Mobile App Maker: Will a DIY Tool Work for Your Business?

A mobile app maker can look like a straightforward way to turn your business idea into an app. You choose a layout, add your information and start putting the screens together. Before spending time on it, though, you need to know whether the tool can support what your customers and team actually need to do.

For some businesses, an app-building tool may be a practical choice. Others need more help with the design, the steps behind each screen or the way information moves through the business. The useful comparison is whether each option can deliver a complete, manageable service.

1. What is a mobile app maker?

In this article, a mobile app maker means a tool that helps you create an app without writing all the code yourself. You might arrange ready-made screens, add forms and choose what should happen when someone taps a button.

Some tools start with templates. Others give you more freedom to put the app together. The available options, publishing arrangements and level of help differ, so check the particular service you are considering.

You still need to decide how the app should work. Someone has to choose the information customers will see, write the instructions and work out what happens after a request is sent. A tool can help you build those steps, but your business needs to define them.

That does not mean doing everything yourself is a bad idea. It means allowing time for the decisions and setup as well as choosing the colours and adding your logo.

2. Can it handle what your customers need?

Imagine a small furniture business that makes chairs and tables to order. Customers send messages asking about sizes, timber finishes and prices. The owner wants an easier way to collect the details needed for a quote.

A product catalogue could show the furniture and examples of previous work. The next question is what happens when someone wants a particular combination.

Can they choose a table size, select a finish and explain anything unusual about the order? Can the business tell which options they selected? Can a customer ask about a size that is not on the list?

Write down the essential steps and check them against the tool before building the full app. Use an ordinary enquiry from your business as the example, rather than trying to judge from a sample screen made for a different type of company.

Also consider how often customers would use an installed app. If most people only need to view your work and request one quote, a clear website may be enough. Our article on whether a business app is worth the investment can help with that earlier decision.

3. Try a complete customer task

Build a small working example before spending hours filling the app with products. For the furniture business, that could be one table with a few size and finish choices.

Follow the enquiry from the customer's first tap to the details the business receives:

• Choose the product: can someone understand the available options and select what they want?
• Send the request: does the form explain what information is needed and what happens next?
• Receive the details: does the business get the product, choices and contact information together?
• Handle a mistake: can the customer correct a missing or incorrect detail without starting again?

Try the example on the phones your customers use, including Android and iPhone where both matter. Ask someone unfamiliar with the setup to use it. Watch where they hesitate and check that you can understand the request they send.

This helps you judge the whole process. A good-looking product screen is useful, but the business still needs a clear enquiry it can respond to.

If you know what customers should be able to do but are unsure how to put the steps together, contact BuildMyApp. Tell us how you handle the task today, and we can help you work through a suitable app design and approach.

4. Understand the ongoing costs

Look at the cost of using the finished app as well as the cost of trying the builder. Check the current plan details for the features your example needs.

Ask what is included in the regular subscription, what would cost extra and whether the price changes as more people use the app. Check the arrangements for publishing, sending updates and getting support. If your app needs another paid service, include that in the comparison too.

For the furniture business, the useful question is the cost of running its actual quote-request process. A cheaper plan that leaves out an essential part will not be a complete solution.

Count your own time as well. Photographing products, entering information, learning the tool and checking the result all need attention. If you pay someone to help with setup, ask which ongoing tasks you will still be responsible for.

Do the same when comparing a development quote. Ask what the initial work covers and what you would pay for support, changes and any services needed after launch.

5. Check what happens if you leave

Before committing to a service, find out what you could keep or move if your needs change.

Be specific about what an export includes. It might mean your customer records, a file customers can install or an editable project that someone else could continue working on. Those are different things, so ask what is available and what would be needed to move elsewhere.

Check who controls the account, who can access the business information and how you would keep a usable copy of important records. If someone helps you build the app, agree how you will get access to the accounts and materials you need.

Also ask what happens if you cancel or move to a cheaper plan. Find out whether the app can keep working, whether you can send updates and which features would change. Get the answer for the service and plan you would actually use.

You do not need to expect a problem to ask these questions. Knowing the arrangements helps you make a more informed choice.

6. When having an app built makes more sense

Getting help is worth considering when an essential part of your process is difficult to achieve or maintain with the tool you have tried.

The furniture business might need quote requests to work with its existing order records. Staff might need different access from customers. Or the choices shown to a customer might need to change depending on the product they select.

Describe the requirement and ask how it would be handled. Some ideas can be achieved with an app-building tool and experienced setup help. Others may suit more individual design and development. Ask to see how the proposed approach would work before committing to the full project.

If you choose to work with a developer, compare the complete service and the support you will need. Our guide to choosing the right app developer for your business explains what to look for in that conversation.

The best mobile app maker for your situation is one that fits the work your app needs to do and the time you can give it. Start with a small, complete example so you can judge both.

BuildMyApp provides mobile app design and development for Android and iPhone. If you would like help turning your idea into a working app, tell us what your customers need and how your business would handle their requests.