There’s a huge opportunity for companies of today to gain a competitive edge by building mobile applications. Consumers everywhere now have access to information in their everyday lives like never before and they want the same on the enterprise side. In addition, few limitations remain when using a smartphone to get work done, and to connect to customers and partners, no matter what the size of a business.

Still, companies are often overwhelmed by the demand for apps and frequently don’t know where to start. “All of the sudden, it becomes such a daunting task,” says Kishore Khandavalli, the CEO of SevenTablets, which delivers end-to-end mobile solutions for businesses. With this in mind, Khandavalli has broken down a strategy for building mobile apps at your business into four simple steps:

1. Ask the right questions

Not asking questions is how you end up wasting your time and building the farthest thing from a mobile “solution.” Before you attempt to build an app, sit down and answer the following:

• Who is going to be accessing the app? (Employees? Customers?)

• Where is the application needed? (Should it be accessible offline?)

• What information should be included? (Back-end data?)

• What devices will it need to support? (iOS? Android? Both?)

2. Don’t include your entire website

A major mistake companies make with mobile application development is thinking it’s okay to simply turn their website into an app. According to Khandavalli, it would take five mobile applications to successfully house the average web site. His advice is to “cut a lot.” Remember that a user’s attention span with a mobile device is substantially lower than someone on a laptop or desktop and they are more likely to be on the move. The app must provide value instantly.

3. Make it easy on the user

The user interface of your app must be simple. Avoid a lot of functionality and pages. A well-designed app needs no user manual. It should be clean and to the point, says Khandavalli. In addition, keep in mind that mobile app users are truly all thumbs. Do everything you can to eliminate typing within the app. Instead, incorporate swipes and clicks into the navigation as much as possible.

4. Release and make improvements

Mobile apps should not be one and done. Once you’ve put out your application, Khandavalli recommends that you do some due diligence and analyze what is and isn’t working. When do people sign out? What page are they on when this exit happens? It’s also wise to solicit user feedback within the app. Take the information you gather and use it to improve and iterate the app. Khandavalli says releasing an updated version every three months or so is sufficient.

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