Mobile Application Checklist
Aug 16,2018 | Jeff Jensen
Mobile Application Checklist is a list of phases for developing a mobile application and even software to a great extent. Each phase is based on going from concept to completion so please comment below questions that you have about each phase.
DISCOVERY PHASE
The discovery phase is where you outline your target market, look at competitors, and how this is going to make money. If your app isn’t going to make money then you may want to reconsider why you are developing the app unless you are a non-profit.
- Do you know who your target market i.e. who will download this app?
- What problem are you solving for your target group?
- Is there any other company offering solutions to their problems through mobile app?
- Do you know who are the app’s competitors?
- List the features the competitors are offering?
- Read the reviews about your competitors app?
- What is the monetization model that your competitors use?
- What is your app monetization strategy? If you don’t have one or know your options check out this guide
TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENT
Once you have knowledge about your competitors, features, and customer experience then you can decide what you want to do as far as technology is concerned.
- Is your app on the Google Play store for Androids?*
- Is your App on Apple iTunes for iOS devices?
- Will you roll out on both platforms or wait to see the apps performance?
- Is the app native (meaning created all in mobile app code) or hybrid (meaning it is a web based software packaged in a mobile app)? Look at Ashland Directory as an example of a hybrid that is built as a website.
- Will your app be integrated with device’s features i.e. have the ability to use the phones camera or contac?
- Will it need cloud based infrastructure?
USER INTERFACE DETAILS
- Do you have the wireframe ready?
- Have you decided on the App orientation? Landscape or Portrait?
- Does the app easily transitions from one orientation to another?
- Have you finalized your benchmarks?
- Have you worked on the transition between screens?
- Are the call to action button standing out from other elements?
- Are the design elements in line with the culture of the region the app is in?
DEVELOPMENT CRITERIA
Going from the concept and user interface to development is critical because it helps you start to get your app on track to be distributed to your audience.
- Are you making the app with employees?
- Are you hiring a mobile app development company with a good track record?
- Is the company in your area or located internationally?
- If you are making the app in-house, does your team have the expertise or is this their first one?
- What is your budget for your app development process?
- How much estimated time will it take to develop the app?
- What is your development process? Waterfall, Agile or Iterative?
- Have you paid attention to your app’s backend development?
PERFORMANCE METRICS
These are critical regardless of whether you are doing the app in house or hiring an agency.
- Do you know how the app behaves in case of special events like low battery, less network coverage, Airplane mode, less storage?
- Does the app has a web service?
- Does the app have a server side component?
- Does the app have scope to be scalable vertically or horizontally?
- Do you get notification of app crashes in real time?
SECURITY MEASURES
- Do you have secure sockets layer incorporated in the project?
- Does your app has two point user authentication in place?
- Do you have control on who would have an access to your app?
- Will there be sub-admins?
- Does your app comply to industry security standards, like HIPPA or PCI DSS
- Is your payment gateway integration done right?
TESTING CHECKLIST
- Is your app performing same on different device and OS versions?
- Are you testing your app on your tech team?
- Are you testing your app on real, non-technical users?
- Have you checked your mobile app Localization strategy?
- Is your app ready for the next device update?
- Is your app ready to be scaled to the next OS Update?
- Do you have a test plan in place with tests like QC testing, Unit testing, and User Acceptance Testing?
BRANDING REQUIREMENT
- Does your App icon follows the app store guidelines by meeting the dimensions and resolution?
- Are your App images are clear and contextually right? As an example our first image for AD had text to small to read saying Ashland Directory underneath the AD.
- Is your App Store Optimization done right with keywords, etc.?
- Making sure that your App name is not taken, is unique, not unheard of for searches?
- Have you added real screenshots in the app description?
- Do you have video tutorials on how to use the app for first time users? Our client Erndo saw a 50% growth in retention by adding tutorials.
- Have you crossed over the various multilingual app challenges?