The popularity of mobile business apps and consumer-based mobile apps has grown tremendously within the last decade. App stores that may have once started with a select few applications developed by mobile companies have now grown to include millions of different apps covering any topic or subject you can think of. In fact, hundreds of new mobile applications show up in different app stores each day, either developed by companies, brands or any other personal coder who has the creativity and resources to create their own mobile application.
Because of this growth and popularity of mobile applications, a number of different mobile platforms have sprung up in order to house all of the apps that developers are creating and to give developers choices when it comes to who they want to use their application and what platform they want to build their app around. For instance, popular platforms include iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Symbian and much more.
However, if you are thinking of creating your first business mobile app, how do you determine which mobile platform will be best for your app development? To help you determine which option is best for you, here are a few tips for choosing the best mobile platform for your business app.
Identify Your Audience
One of the biggest determining factors when it comes to which mobile platform you should create your app around is your audience. For instance, if you are targeting the mass market and do not want to limit the users that will be able to download your app, you want to make sure that you are going after the most popular platforms, such as iPhone and Android. If you want to primarily appeal to the business community, you may want to focus on more corporate-based platforms, such as Blackberry. However, if you want a private app that is only available to employees or select users, you would probably be more comfortable using a private app store to host your different apps. This is why it’s important to keep your audience in mind when choosing your mobile platform.
Decide What Type Of Features You Want To Include
Another factor to consider when choosing your mobile app platform is the type of features you want to incorporate inside your enterprise mobile application. Some technical features may only work on certain platforms, or some platforms may have a significant advantage over others when it comes to impressive graphics or flash features. Therefore, create a rough outline of the type of features that you want to include in your mobile app, then look at which platforms best support these features.
Keep An Eye On The Future
Because the future of mobile enterprise apps is still growing and evolving every single day, it’s important that you have an eye on the future when determining which type of mobile platform you would like to use. For instance a few years ago, Microsoft and BlackBerry were considered leaders in the world of mobile technology and development. However, these brands are now used by a niche base of users. New favorites like Google Android have slowly begun to step into the spotlight. Therefore, consider the long-term future of your app when deciding what mobile platform to use.
What do you think is the most important factor in deciding which mobile platform is best for your business mobile app? Do you choose to make your app available to everyone, or do you prefer the privacy of your own app store?
If you’re looking to develop a mobile app, the team at 7T is ready to help. Our team takes great pride in our ability to leverage cutting-edge technologies in our custom software and mobile app development projects. Our developers are experts in creative UI/UX design, mobile security and mobile analytics.
Based in Dallas, 7T maintains regional offices located in Chicago and Houston. To discuss your development project, contact the team today!
