How to build a mobile app for your business

A mobile app is not an end in itself. Before writing a line of code, the question worth answering is what problem the app solves that your website cannot: something customers do repeatedly, something that benefits from being on their phone, something that works better with notifications, the camera or offline access.

Start with the use case, not the technology

Most business apps that fail do so because they are a website in a wrapper. If everything your app does could be done just as well in a browser, a responsive website will cost you far less and reach more people. Apps earn their place when there is genuine repeat use.

Native, hybrid or web

A native app gives you the best performance and full access to the device, at the cost of building and maintaining a separate version for each platform. A hybrid app shares one codebase across platforms and is usually enough for content and service apps. A progressive web app needs no store approval and no install, which removes the biggest barrier of all.

Getting it installed is the hard part

Building the app is rarely the difficult bit. Persuading someone to find it, download it and keep it on their phone is. Budget for that from the start: the store listing, the screenshots, the reviews, and above all a reason to open it again next week.

Measure from day one

Instrument the app before launch, not after. Installs tell you very little on their own. What matters is how many people open it a second time, how many complete the action the app exists for, and where the rest drop out.