Introduction
When a company decides on launching a new product to the market, it is either the beginning of a great success story or a total disaster. The reason for planning and having realistic strategies when launching a product is to avoid unexpected disasters. Therefore, a company should put all its attention and care on the product’s planning, implementation, and progress (Sharon & Dori 2017). Similarly, for the product launch to be successful, the existing facility should conduct market research, create specific goals and objectives and achieve them (Huynh, Ghimire, & Truong, 2017). In addition, understanding the challenges that come with launching a product is a crucial factor that enables the success of the product launch. Finally, a strategy should be formed showing how to reach potential buyers or customers of the new product, and with some of the marketing strategies that we have put in place, we believe that the product launch will be a success.
Conducting various activities online has become a crucial part of everyone’s life in the pandemic we face. That is why our company has decided to create an online app that will effectively enable teachers and students to manage critical processes in the digital setting. The online app will ensure that the potential users will reach their goals within the deadlines for them, and they can also schedule essential tasks while they are still in touch.
For our online startup app, we considered the vital things that could be boring and thus chose a productivity suite to take care of such things (Huynh, Ghimire, & Truong, 2017). Google workspace is our priority due to the excellent quality service it offers, and now we get to have a reliable email account, productivity tools, and cloud storage. Furthermore, having a productivity suite now becomes straightforward to be noticed by potential clients, assuring them of our reliability.
After getting a productivity suite, our app will need a website that will help in business. There are numerous platforms for building sites, and the company should be careful when choosing an effective platform. The company should make the website to the clients’ liking to facilitate effective customer relationship management. After conducting a thorough market survey, the company saw a great opportunity in creating such an app because similar apps are minor, thus posing as a less competitive app (Sharon & Dori 2017).
By analyzing the progress and functionality of another similar app, the company can create an app with better features than the existing apps. Similar apps have proven to be doing well in the market, and adding to the competition will make a healthy market. In its ideation stage, the company concentrated on knowing our customers’ persona and the level of our competitors (Huynh, Ghimire, & Truong, 2017). Online classes are becoming an excellent choice for most schools ever since the pandemic started, and the company is using the advantage to enter the market with the online app. The app will support students and teachers with its unique features.
A product should be one that the customers love instantly, and the right features will capture the attention of any potential customer. Parts of the app should be able to support any client in the best way. On many occasions’ individuals and companies incorporate features that they think are cool for the app’s creation. Still, the components do not promote a good user experience (Huynh, Ghimire, & Truong, 2017). The product users should have an intuitive and enjoyable interaction and consider the proposition value of features (Sharon & Dori 2017). The app should make money for the company and get more monetary advantage; the company is incorporating Ads, creating in-app purchases, and encouraging pay and use.
Problem or Opportunity Addressed by the Product
Mobile apps have become a must-have in most businesses today because there are several business problems that mobile apps can solve. The online app created by the company will be a great helper in business and entrepreneurship by solving some of their problems. With such an app, a business has systematic management of data and effective processing. Businesses and entrepreneurs enjoy a well-organized system with well-maintained benefits when using the app (Huynh, Ghimire, & Truong, 2017).
The online app will facilitate data management, and any individual using the app can send and receive information regardless of distance or location. Streamlining business operations is very important, and the app that our company is launching will help streamline processes (Sharon & Dori 2017). By creating such an app, the users can avoid errors during data entry and ensure that data is secure when in motion around the company. The app has been designed to efficiently manage and process data which helps users save money and time.
With our online app, users experience improved customer relationships and create convenience in their lives. Online apps have become a necessity to most individuals because of their capabilities and effectiveness, and by launching the app, many will benefit (Huynh, Ghimire, & Truong, 2017). The app will display the content quickly and smoothly without interruption, prompting it to be loved by many. An online app should give a user quality experience, which will improve the relationship between the customer and the owners (Sharon & Dori 2017). By using this app, businesses will be able to improve their strategies in the market and facilitate target customers with easy access. The powerful features incorporated into the app will help users integrate people, products, data, and services.
