Mobile Product Management

The Guide to Mobile Product Management 2
Mobile Product Management

The aim of this guide is to aid mobile product managers in successfully
managing a mobile product from creation to release to post-launch.
From tackling platform decisions to knowing when to outsource your
app, this guide is an all-encompassing resource providing information
and tips on every facet of mobile product management.
Table of Contents
The Mobile Product Manager Page 3
The Basics Page 4

Making a timeline
Pick one, build, and learn
Native vs. Web Apps
Platform Decisions
Use Cases
Internal App Development Page 11
Outsourcing Development Page 16
Launching and Planning Releases Page 20
Managing the Product Page 25
Measuring and Benchmarking Page 27
Managing Up the Organization Page 30
Expansion Page 31
Reflection Page 33
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
The Mobile Product Manager

The role and requirements
of a mobile product manager
are, simply put, vast. Product
managers must live and breathe
their product. They must assume
the identity of the product, be
invested emotionally, file more
bugs than anyone else, and
forget about the concept of
vacation months prior to any
launch. A product manager
should be an amateur architect
- able to conceive from start to
finish what needs to be done
to create a successful mobile
product and how to do it.
What does success look like for a mobile product manager?
Success is meeting the milestones that you have mapped out and
committed to. It is getting a functional product out the door according to
plan. Success is understanding how the product fares in the market, and
being able to adjust properly, pivot, and quickly make decisions based
off of customer feedback and general performance.
Numerically, success can be based on a certain amount of revenue

earned each month or continually growing your daily active customers.
No matter what your goals are, having clearly defined expectations will
help in every stage of app development, launch, and management.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
The Basics
Making a Timeline
Every mobile product manager can benefit by creating a timeline for the
mobile app. The timeline maps out the various stages and deadlines of
the project. Being critical and creating a timeline is an important aspect
to staying on track and getting the product out the door on time.
App Stages Tasks

Customer Research Native or Web App
1 month iOS, Android, or Both
Outsource vs. In-house
App development Wireframe, Design, Code

3-8 months & Test
Beta Launch (MVP) Get feedback, fix the app,

1 month and apply polish
Foreign Country Launch Get feedback, final fixes,

1 month and apply polish
Offical Launch Celebrate

(... and then get back to work)
First Update Cycle

(get feedback, improve, update)
Repeat Cycle
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Pick one platform, build the app, and learn*
Whichever platform you chose for your mobile app, choose only one.
There will be mistakes but its important for the mistake to only be
made once, and if possible, only in one place.
As a mobile product manager you must be willing and open to being

wrong. There will be problems. It is how you learn from the mistakes
and make sure they dont happen again that matter. This is why picking
a single platform to build an app is the most efficient use of time. On
one platform you can focus your resources, quickly gather feedback,
make changes, and roll out a new version quicker than on two
platforms.
When time and money are are issues you dont want to have to fix the
same problem twice on two different platforms.
* This concept mainly applies to companies who do not have the resources to
undergo app development on multiple platforms at the same time. If you have the
time, money, and resources and find value in building for both platforms then do so
at the same time.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Do you build a native app right away?
Sometimes the right route to for app development doesnt begin with a
native mobile app.
If you are unclear of the value of a mobile app and how people will use
it, choosing to build a mobile website first may be the best course of
action. With this method you can test whether or not your product has a
market fit before spending the time and money on developing a native
application.
There are plenty of situations where native is clearly the right choice
from the beginning. Native apps are necessary when taking advantage
of uniquely mobile capabilities such as a functional offline product and
having a strong in-app purchase flow.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE CLASSIC NATIVE APP VS. WEB APP DEBATE:
WEB VS. NATIVE

