Preplanning Makes Easy Execution: App Planning Guide
by Eli Merrell | Last Updated: Jan 10, 2022
Here at Lumavate we love taking care of our customers. So much so that not only have we created a user-friendly no-code app building platform, we’ve also taken it a step further and published a design guide tool. Our Studio is super easy to use and we realize the hardest part now (since there is no coding) is the planning. So don’t worry, we’ve thought of everything we just need your brilliant ideas! 💡The 5 W’s of App BuildingTo get started it’s important to think about the end-user. This will guide everything about your PWA from content to activation strategy.Who is your app for? What will users expect from the app? Where will users be when they activate the app? When will they need this app? Why would they come back? All great questions to ask yourself in the beginning because one answer could drastically change your app. Thinking about your user in the beginning, will help make smaller decisions down the road. You’ve already thought about where a user will be when they activate you so you know which activation method will best serve them. You know what will keep them coming back for more so you’ll be ready to roll out exclusive content in the future. You came prepared, *hair flip* 💁♀️Set It and Forget ItOne of my favorite parts of our platform is the Branding section. Here you can set up your branding and then forget about it. Select a font and color palette and then move on. No need to reference your HEX codes on a scratch piece of paper on your desk every time you need to enter your perfect shade of purple. Set it once and then we’ll pull it up every time you need to choose a color. Navigation StationDon’t forget about navigation. We’ve got all the right options. Header, footer, FAB? Take your pick! Like we said before, keep your user in mind and choose the best navigation style for you and them! Once you’ve picked how you’ll navigate it’s time to think about what you’re navigating to. Are you keeping users inside the app with internal links only or are you ready to have them step out and link to an external site? Mapping out where you’re linking will make sure you don’t leave anything behind! Get your ducks in a row 🦆Now the real fun starts, content! Time to get into the weeds of it all and start thinking about what will actually be in your app. Sure it’s great to have pictures, but which ones and where are they? Start thinking about which images, videos, and audio you want to include to really make your PWA pop. Now go out and find them or make them so you’re ready to plug and play once you’re in the Studio. This goes for social media too. Want to embed your live Twitter feed, DO IT! It’s as easy as adding the Component to a page and then typing in your Twitter handle. The Final DetailsNow that you’ve planned out every detail and collected all of your assets it’s time for the finishing touches. Get your team in place, who should have access to the Studio? Have you decided whose job it will be to release new content or fix errors as they are noticed? Layout a clear plan of attack for keeping your app up to date so nothing will fall through the cracks. We suggest running through one final checklist before yelling from the mountain tops you’ve got an awesome app. Double-check all of your links are connected, do all of your menus work correctly, no pesky grammar errors, images are mobile-ready and for good measure just a quick walk-through of the user experience to make sure it’s flawless. ✔️Now it’s time to hit that amazing green Publish button. Man, it feels good but the work isn’t over. Get ready to put your activation strategy to work. And you’ve thought about this before, remember back at the top of this blog when we were asking big questions about your app and your customer. Just think back to those answers and you’ll know what to do!Let Your App Amaze YouNow that you’ve built your app and released it to the world don’t forget to keep an eye on the numbers. Monitor your activations, page views and other key data points so you can see the health of your app. Psst…I bet your customer will even tell you what they like and don’t if you listen to the numbers closely. Now that you’ve planned it all out it’s time to get to building! We can’t wait to see what you create! 🚜
Meet with one of our experts to see how easy it is to centralize your product data, manage digital assets, and create digital product experiences. Trust us…you’re going to be wowed.
