Off to market

This is the third Industry Insight in a four-part series. In the previous Industry Insights, I've covered:

* Building a mobile app that gets noticed.
* Choosing the right platform for your app.

There's more to getting an app to market than getting sign-off from the boss. The third-party permissions and obstacles that need to be overcome before consumers can access a product can be extensive and need to be navigated smartly to minimise frustration and delays.

In order to submit apps to the major app stores, the developer will have to be iOS-registered or Google Play-registered. The cost to do this is around $99, or about R1 000.

Apps are then classified by category. There are rules that apply for each category, including the safety of the content, especially for minors. Another serious issue to be aware of is Apple's intolerance for apps built to generate revenue outside of their app store purchasing process. Apple sees this as using their store to sell products without paying the digital rent. For example, apps can't be bought in a Kindle; books can only be read.

A 30% revenue payment is common for an app that generates revenue via the store. If customers do not use the app to make purchases, then there is no charge to have the app in the app store. However, there is still a rigorous compliance protocol to be followed whenever a company submits even an update to app stores.

Apps can provide an entire new portal of interaction and purchase opportunities for companies and customers. But the key is to always consider all the realities and variables before delving into what can be murky app waters. It's a situation of think before you leap. And always, always leave the app development to the true professionals.

Security breaches and protecting users' information are critical when building and maintaining an app.

If customers buy something in the Apple store, Apple is responsible for ensuring the customer is protected correctly. If there are specific in-app purchases from a paid-for app, security would be the dual responsibility of the developer and Apple. In the Google Play store, where consumers can make in-app purchases directly, developers are responsible for managing this.

So, when building an app, companies need to consider security on two levels; the secure location of the backend of the app, and the security of personal details of the users.

Ways to secure these include preventing SQL or database injection by protecting form validation fields when getting personal information from users.

The IT department is often the most important team player in the launch and development of an app. It is the gatekeeper of systems, content, databases, frameworks, security protocol and other important aspects of the app project.

Consider these points when working with the IT department:

* Involve the team in the project from the beginning;
* Agree on a workflow process;
* Select a champion in the department who will be responsible for channelling project questions and feedback;
* Thoroughly discuss the subscription process; and
* Get the department's input on purchase cycles.

Apps can provide an entire new portal of interaction and purchase opportunities for companies and customers.

The success of a project requires buy-in from all teams. If this is lacking, there will likely be some internal resistance, which could end up being the biggest stumbling block.

Apps have been commonplace since 2007 when the first iPhone was launched. But, often, the other systems the app may have to be compatible with are much older than that. This can often cause a headache for the team.

The application programming interface and the data format source the team builds is very important, and there will be only one chance to get it right.

Don't make any assumptions about the way things work. Best practices include:

* Ensuring backward compatibility;
* Creating documentation that is easy to read and maintain; and
* Developing projects that are easy to extend.

Forecasting the uptake of an app is also important for the company. There is no perfect way to conduct forecasting for an app. There are multiple ways to forecast, but generally, a new product is being created, and a problem is being solved that hasn't been solved before, so the company will need to rely on intuition, insight and luck.

This will affect the ability to plan for:

* Managing finances'
* Staff demands and workloads;
* Calculating resources required;
* Timing improvements and enhancements; and
* Support requirements.

Building a new app can be an exciting, groundbreaking season for a company, but planning well and making allowance for some unpredictability are essential for success. As the old adage goes: "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

In part four, I will deal with how to get users to keep coming back:

* Staying in touch with users;
* Keeping up with technology; and
* User-generated content.