+ PROS + PROS
Develop single version that runs on Functions offline
multiple platforms. Full access to unique mobile
Instantly update on server side for capabilities (GPS, camera, push
rapid deployment notifications, etc.)
Cheaper development Better control of UI and customer
experience
- CONS: - CONS:
Requires internet connection More expensive
Bad performance on low quality Longer development time
connections Slower deployment via App Stores
Limited control over customer
experience inside broswer
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Desktop vs. Mobile
Avoid simply porting your existing website, web app, or

desktop application over to mobile. Instead, transfer only
the most important parts of the site to the mobile app. What
would a customer want to be able to accomplish in 5 minutes
while waiting for the bus?
There is a huge difference between desktop and mobile

experiences. Trying to incorporate all the features of your
website into your app will result in a clunky, inoperable app
not designed for the mobile consumer. Your mobile product
should be a streamlined product that utilizes only the
necessary features that mobile consumers need.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
iOS or Android
This is the endless argument in mobile development. A couple of years

ago iOS owned this debate, but with the revamp of Google Play, the
improvement in Android smartphones, and almost all major apps
available on both platforms the decision has become more difficult.
There have been countless arguments on this debate, but it really comes
down to one thing. What platform does the majority of your target
audience use? If you make a killer iOS app but your target audience is
primarily on Android youll have made the wrong decision. There is no
correct answer here, so take a look at these pros & cons for iOS and
Android:
iOS VS. Android

+ PROS + PROS
Commonly a better experience, quick Google Play - great dashboard to
& clean rendering, fewer crashes manage your apps, ability to respond
to reviews
Threading, iOS runs one app at a time,
reduces crashes Controls market share, larger
audience base
iOS device owners generally use more
Easier coding language to learn
apps
Easy to release, update, and release
iOS device owners typically spend again in a single day
more money on apps
- CONS: - CONS:
iTunes Connect is a poor app Device fragmentation - more bugs and
management system more crashes
App Store submission commonly Android audience typically spends less
takes 2+ days. hard to quickly iterate
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Cross-platform Development
Another approach takes advantage of both platforms by using cross-

platform development frameworks such as Corona, Unity3D, PhoneGap,
Titanium, Xamarin, etc. Many of these frameworks create quality apps
for both iOS and Android at the same time. However, they come with
their own kind of problems.
The amount of bugs are higher as the app is translated over to iOS and
Android - leaving you to fix bugs and translation errors for two apps.
The cross-platform frameworks run on a unique language different from
both Android and iOS. Looking to the future, it would benefit both your
app and your company to gain experience coding for iOS and Android
instead of a cross-platform language.
So, iOS or Android? - It ultimately depends on where your customers

are. Without them, it doesnt matter what you build or how you build it.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Simple use cases
It is best to build your mobile app around simple use cases. Remember,
less is more. Dont build a complicated product. Whether your app is
a game, entertainment focused, or a utility it should be simple in its
functionality and able to accomplish its task as easily as possible.
Your mobile app must be designed for mobile devices and should be
optimized to take advantage of unique mobile capabilities. Consumers
have their smartphones with them 24/7 and that gives your brand a
connection to the consumer unlike ever before. Follow these tips to
provide a positive experience for your mobile customers:
Tips
for mobile app optimization:
An Optimized Design
Easy to use registration forms & logins, large
buttons, and quick navigational abilities with a
menu or home button.
Location Tracking
A single tap to locate a consumers position,
find the closest stores, and fastest routes.
Fast Loading Features
Your app will wont be used if it loads slowly.
Social Capabilities
Allow easy sharing and one click logins.
In-app Customer Support
Be where your customers are and offer
support for a great in-app experience.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Internal App Development

Based on the size and resources
of your company you need
to decide how the app will be
developed. There are two options
- build it internally or outsource
pieces or even the whole project
to an app development shop. To
start, lets look at what you need
to build it internally.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
The Engineering Team

Besides the developers working on the app itself, many mobile
products require backend development. This may be the same person
as the app developer or someone else, but ideally they have strong
organizational skills and are able to understand the architecture of the
entire product. Understanding how the databases will be set up and
whether the data will be stored in the cloud or hosted is an important
skillset for an engineer to have.
There are two common development practices.

The Waterfall Method
A sequential process moving from planning to development
to rollout. Each part of the process is not begun until the
piece before it has been completed.
The Agile Method

A faster paced development method allowing for quick iterations
throughout the entire process. It is more difficult, and takes
a different kind of mindset that can be challenging for some
developers if they dont have experience with this method.
Every engineering team should use available tools and resources

to help better manage the development process and ensure
communication between team members. To stay organized, every team
should also track bugs and enhancements in a single place .
Project Management Trackers: Repository:

SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Hiring a Developer(s)
Your current team may not have the individuals necessary to develop
an app, and you may want to bring in someone new to the team. Post
job descriptions to popular forums or sites that are frequented by
developers such as StackOverflow, Craigslist, and Angel List. Be active
in your search by participating in local job fairs. Anything you can do to
spread the word that your company is hiring can help.
The most common hiring mistake is hiring someone for their technical
skills, regardless of their ability to work with other members of the
team. Finding someone who culturally fits your company is more
important than any technical genius. A cohesive team that gets along
and works well together is better than a developer rock star that no one
can stand working with.
If youre unfamiliar on what to look for in terms of technical skill ask

questions about how they get things done. If you arent familiar with
coding, ask a current developer to join you in the interview process.
THINGS TO LOOK AT:

How easily do they adapt to new tech?
Can they talk through the code and explain how and
why they are solving the problem in this specific way?
Does it work, or mostly work?
Can they arrive at a working solution with minimal guidance?
For iOS and Android developers it is great sign if they have apps out
in the marketplace. Take a look at the apps already released by the
developer to gain a sense of their skill and experience. This is a better
indicator of their level of quality than a resume.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Minimum Viable Product
Build a minimum viable product before trying to build out a complete

product. A minimum viable product accomplishes the core use cases,
but doesnt include non-core features. It is enough to test the product,
show it off as a prototype, and gather feedback without draining your
resources.
As you delve further into development, be structured in the

implementation of features into the app. Before starting development
on a new feature, it is important to understand its scope and time
required to build it.
Next, you need to make sure that features

meet the acceptance criteria or specific
requirements. For example, the app may be
expected to only take 1-2 seconds to load.
Will this feature be able to meet that?
These two points need to be answered

before a new feature should undergo
development and be integrated into the
app.
For simple mockups of design and user

interface there is a great tool called POP,
which allows you to work through simple
user experience flows on your smartphone.
POP is enough to get the developer started,

and further down the road tools such as
Balsamiq, Adobe Fireworks/Photoshop,
Omnigraph, or even a whiteboard can be
used further to define the flow and create a more detailed design.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Tools to Measure, Track, and Connect
Being able to measure, track, and create reports is incredibly important

to understanding how your app is faring. There are a multitude of tools
you can use to monitor and track analytics, collect crash reports, and
power customer feedback & communication. Here are some of the
better tools available.
Analytics:
Crash Reporting:
Customer Feedback, Research, & Support:
Whatever tools you choose to use, or even

build internally, make sure you have all
three points covered. You will want to be
able to closely track the progress of your
app and communicate with your customers.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Outsourcing Development
Sometimes you just dont have all
the firepower you need to build the
product in-house. You have a small
team and in order to meet your
deadline you need outside help.
Commonly, time is more of a limit-
ing factor than money. With that in
mind dont rush off and find the first
developer shop on Google. There
are important questions to consider
when hiring a development shop or
agency.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Hiring a Development Shop/Agency
KEY QUESTIONS TO ASK

?
1. What exactly does your development shop do?
There are many development companies that only do the development work and
then outsource the design to a different company. Make sure you know exactly what
the shop offers, what work they will be doing, and if they will hand off parts of the
project to a third team.
2. Can I see examples of your work?

Look at the design, flow, and function of their previous projects. Would you be happy
if your product turned out similarly?
3. Who have you worked with before?

Look for a name you recognize. If possible reach out to a previous customer to get a
better idea about their experience with the development shop.
4. Who will work on my project?

Many development shops have many engineers. You should be sure to learn who exactly
will be working on your app and what their background experience is.
5. How busy are you right now?

Too many projects going on can mean bad news for your app. You want your project to
get the tender, love, and care it deserves and if you are worried about getting it finished
on time, steer clear of a heavily burdened shops.
6. How much does it cost and how long will it take?

