MAKE YOUR DECISION BASED ON YOUR MVP
Your long-term goal may be to develop on both Android and iOS, but from a time and cost standpoint,it is simply more efficient to begin with one. Begin by outlining the minimum needs for viability, which includes one not two. In addition, follow the key feature guidelines of an MVP as shared by Techopedia:- It provides enough value that people are willing to use it and/or buy it after its launch;
- It demonstrates sufficient future benefit to retain these early adopters; and
- It provides a feedback loop that helps to guide ongoing development.
DEFINE YOUR DEMOGRAPHIC
If you haven’t yet clearly defined your demographic now is the time. Focus on the age group, interests, geographic location, and current device adoption rate. It is far too broad to focus on the overall global demographic, to which Android beats iOS by a landslide. However, this can vary greatly by country or region. According to IDC.com, Android holds an impressive 85% of the market share, with iOS at just over 14%. That might make it appear as though Android app development is the surefire way to go, but you must dig a bit deeper. If you look at North America and the UK, iOS dominates the market,while Android dominates in Asia, Australia, Africa, and South America. So, you must take your geographic launch into consideration. Aside from the continent, country, and region you will be testing first,you must consider that iOS users in most countries are 5 times or likely to download apps, and represents 45% of the paid app and in-app purchases. This speaks to the financial demographic you are targeting. In many cases, Android technology is less expensive up front. However, this does not ring true across the board. Due to the diversity of overall mobile technology, Android market share in many Asian countries is so high that developing Android first may be the best way to reach your desired market. If you are developing an app for internal use, such as an employee scheduling app, you will certainly need to develop both apps back-to-back. Start by sending out a survey to determine user adoption for your beta test area and select the operating system with the higher saturation as your initial app.DON'T FORGET YOUR MVP IS A TEST
Even if budget is not an option, you want to make responsible spending decisions. By identifying who and where your ideal customer is, and which operating system they prefer,you will save a significant amount of money working out the bugs by launching your apps one at a time. As the bugs are worked out, you implement changes based on consumer feedback, and as you add on a few more of the features on your long-term product or service selection,you can launch your second app confident in its ability to wow your customers.CHECK OUT THE COMPETITION
Your app might be unique, but you must check out the competition. This is helpful in determining your MVP, ongoing features, and what customers want,but also in helping you understand which similar and/or industry apps have the most downloads. If your app is for highly localized use, this is even more important. For example, an app to help you find health restaurants in a limited service area. For regional or global apps, check out the competition in prime service areas. This will help you to determine where to launch first, and in whether you should move forward with Android or iOS app development for your MVP phase.
