutch and we are excited to share some of the feedback that can be found on our profile.
 
One of our clients needed an Android and iPhone application development for his lifestyle coaching business. The feedback received for our development work was great. App-Scoop was commended for the ability to listen to the clients’ specifications and delivering a great product.

Our most recent review, was a mobile application solution for nightlife and venue management. Our client provided App-Scoop with wireframes and UI recommendations and we restructured the backend and make it stable for ongoing development. Our client was satisfied with our application and commended our work ethic.
 
“Development has been nothing but bliss. They’ve exceeded expectations while erasing all previous issues; the team goes above and beyond.” – Founder, Tnight Inc. 
​

​We are extremely proud of the feedback that we have received on Clutch. As we grow as a company, we strive to create the most positive experiences for our clients. Whether it’s blockchain applications or custom software development – we treat all projects the same, focusing on our clients’ needs and specifications.
 
We look forward to getting more feedback from our clients in 2018. Be on the lookout for more Clutch reviews. 

How do you start developing a mobile application? Or you want to make changes to the existing one? How do you initiate the first step? The first thing that you need to determine is the category of your app development project. There are three categories:

1. Consumer (has potential for widespread adoption)
2. Modernized (modernizing a new or existing business process)
3. Migration (web-application to mobile-optimized version)

Planning is the second step of building your app. It is a crucial factor that needs to be managed right from inception to ensure that there is no re-work, maximum profitability and increased utility. Planning involves knowing your target group of customers and the mobile products available in the market; and then making an informed decision about what mobile strategy best suits your app’s need.
Here is a list of 51 mobile statistics that can help your with the decision making process and contour the product that you want to introduce to the market. ​

1. 20% queries were made on the search engine using the voice technology.
 
Voice technology is easier, intuitive and easily accessible to any age group. For example, receiving a call while driving without picking up the call or your grandmother just asking for directions instead of typing them
 
Source
 
2. 60% of app users are willing to share their health data collection from wearable technology to Google (in 2016).
 
Wearable technology, for example, FitBits gathers information about your eating patterns, sleeping patterns, number of steps taken and other general health related information. Many users connect these devices to Google services because it’s easier to store and integrate information on to other apps.
 
Source
 
3. Mobile advertising has increased by 22% in the year 2016.
 
The world is using smartphones and the digital technology is the best way to reach maximum number of consumers with decreased costing. Short advertisements delivering strong messages are the most effective.
 
Source
 
4. Mobile apps account for 57 percent of all digital media usage, and smartphone apps alone capture more than half of digital media time spent.
 
Source
 
5. Spotify and Apple music are making more money than music stores; which gives recorded music its first growth in 16 years. 
 
Users want to access any song and download albums to view them offline on their smartphones. It’s made music accessible. Advertisements on these kind of sites are generally viewed more because the user wants to listen to the track.
 
Source
 
6. Internet users in Indonesia spend 90% of their time online from a mobile device.
 
If you target your app towards countries that has such staggering data, it’s most obvious that there your app has a chance to be downloaded and used more than in other countries.
 
Source
 
7. Most people use their smartphones to access information in the morning, shift towards using more data on laptops/desktop computers during work hours and tabs in the evening.
 
Source
 
8. Over 51% of emails are opened on the mobile than on the desktop.
 
Working is no longer limited to desk spaces and office cabinets. Everyone checks their email on the go and wants to keep in touch with work even when they are travelling.
 
Source
 
9. Replies sent from mobile devices are received 54% faster than from a desktop.
 
Short one line emails are becoming the norm. This makes it very easy for the user to send emails from their smart devices.
 
Source
 
10. 90% of media time is spent on apps by mobile users while 10% is spent on websites accessed through a browser.
 
Consumers love apps; they are easily accessible and can be personalized.
 
Source
 
11. According to Google, 90% of the millennial users go online daily.
 
There is a thin line between the real world and the online world. Apps like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tinder and Snapchat keeps people connected and keeps them in touch with the social world.
 
Source
 
12. 75% of millennial users access their smartphones to go online.
 
This means that it is important that your app provides a seamless experience to the mobile user.
 