The company creates an online app that will connect various parties involved in an economic environment. Link up all supply chains, identify threats hindering an entrepreneur’s success in the market and minimize risks. The services provided by the app will ensure that no resources are wasted on correcting communication errors and supply chain disruption (Sharon & Dori 2017). The app will not significantly change the company in its first stages, but its success and positive effects will show (Huynh, Ghimire, & Truong, 2017).
When the company uses the app for online startups, any disruption, data errors, or interruptions, the app will inform all the parties involved in the company’s supply chain management process. With this app, a company can effectively market new products by giving detailed information about their latest developments in the online app. The app aims to solve the problem of marketing new products of a business effectively.
Companies have the opportunity to dive deep into targeted clients, and this provides new tactics for the company to practice marketing of new products. Developing an online app gives the company a marketing tool that is effective and convenient. Marketing products online reach a larger population, and most companies term it an effective marketing tool (Sharon & Dori 2017). Many people are nowadays opting for remote working, and such an app provides an arena for efficient remote working, thus being embraced by many. With many people working from home during this pandemic, businesses find it hard to maintain staff and keep them updated with any necessary information from the company (Huynh, Ghimire, & Truong, 2017). The app facilitates the effective maintenance of remote workers, thus making work easier for the business.
Anyone working online can still connect to the company because of the online app, and they are up to date with the current technology. The app creates a strong connection between team members and also improves the satisfaction of a customer.
Company’s Culture and Competitive Marketplace
The company’s culture promotes interactions and robust connectivity, and the product to be launched will go in line with the culture. The app will engage customers and provide them with a simple way to access products and services, thus improving a good relationship between the company and its customers. The app will enhance communication because all staff in the company will have a unified communication system, and they are always up to date on any information (Huynh, Ghimire, & Truong, 2017).
With a sound communication system facilitated by the online app, unclear deadlines of projects become less. Such an app will ensure that everyone in the company is on the same page and getting the same information, thus creating a unified and good working environment. When all personnel in a company uses a similar app, communication can be done over several operating systems and devices, creating a solid communication bridge.
As more workers resolve to work remotely, collaborating becomes a problem when they are not all in the same place. Such a challenge has a solution by the online app that enables people in different areas to collaborate. They can even communicate through images or videos to make it more effective (Sharon & Dori 2017). The app increases the efficiency of a workplace because work processes are streamlined and thus improving the company’s performance and productivity.
Such an app in a company ensures that employees access training resources and can interchange specific knowledge, and through this, they can perfect their skills. Employees learn everything about the company’s business operations through such an app, and if they don’t understand anything, they have to ask through the app. Team morale increases when the app is in use in a company because of the unity among the workers, and the employees get information and feedback immediately.
The culture of an organization is flexible and thus integrated with this app. Getting a good app can be complicated, but it is always worth it because of its vast benefits. First, the app will uplift the company’s culture by managing customer inquiries, allocating tasks to team members, tracking communication, and organizing and analyzing leads. Such an app enables companies to know more about their competitors and their position in the global marketplace (Sheiko, 2017).
Information is now one of the most critical products that every company should have to stay high in the competitive world of business. The app will provide information to the company and its users, making it a helpful app in the competitive world. Third, the app reinforces cohesion and communication in the company, thus boosting its competitive advantage, resulting in its value in the target market (Sharon & Dori 2017). Finally, when the company launches the application, it will attract good partners and potential customers, leading to the expansion of the supply chain with more diversified products and services.
Powerful tools like the app help leaders in the company understand the culture, work processes, and progress, thus enabling them to get ahead of challenges and solve them before it prevents the company from succeeding. The app also allows the employees and customers to provide feedback anonymously, which is safe. The anonymous feedback is always sincere, and the company uses it to address growth barriers and several other challenges. The app will facilitate a better work environment by providing an efficient and fast platform for business activities and transactions (Sharon & Dori 2017). Culture is the critical foundation of success; hence, the app’s improvement to the company’s culture will result in great success. The app will bring all people together, creating a solid relationship and effective communication channels. People working together in a comfortable environment made possible by such an app facilitates a high-performing company.