Development shop prices can vary depending on the size of the shop, deadline, and
amount of work you want outsourced. Shop around to get a number of different quotes.
Before starting a conversation with a development shop be sure you know your timeline.
Clearly communicating deadline goals from the beginning is a great way to get everyone
on the same page.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
DEV Hiring a Development Shop/Agency
Picking a development shop is similar to hiring

a developer. Being able to mesh culturally
with your own company and work style is
just as important as their skill. A local shop
is ideal as you can visit and talk through
problems face to face. International shops
can often be cheaper, but with language gaps
and time zone differences it can be difficult to
communicate effectively.
When you outsource work you dont need to hand

off the entire app. Depending on the capabilities
of your team and your timeline, what you decide
to outsource can vary. If you happen to have a
designer on your team, you can keep the design in
house and the development outsourced. Working
with a development shop on only a single feature
can be coordinated as well. How much to outsource
depends on your own resources, time, and money.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Engaging with the Development Shop
When two teams are working separately on the same project it is easy
for misunderstandings to occur. Its important to create a schedule
for for meeting and discussing progress on the app. Setting up a
communication cycle between your team and the development shop
will help avoid problems in the future.
Whether you are outsourcing a single feature or the entire app, there
needs to be time to review builds and provide feedback. Commonly,
development shops reconnect only after they complete the beta app. If
you plan on being more involved, do so from the start. When working
out contract details be sure that you are allowed to provide feedback,
ask for bug fixes, and changes as part of the deal.
The more material you can bring

the development shop in terms
of wireframes, storylines, specific DEV
features etc. the better they will
understand what you want. As
with any team it is important
to express expectations or you
may be disappointed by what is
produced if you arent clear on
what those expectations are.
To avoid confrontation make sure to explain why things did not meet
your expectations. Explain how and why it doesnt work, and if you have
data, such as usability testing, make sure to show that as well. Being up
front and honest is the best way to manage your own expectations as
well as portray your expectations to the development shop.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Launching Planning and Releases

Plan your launch in stages!
A great approach to launching a mobile app is by planning release

stages. This method allows for multiple testing scenarios to make sure
your app is polished and ready to go before the big and final launch.
Choosing to launch your app in stages allows you to test your product
and get feedback from a sample audience. To begin testing, the initial
launch should occur internally or with a small group of hand chosen
beta testers.
Stage 1. Testing with Beta Testers/Internal
Beginning with a small group of beta testers or testing internally within

the company is the ideal way to get the initial feedback you need.
Keeping the first beta small allows you to better manage the feedback
and interact with every tester to best understand how the product is
being used.
You should always ask your beta testers Would you use this app again?
Why? Why not? If the answer isnt satisfactory you havent made a
valuable product yet. Once you have learned and iterated through a
couple versions with your small beta group, the next step is to do a full
launch through an app store.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Stage 2. Launching in Alternative Markets

(Canada, New Zealand)
Now, your first launch in the app store should not be in the United
States or the specific country that you may be targeting. From an
American perspective, launching an app in Canada is a great way to
test the app and gather feedback with minimal risk of having negative
reviews affect your business. Canada has 10% of the population of the
United States but the lifestyle and culture between the two countries are
extremely similar.
Smaller app store launches can provide real live data and provide
instances to see how quickly your team can respond and react to any
bugs or problems that occur.
Stage 3. The Launch
After beta testing and launching in an alternative app store you should
be confident for the official launch. By reaching this point you have
already tested your app on small and large scales, and should be
prepared to handle any new problems if they arise.
When officially launching the app be prepared for new problems, but
due to the multiple launches and tests you can be confident that you are
releasing a quality product into the marketplace. Dont forget to take a
break, and reward yourself and your team for the successful launch of
the app.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Establish a Rhythm for Updates
If your team has historically worked on web

products it is important to establish a rhythm
for updates in the mobile space. Unlike the
web, when you are ready to push out an
update to a mobile product it takes time, and
in Apples case that can sometimes be up to a
week or even two depending on the season.
Therefore, incorporate that extra amount of
review time when planning your updates.
As you and your team become more adept at managing each release
cycle it is important to factor in extra time for unpredictable work based
upon customer feedback. There are plenty of product managers that
create a roadmap and never learn to adjust that plan based on anything
external. They make a plan, put their heads down, and power through
that plan without actually understanding how the market is interacting
with the product.
A lack of time and need to push out an update becomes an easy

excuse for not allowing alterations to the roadmap based upon what
customers want. It is important to factor in extra time to each release
cycle specifically for focusing on ideas brought to you by the people who
matter most; your customers. Doing so will minimize the problems to
come and create a roadmap more in tuned with what your customers
want.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
What is the Market Telling You?
Are you in tune to your customers?
There should be easy and clear ways for

customers to contact you through your app.
Apps need to be proactive in encouraging customers to speak out. Hav-
ing an easy to find Feedback or Contact Us button inside the app is
important to encourage communication.
Cover all your bases by listening to your customers via social networks
and setting up Google Alerts to hear about any mentions of your app on
the web. You should have analytics in place to see how often customers
are using your app, what features they use, and what features they ig-
nore.
Questions to Ask:
?
Why do customers continue to use the app?
What do they love about it?
What do they want to see more of?
Would customers tell their friends about this app?
Answering these questions will give you the insight to improve on the
aspects that bring your customers back and change the parts that drive
your customers away.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Ratings and Reviews