Source
 
13. Pinterest is most favored by smartphone users, generating 64% traffic from phones or tablets.
 
Source
 
14. 48% of millennial users watch videos exclusively on their mobile device.
 
It’s important to embed the videos into the web page so that it prompts the browser to use the best suited app to play the video.
 
Source
 
15. 48% of millennial users download/use an app based on its functionality; 45% due to social influence from peers; and 37% based on the aesthetic appeal of the app.
 
Source
 
16. 49% of millennial users delete an app if it uses too much of phone battery.
 
Source
 
17. Red is the most popular icon color for food and drinks app; 30% of these are red while only 6% of them are blue.
 
According to color theorists red catches the eye and encourages feelings of energy and action and is even said to stimulate appetite.
 
Source
 
18. Mobile searches using the word ‘best’ has increased by 80% in 2 years.
 
People want the best! When they download an app, they want information that shows them the ‘best’ of what they are looking for.
 
Source
 
19. Smartphone users are more likely to purchase from companies that offer personalized searches.
 
For example, if the user types in ‘Chinese restaurant’, the app should be intuitive enough to show Chinese restaurants that are nearby, rather than 10 km. away.
 
Source
 
20. 50% smartphone users are likely to purchase items on the spur of the    moment in 2017, compared to 2016.
 
Source
 
21. There will be roughly 6 billion users in the year 2020.
 
Source
 
22. Mobile web draws in more unique visits per month, but app users spend more time per visit.
 
Source
 
23. 68% of smartphone users check their phone within 15 minutes of waking up.
 
Source
 
24. 30% of smartphone users are anxious without their phone.
 
Most mobile users are dependent on their smartphone for reminders, work, etc. The thought of being without their smart devices is scary for most.
 
Source
 
25. On an average, users check their phone 150 times a day.
 
Source
 
26. Smartphone users in the middle of a task will reach for ideas by using their phones; this behavior is seen in 91% users.
 
Source
 
27. 65% of users believe that the content that they receive (regardless of the source) while conducting a search on the mobile is accurate.
 
Source
 
28. In 2016, 50% of iOS apps and 23% of Android apps crashed in Q2.
 
Source
 
29. In the year 2016, 65% of iOS performance issues were related to app crashes.
 
Source
 
30. 44% of in-app defects are found by the user.
 
Source
 
31. 47% apps need more time for testing.
 
Source
 
32. 58% of users are frustrated when they are unable to navigate through the app because of interface inconsistencies.
 
Source
 
33. 52% of users get annoyed if the overall app performance is not seamless during use.
 
Source
 
34. 29% of users will uninstall the app if they don’t find it useful.
 
Source
 
35. 70% of users abandon an app because it takes a very long time to load.
 
Patience is a virtue only few possess. In this quick digital world, there is no time to wait.
 
Source
 
36. 50% of men users do not have a single paid app on their smartphones.
 
Source
 
37. 70% of women users do not have a single paid app on their smartphones.
 
Source
 
38. 19% of millennial users purchase 12 plus apps in a year.
 
Source
 
39. Without apps, 76% of millennial users find their phones useless.
 
Source
 
40. 51% of users will delete an app if they do not use it often.
 
Source
 
41. 47% will delete apps to de-clutter their screen.
 
Source
 
42. 41% of users will delete an app if it takes up too much space in their smartphone.
 
Source
 
43. 70% of millennial users are looking for new apps.
 
Source
 
44. 43% of mobile users will agree to receive push notifications, out of which 63% of millennial users check them immediately upon receiving them.
 
Source
 
45. 38% of marketers believe mobile strategy delivers significant ROI.
 
Source
 
46. In 2016, the use of location-based mobile marketing has increased by 149%. 74% of marketers confirm that location-based mobile campaigns are very effective.
 
Source
 
47. 80% of the marketing force believe that mobile exclusive offer campaigns are very effective.
 
Source
 
48. 78% of the marketers declare that mobile loyalty campaigns are very effective.
 
Source
 
49. The percentage of digital ad revenue using the smartphone is expected to grow to 70% by 2019.
 
Source
 
50. 21% millennial users will delete the app if they do not like its logo.
 
