Mobile App Strategy: Determine App Goals

In today’s world, having a mobile app to reach your audience and support your organization’s mission is almost a business imperative. Developing the app software itself though, is just one piece of the overall project. What are you really looking to achieve with your mobile app? Defining your app goals and objectives will help steer the decisions you make throughout the project and help measure your success.

When it comes to the time and costs associated with developing a mobile app, there is a lot at stake. You’ll want to do it right the first time around. A clearly defined app strategy will help you do that by focusing your development efforts, determining priorities and streamlining decision-making. This blog series investigates the different factors that go into building a comprehensive mobile app strategy. Defining the target audience for your app is a good first step in crafting a mobile app strategy. Closely after defining your app audience, you’ll also want to get a clear handle on the goals of your app. Or, what you’re trying to achieve by going mobile. By this point in the process, you likely already have a good idea of what you want your app to do, both for your organization and your users, but writing this out will help to get everyone involved in the project on the same page.

Defining the target audience for your app is a good first step in crafting a mobile app strategy. Closely after defining your app audience, you’ll also want to get a clear handle on the goals of your app. Or, what you’re trying to achieve by going mobile. By this point in the process, you likely already have a good idea of what you want your app to do, both for your organization and your users, but writing this out will help to get everyone involved in the project on the same page.

To get you started on determining the objectives of your app, consider the following:

• What problems or pain points will your app solve? Focus on the value that your app will provide your app users as well as the value to your organization.
• How does this project connect with what you’re already doing? Are you looking to replace some type of technology or other form of communication, such as discontinuing a printed visitors guide? Maybe you are looking to supplement a legacy website with information and features that are geared towards small screens.
• Why is this app important to your users?
• How will the content and features of your app differ from your website?
• How often are you aiming to update and add new content to the app?
• Will this project require collaboration with other departments or community organizations to fully meet the needs of your audience?
• Are there goals related to monetizing the app?

By defining the overall goals of your app, you’ll determine the priorities for app layout, feature implementation and the content needed for inclusion in your app. What other goals and objectives are influencing your app development?

Come visit the blog later this week to learn more about determining the resources needed to develop and maintain your mobile app.