Approach
The company should have a framework and specific approaches towards building the app to get a powerful and effective app. Many companies would love to gain big from the large amounts of money that app generates, but they do not have the skill to create one successfully (Sheiko, 2017). An effective app development process should provide an app that will succeed a company in the competitive landscape. By following specific development processes, the app will be a great success for the company. Here are six steps to follow for the company to gain success in the app initiative. First, the strategy should be adequately definite to facilitate evolving ideas to a realistic and flourishing app (Sharon & Dori 2017). When outlining plans, the company should identify the targeted users, do thorough research on competition, create the app’s objectives and goals, and select an appropriate platform for the app.
The company should know that the average cost of developing an app is $100,000 to $200,000, and the development process can take five to eight months. With the strategies in place, the company does an analysis and planning, which entails defining the requirements of the app and grouping the prioritized requirements into delivery milestones (Sheiko, 2017). The app development team should identify the skills that will help increase the success of the app development initiative. Selecting features for the app that will benefit the users and can be adopted quickly gives the app a good reputation. UI/UX Design ensures an excellent user experience hence attracting more users.
The users will always be in one engagement or the other when using the app because of the app’s user-friendly, intuitive, and interactive advantages. During the app development, several tests are in use to determine its effectiveness. There is user experience testing where the company will choose a sample of users to use the app and give feedback. Their feedback will provide a first-hand impression of the end-users.
Functional testing is done on the app to determine the accuracy of its functionality. Functionality tests should be conducted on several users to ensure the company results and covers various testing conditions. The functional test ensures that the app will not have any issues (Sheiko, 2017). The app’s performance also undergoes a test to determine how well the app responds to users and how fast the loading in the screen goes. It also determines whether the app is causing memory leaks or drains the device’s battery. The size of the app also to the users, and choosing the most appropriate size is essential for its success. The app should always assure its users of security, and that is why security testing is a must in its development process. The users should be sure that their information is secure and free from hacks.
Methodology and Planning
Key steps should come in place when implementing the app. After doing a thorough research and developing the app, the company should successfully launch the app. The app might take considerable time and resources in its development stages and throwing, but the returns are much more (Sheiko, 2017). The app should proliferate due to a range of customers who have proven to be willing to create startups. Agile methodology is what the company chose to ideally develop the app because it ensures risk minimization and enables a client to have complete control of the process. With agile methodology, the app goes through concept creation, inception, construction, release, production lastly, maintenance, and support (Sharon & Dori 2017). With elegance, the app goes through thorough planning, can undergo quick changes, and ensure that the company is constantly in touch with the client. The agile methodology ensures that the app is fully-fledged and functions effectively.
Gantt chart
A Gantt chart is a very crucial tool in any project any all program management. Tasks are on the vertical axis, and the horizontal axis holds the activity duration or time interval. The chart helps identify milestones and progress monitoring, thus showing the deadlines of specific tasks (Sharon & Dori 2017). Using the Gantt chart in the project development allows the company to quickly know that functions are falling behind schedule, acting on them appropriately. After successfully launching the app, the company should follow up on its progress to identify any challenges and correct them before they worsen.
Conclusion
For a successful launch of the app, the company should create an air of excitement and expectation in the strategic market by organizing a pre-launch. The app going viral will help build anticipation among potential clients (Sharon & Dori 2017). The company should involve the targeted clients in contests and giveaways that market the app to attain this. Creativity can do wonders in the app’s marketing because it ensures that people are interested in the product and are anxious to try it out (Sheiko, 2017).
The company should position the app’s website well on every search engine to ensure that potential clients view the app. A company should nurture a potential customer, and their interest in the app will grow with time, and remarketing the app will help encourage them. Using effective ways to spread information about the new app like word of mouth will help grow and develop the app. The app should have outstanding features that will attract potential customers and enable its growth and increase its benefits to the company and the community. In addition, the app’s customer service should be practical and offer the customer the experience they need.
References
Huynh, M., Ghimire, P., & Truong, D. (2017). Hybrid app approach: Could it mark the end of native app domination? Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, 14, pp. 049-065.
Sharon, A., & Dori, D. (2017). Model‐Based Project‐Product Lifecycle Management and Gantt chart Models: A Comparative Study. Systems engineering, 20(5), 447-466.
Sheiko, D. (2017). Cross-platform desktop application development: Electron, Node, NW. js, and react. Packt Publishing Ltd.