Can mobile developers increase the chances of success by adopting a recommended line of action? The answer, after speaking to industry personalities, is an emphatic Yes!

 

 

More entrepreneurs are setting out to create mobile applications and content to meet increasing demand. Unfortunately, quite a few of these developers have not fully grasped that developing for mobile devices is vastly different than designing web applications for PCs. As a result, the final creations are often thinly disguised look-alikes of PC applications and extremely unwieldy when run on mobile devices.

Not surprisingly, many of these applications end up being unsuccessful. Rostam Hashim, the head of the Maxis Developer Programme feels that a lot more mobile applications could become successes if the developers had taken various factors into account. “There are best practices that can help one mobile application stand out from another competing product. The trick is for mobile developers to start with the right understanding from the beginning.”

Above all, they have to understand the medium. Mobile devices are vastly different from PCs. Input, for example, is a well known difference between the mobile and PC platforms. Mobile devices are a lot harder to use when compared to a PC with a mouse and keyboard. They have the challenge of coming up with applications that are functional within the limits of a simple keypad sometimes. Even entering a web address on a phone keypad is very difficult. Yet developers sometimes come up with long URLs that take through many key-presses.

Muthu Nedumaran, the founder of award winning mobile applications developer, Murasu Systems and a long time member of the Maxis Developer Programme agrees that mobile developers need to understand that they are developing a product that will run on a phone, not on a PC. Muthu stresses that mobile developers must get to know phones thoroughly.

There are many varieties of mobile devices used by consumers. Operating systems, screen size, browser capabilities and many other features differ widely among mobile devices. Taking the trouble to enhance the viewing and usage experience of as many consumers as possible can bring handsome rewards to developers.

Both Rostam and Muthu agree that innovation is the key factor in the process of developing mobile applications. The trick is to grasp what innovation means in the context of mobile offerings.

Muthu has worked out an easy to remember formula that can help bring the message of innovation home. “Look at it as the 4 ‘P’s of innovation: Phones, People, Problem and Passion.”

Developers need to ask themselves who they are developing for. Get to know the target user. Innovation here is coming up with simple and easy to use stuff. Keeping it simple is a message that cannot be repeated often enough. As Rostam says, “anything more than 3 clicks may not work well, or may not work at all on a mobile phone.”

It pays to remember that mobility is a key feature. A clear understanding of the state of mind of consumers when they are using mobile devices can help clarify the design aim of mobile applications. Consumers use mobile devices in vastly different surroundings when compared to desktop users. Mobile users could at any given time be using their devices while walking somewhere or on a train. Also, consumers usually tend to access mobile devices when they are in need of immediate solutions.

When conceptualizing a project, it is always helpful to ask what problem your application is going to solve. Rostam advises developers to go hunting for problems to solve. If you can get a user to say; “now this is something that I could use” or “hey, this is really cool stuff”, it means you have a customer. Of course, if you can get them to say that they will pay any money for that solution, you got it made big time! The best solutions are usually astoundingly simple and yet profound. Rostam’s constant advice to developers – Ever thought of this when you saw an application? Ever said “so simple, how come I didn’t think of that”?

Muthu who came up with his award winning vernacular languages SMS input application because of his love for languages is convinced a passion for the subject matter will makes the end result delicious and not bland. His advice: make sure you love what you are doing. For example; if you are building a mobile game, you’d better be a gamer yourselves.

Rather than learn these and many other best practices the hard way by getting undesirable results from badly developed applications, smart mobile developers should take the trouble to internalize these development philosophies.

Both Rostam and Muthu advise them to talk to people and get to know what they want from their mobile devices. Interaction and networking with other developers is equally important - the coming together of minds passionate about the same things can help generate that badly needed creative spark. Study successful applications and try to figure out why they became hits.

These tips are worth taking because consumers may give developers only one chance and reject future offerings from them. In the world of mobile development, it pays to get things right the first time. As Muthu says, “You will never get a second chance for a first impression”.