World renowned software applications like Zoom, Slack, and Dropbox don’t just happen. They are amongst the most used type of software called cloud softwares that is amongst the fastest-growing segments in the IT industry generating a total revenue projected to reach $482 billion by the end of 2022.
Why are these softwares loved by millions of people and why are they so popular? In this article, we will answer these questions by highlighting why software applications rock and give out simple tips for building your own software product.
Make it secure, reliable, and scalable
One of the hallmarks of popular software applications like Zoom is their demonstrated reputation of being secure, scalable, and reliable. As a matter of fact, there have been over 40 iterative changes to the teleconferencing app’s features this year alone.
Successful applications that are secure and reliable have been noted to be notorious with constant and iterative changes that keep the increasing vulnerabilities to security threats and breaches that today’s consumers face, at a minimum.
Early User Intelligence Gathering and Testing
Starting a company by first building an MVP is an important strategy in crucial feedback gathering on the solidity of a business idea and in validating the idea cheaply before substantial investment of time and money. It not only helps to avoid building a product that customers do not want but also helps you to test out incorporated features from users’ feedback before a full launch of your product.
“Every application processes and stores sensitive business information and customer data [that are] often the prime targets in a breach. A data breach leads to a loss of confidence and trust of valuable customers and tarnishes a business reputation”
Sudip SenguptaCrashtest Security
As an example of the kind of thing that effectively scales a software application to newer sets of enterprise users: last year, Slack made changes that allowed government agencies to use its software for really classified works through a new security license it got from the federal government.
If your goal for reading this article is to know how to go about building software applications that rock, make sure to do this as a step in that direction.
Determine an appropriate technology stack
Selecting a technology stack for your software application is like choosing building materials for a house. The better the reported quality of the material, the more solid your house will be and the longer it will last.
Your technology stack is comfortably the major thing you should focus on when trying to build a solid application that rocks. Since there can be no widespread acceptance of software applications that do not meet and exceed the expectation of their target users, you will need to determine an appropriate technology stack that will let you build your application with the least possible effort for the most possible outcome to have a shot at endearing your software to its audience.
Research and validate your idea with an MVP
We discussed the need and importance of building an MVP in our last blog article. It is the first step to take when trying to endear your application to your target audience.
Developing an MVP lets you test your business concepts by offering the core set of features rather than a full-blown product so that you can verify if their product concept resonates with your audience.
It provides an opportunity to change a product’s direction based on findings and feedback from your intended users. What better way is there to build a software people love and receive quick user buy-in from your core target audience than to build this kind of feedback loop?
If your software application is going to rock by endearing itself to your users, you are going to have to build an MVP first and then fine-tune the MVP with their feedback before launch.
Choose the right pricing model
A common theme amongst renowned software applications that rock is the adoption of a pricing strategy that feels natural to its audience since choosing the wrong model for pricing software can break the business and make it harder for the application to be used by a wider audience.
Although there are no hard and fast rules to choosing how to price your software, as a general rule of thumb the most natural pricing model will typically be one that users would not raise issues about.
Several renowned software companies like Dropbox for instance use a subscription-based pricing model even though it’s hardly the only option for pricing the software.
Youtube, for example, is famous for how it has remained free but monetized through advertisements placed on its creators’ videos.
Evernote, as another example, offers free note-taking and cross-device synchronization. But you can also pay to sync across additional devices and store more data in the cloud.
Final thougths
Building a software application that everybody loves is hard but not impossible and when done right, the effect of the success can propel its founder to new heights in their entrepreneurial journey. As we’ve highlighted in this article, some things are common in the story of software applications that end up pushing their founders to success and a good way to increase the likelihood of your own application’s success is to learn about them and apply as you go.
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