Source
 
51. By the end of 2016, smart devices accounted for 51% of total digital ad revenue.
 
Source
​
As we’ve taken an in-depth look in the app stats, you should be able to now build and grow your next app project or even spark a new idea. Product requirements, product performance and user preferences should be considered at the initial stages of the app development. If you focus on the functionality, look and feel, experience and personalization – your mobile app will be the perfect solution. 

Have you heard of a phrase ‘The first impression is the last impression’? Let’s say that you’ve gone for an interview. When you step into the interview room, what does the interviewer base his first judgment on? Correct, the way you are dressed and your overall grooming. Similarly, when you launch a product into the market, the first thing the users will notice is the look and feel of the product.
​
But just because a product looks good, doesn’t mean that it performs in par with the expectations. For instance, your interviewer may think that you look great, but if you cannot answer his questions correctly, then you will not get the job. 

The key is that the product should not only be designed well, but should also meet the functional expectations of the user. Design is the integral part of the project and in itself a feature. So, it’s logical to encounter the complexities and risks throughout the project rather than at the end. There is a term that is used in the software industry; it’s called the Waterfall model.  It is “a linear sequential (non-iterative) design approach for software development, in which progress flows in one direction downwards (like a waterfall) through the phases of conception, initiation, analysis, design, construction, testing, deployment and maintenance.” Using this method will prevent a downfall at the end; instead it will help, build and measure progress iteratively.
There are three simple guidelines that you must follow to build a great product. Each of these principles are dependent on one another. Let’s take a look at these guidelines.

Desirability

There are times when software designers wonder, “The UX was great but I wasn’t able to design it the way the most trending app has been designed.” Design is user-centric and the more feedback you will receive from the people, the more functional design features can be inserted.
The key is to understanding the target audience; what problem do they have and what problem are you solving? This kind of interaction will fill the gaps from the design perspective. When you bring out the ideas and discuss them with your users, you will begin to understand the product’s strengths and weakness.

Viability

If your business doesn’t yield the output and make some money, then the product will get killed or not receive any sort of funding. Improving the ROI and keep a track of its success proves that it’s a business that is worth investing into. A good start is when you can define clear metrics to validate your Unique Value Proposition. This helps you focus more on the effort required.  
Designing a product that is cost-effective and has long term goals will generate more value than a product that isn’t designed to suit the needs in the long term or requires a lot of financial investment before its first output. If you manage to get your customers interested in the product and investing monetarily, then consider that you have passed the product validation test.

Feasibility

You might come up with crunched timelines and operationally and technically sounding solutions but it’s not always easy to complete it. The focus should not always be on the technical aspect but one should also focus on the feasibility, i.e. operations and actors.
“Actors are all the people that live and operate on the peripheral of the user.” To know who the actors are, you must look at the customer experience in context and investigate what needs to be true to create a smooth experience for the user.
You might hire trainees, third parties or hire an operational team, peripheral actors that are unable to see your vision, or consider the product as a threat can become a huge risk to the product’s feasibility. You must communicate, reiterate the product features and ensure that the team is working towards the correct output required for the product.

Conclusion

So, let’s recapitulate the learning with the help of three points:
Keep your aim fixed towards the long term goal. Don’t underestimate the hindrances that you might foresee to reach this goal. Instead, huddle as a team and think of the best way to get over them. The best way to keep track of the product design, take a chart paper and title it with your long term goal. Note each step (from the below to up) that you are taking towards that long term goal to validate and dismiss the assumptions and the risk that your product might face.
Preparation is the key. It’s important to collect your data to understand your customer’s sprint. Running design sprints will help you map out the customer’s journey involving all actors. By rolling out prototype and get feedback from the customers, you can test the hypotheses while keeping momentum, and at the same time keeping your stakeholders happy.
These steps will lead to building a Minimal Viable Product that your user base can discover, test and talk about. Your product’s design will be measured with the three principles that you’ve taken into account desirability, viability and feasibility.
If you get a product idea next time, save on expensive remodels and embed it with the product design from inception!