App developers lead the charge online

san jose, california - Developers pull out all the stops to add value and entertainment to life

The cliche "there's an app for that" cannot be more overstated: we live in a world that actually, well, lives that concept.

The explosion of mobile devices has given an opportunity for app developers to provide any and every need that users demand or need. And with so much resources, learning opportunities and industry players ready to lend a hand, practically anyone can be part of this continuously-growing dimension.

App developers are becoming the leaders of the online world with new creative solutions and innovations being released for everyone to enjoy. In the Middle East, the developer community is slowly but surely growing with new faces emerging every day. From logistics service apps to online shopping or even gaming, these apps have come to add value and entertainment to our lives.

To encourage more people to get into this field, some of the local app developers in the region have shared their insight to the app development process. They have shared their top tips to building a successful app, some of the challenges they faced and the marketing tools necessary.


Emirati game designer and founder of Hybrid Humans Game Studio Fakhra Al Mansoori has some tips for developing apps.

Be passionate and be willing to fail: Make sure you're doing something you're truly interested and invested in, and mostly, good at. More importantly, keep in mind that you might fail on the first go, but you need to learn from every mistake to create a successful app.

"Think of it this way," says Al Mansoori, "if you don't try, there's no opportunity to succeed. Failure at anything is honestly a learning lesson to improve on the next decision you will make."

Understand the platform you are developing your application on: If you understand the capabilities of the operating system you're using, you are better-equipped to take right decisions.

For example, on iOS, Al Mansoori says: "Once you get it right on either iPhone or iPad, you're set. My recommendation is utilise the different features offered on the iOS system so you can understand user behaviour."

Be organised; celebrate the small win: Take it one step at a time, make your lists and break down the tasks you need to do for a project. The more focus you have on short-term goals, the more progress you will see taking place. You can use apps like Trello which can help you manage your work and be more diligent.

App developer and CPO of Designer-24 Samer Bejjani adds his personal take on what it takes to become a developer and how it's an ongoing process.

"There's a positive change in the app development and startup scene in the Middle East. The standards and qualities are getting higher with lots of innovation happening within the region. What's more exciting is this upward transition happened in a short period of time, so we are definitely raising the bar," he says.

And he has his own suggestions to make things work.

Keep it simple: Design for a great user experience, code for continuous development and start off by building a minimal viable product first. Stick to the minimum requirements for your first release so you can get the initial round of feedback and testing. Once you have that ready, take the most non-technical friend or family member you have and watch them work the app. Is it intuitive? What is the user experience like?

Stay up-to-date with learning tools: You never stop learning. If you are new to the iOS platform, Bejjani's advice is to "start using the latest programming language and learn to write code that works and is tested on all supported devices. Once you've done that, design a layout that is adaptive and fluid".

"Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Today, you are lucky to have access to thousands of great libraries and components," he adds.

Test, test, test: Apply a solid testing methodology whether it's automated, using focus groups or otherwise. The standard goal is: does your app meet the requirements when used by your friends and the outside community?

Joy Ajlouni, co-founder and marketing director of Fetchr, a courier service company and the first startup in the Middle East to be funded by a top venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, shares her own take.

Focus on one segment: The biggest design mistake app developers make is trying to fit too many features at the same time. Your app should have a focused purpose.

"When creating an app, the first question you need to ask yourself is what's the problem you want to solve? Focus on that one segment which will be your core business focus. If you start diluting your core value proposition, then you become everything to everyone and nothing to everyone. My advice is, make sure to stick to one thing and do it right," Ajlouni says.

Market your product: She says "word of mouth is the one of the most powerful marketing tools. We are lucky to be living in a community with big networking opportunities available to us. Once you have a good product that serves a purpose, get the word out. Go to events and make yourself known."

"Another great tool is offering your product for free. It's what we do. If you give the customers the opportunity for a free trial and they use it, then the value proposition and the cost will be much less and more valuable than assigning a budget for digital marketing."

Millions and counting
As at the first quarter of 2018, there are almost 2.03 million apps on the Apple App Store, second only to the Google Play's 3.85 million, according to Statista. Amazon had almost 433,000.

Worldwide mobile app revenues on the other hand are expected to jump from 2016's $88.3 billion to $188.9 billion in 2020, a whopping 114 per cent leap.

Ever since Apple first deployed the App Store on July 10, 2008 - armed with a humble 500 apps - a unique model was introduced. Apps generate revenue in a number of ways, including charging to use an app or access to premium features (full version), or simply by selling ad space on free ones.

Meanwhile, Forbes Middle East, quoting a study from AdColony Emea and On Device Research, reported that gaming habits among UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt users are growing, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

This is an opportunity for game developers as the $50 billion mobile gaming sector accounts for almost half of all global gaming revenue.

"Over 80 per cent of people agree they feel happy and relaxed while playing a game," Michael Ward, COO of On Device Research, was quoted in the report. "[This] is a huge opportunity for brands when trying to capture consumer attention in high-potential mobile gaming environments."

This is hugely in line with Statista data on the most popular App Store categories for May 2018: games are lording over the field with 24.93 per cent.

A distant second is business with 9.78 per cent, followed by education (8.49 per cent), lifestyle (8.32 per cent) and entertainment (6.04 per cent).

And there's no question that the overall app industry will explode. The App Annie 2017-2022 Forecast shows that four years from now, there would be 258 billion annual mobile app downloads, a 45 per cent growth from 2017, with annual consumer spend in app stores hitting $157 billion, rocketing 92 per cent from last year. On a per-device basis, that's an annual average of $26, up 23 per cent from 2017.

All those figures in a forecasted six billion mobile device install base by 2022, a 56 per cent increase from 2017.

For everyone
Health and lifestyle is also a growing segment. Apple had recently updated its Health Records section within the iOS Health app: it now helps consumers see medical information from various medical institutions organised into one view and receive notifications when data is updated.

This information will help users better understand their health history, have informed conversations with physicians and family members and make future decisions.

"Anytime you can put information in patients' and doctors' hands and allow there to be more informed decision-making, that is the best of all," says Dr Robert Harrington, a cardiologist and chairman of the department of medicine at Stanford.

And with more voices from users chiming in, developers are making sure that every demographic is catered to.

"As much as the women's software is coming from women's request, [a fitness tracker for children] is coming from family requests, saying like, 'hey, we're a family and our kids want to use them as well," Vincent Lamoureux, director of new markets at Fitbit, says.
Devices with high-end innovation, he adds, will "definitely" complement the efforts of health-conscious users.

Where there's a will, there's a way, and this concept absolutely applies to app development - and Apple took it a step further.
On May 18, the tech giant announced that it was launching a coding programme, 'Everyone Can Code', for the blind and deaf, initially in the United States and then to more schools globally.

"We created Everyone Can Code because we believe all students deserve an opportunity to learn the language of technology," Apple CEO Tim Cook said.

Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference is kicking off here; let the universe of apps - and the creativity of its makers - continue to amaze us.

- alvin@khaleejtimes.com