Introduction
This is the best moment for social media. Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, and a myriad of others have evolved beyond basic recognition to separate markets of influence.
In the meantime, they’ve been able to develop websites into multi-platform applications. While creating a similar app to Facebook is easy, attracting 2 billion users isn’t. It’s nearly impossible, in fact. What makes it so difficult to turn an innovative social media platform into an effective business?
The answer is obvious. It’s all in the value that your application can bring for the users. The power of social media lies in the connections that people create and maintain with its assistance. If you’re still looking at building your own mobile social network, then keep reading.
In this article, we’re going to show you how to build an application for a social media starting point, how to start and what the MVP will cost.
Market research and target audience
In general, users are more likely to use the same applications they regularly use. This is particularly relevant when it comes to social media. Of course, there are those who download the app just for fun; however, nobody is likely to return to a bare Facebook with the original app with all their acquaintances and friends.
For your ideas to be successful, they must be backed by a solid foundation. Don’t attempt to get a grasp of everyone around the globe; instead, narrow your attention to a certain market segment and research its requirements. Perhaps the top market players in the world have been identified, but there are many areas to explore.
The most common issue that troubles every start-up is “to iOS or to Android?”
The platform you select to use for your social media app development is decided by the audience you intend to target.
As an example, Android holds the 80.7 percent market share across the globe, compared to 17.7 percent for iOS. However, Apple has a loyal users’ community that is more interested in offering the chance to innovative products. Additionally, iOS applications still bring double the amount of revenue.
While iOS has a relatively simple launch process and better profits from advertising, the process of developing an Android application requires more time and money. It’s also difficult to ensure that your app runs across various Android devices.
However, regardless of the platform you select, the IDAP team at IDAP adheres to native application development. It permits reaching the top performance levels and ensures that the UI/UX is in line with the specifications for the OS and ensures that all processes operate smoothly.
Authorization
When you introduce users to the app, it is crucial to make sure they have the ability to create a personal account using an email address or already existing accounts on social networks. In the case of an MVP, choosing an option for social media is the quickest alternative.
However, it is contingent on your personal feelings about connecting a social media site to your application. There is no harm when you’re developing an application that is niche. But if your goal is to take on Facebook and its ilk and competitors, then opting for the integration of social media is not an option.
User profile
Users should be able to edit, add the information, modify, or remove the information they add to their profile, e.g., the profile picture or date of birth, interest likes, friends and so on.
User page
In addition to having a personal profile, the user has to create a page that displays their personal information as well as all the content they have posted as well as the most recent updates.
Posting
Social media are all about being unique and displaying the individuality of a person through posts in text, videos, photos, or even audio. So publishing is probably the most effective characteristic of any social media.
Feedback
Another key aspect for any social media app is interaction between the user group. Making comments, offering feedback on posts, or liking or disliking content—all of it can make users stay a little less.
The addition of features to tag an individual conversation partner, attach media content to a post, or republish something will increase the chance of winning over the viewers.
News feed
This feed will be the very first page that users see when they launch the app. Since it’s the screen that is main, users can update their profile, read the most recent news, leave comments and likes, and more.
Our team will focus on the alignment of every component to ensure it remains within the framework of the application’s style. We strive to create amazing and consistent user experiences.
In-app messages
As an MVP message feature, it can be incorporated in the same way as texting. As the app grows in popularity, it is possible to add stickers, gifs and other content for engagement.
Communities and events
In addition to displaying their talents, individuals are interested in meeting those who share their passions. Being able to join communities or to organize events is another unique feature of any social network.
Search
When more and more users are engaged with your app, they’ll be curious about who else is using the app. Give users the chance to locate others by name or age, as well as interest and location, as well as any additional filters that you consider helpful.
Take into consideration the possibility of multi-language support.
If you intend to remain within the boundaries of your home country, there’s no need to provide multi-language support for the application. If you’re looking to expand your reach into the world market, you must remember that a large portion of the users are located in Europe in the Asia Pacific regions. A version of your app that is only available in English can reduce your exposure in international markets, thereby reducing your market share globally.
It is crucial to think about localization in the initial stages of creating an application, as the design heavily depends on the content in the application. The languages vary in terms of duration of grammar, word syntax, punctuation, and syntax. If you’re looking to create a cohesive and stylish application, ensure that the design is capable of being flexible.
Test
Once the MVP is completed, then it’s time to test using the aid of a select audience. The MVP has the minimum essential features required by the intended users to evaluate the application.
When you create the social media application as a prototype MVP and then turn it into a final product, you can save both time and cash. After you have received a review of the app, you can make changes and improve it. We will implement missing features and improve your user’s experience.
It is important to note that testing is an ongoing process. There will be a constant stream of new updates to keep up with the latest platforms and operating systems.
Estimate the estimated cost of the MVP of a social media application.
There’s no method to determine how much time and effort the creation of a social media application will require. There’s no set price for such apps; for sure, the cost of development is contingent on the business you choose to hire along with the complexity and number of features you want to incorporate into your product.