After understanding your market and tailoring your product to their
needs, you must expand on that initial fan base. In todays world of
Yelp, Amazon reviews, and social media it is clear that peer reviews can
have a powerful impact on an apps success. The goal is to turn your
customers into vocal evangelists and arm them with tools such as social
media to spread the word to their friends about the app.
Dissatisfied customers are more likely to leave a review than happy

ones. To combat negative reviews that usually represent only a small
portion of your customer base, you need to create a non-disruptive way
to encourage happy customers to rate the app. Ratings and reviews are
powerful weapons so make sure you have a strategy to encourage your
happy customers to leave reviews.
Apptentives Intelligent Ratings Prompts can help you get more reviews
from the people who love your app. The
prompt also encourages dissatisfied and
unhappy customers to talk to you instead
of going to the app store to leave a negative
reviews. This helps you learn what is wrong
and avoid a negative review at the same
time.
GET STARTED WITH
Intelligent Ratings Prompts

Start FREE Trial >
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Managing the Product

Feedback Loops
Managing the product requires you to determine how you will rank your
priorities in regards to updating, maintaining, and innovating on the
product. Do you have a feedback loop in place to continually hear from
customers about each update, change, or when something goes wrong?
Creating a feedback loop that is constantly revolving is an easy way to
engage customers and to keep learning about your product from the
people who use it.
Customer Research
Occasionally you need to be more direct in your customer research. One

direct approach is by asking specific questions with an in-app survey.
Surveys are great tools for being able to ask a consistent set of ques-
tions to all customers, or to a specific group of customers who meet
certain criteria.
This approach is ideal for making the transition from anecdotal informa-
tion to actual data. For example, a couple of customers have requested
a feature, but youre not sure how the majority of your customer base
would feel. Using a survey, you can gain the perspective of your overall
customer base.
Surveys are powerful research tools as the majority of every customer

base that is generally quiet is more likely to reach out and answer spe-
cific questions than provide their own unique feedback.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Involving the Team
It is important to keep the team updated and involved as much as

possible with the progress of the app. As people can get entrenched in
their own specific work projects, it is your job to keep the team together
and informed. Sharing positive statistics and positive feedback helps
validate the work of your team. Too often the workers who do not
interact with customers never hear the praise they deserve.
As a product manager you should send out basic analytical stats every
week about the status of the app. Sharing information on downloads,
revenue, important KPIs, advertising campaigns, and other marketing
efforts. This will hold you more accountable and keep the team
informed.
Hold a consistent meeting (weekly,

bi-weekly, or monthly) to discuss
product updates, summarize
the previous work timeframe,
and decide what needs to be
improved. Keep the floor open
and allow any team member
to join the discussion for new
features or changes to the app.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Measurement and Benchmarking

Metrics
You need to know what metrics are important and track them. For your
mobile app, what are the key metrics that you are tracking?
Metrics to Track:
Monthly Active Users & Daily Active Users (MAUs/DAUs)
# of Downloads per Month, Cumulative Downloads
Retention (Lifetime, Monthly, Day 1, 3 & 7)
Session Length, Avg. Sessions per Day per User
Assets Viewed per Session (pictures, videos, screens, etc.)
Average Revenue per Daily Active User (ARPDAU)
Average Revenue per Monthly User (ARPMAU)
Customer Actions (e.g. reviews written, likes, shares, etc.)
The important metrics to track can vary depending on what type of

app you have and the goals you have set. For mobile games short term
retention and in-app purchases can be key metrics but may not apply to
other app verticals.
Base your metrics around your goals. As you work to improve your
metrics you will be getting closer to your goals as well.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Customer Love
Do your customers love your app, tell their friends about it, and remain
loyal when faced with competition?
Earning customer love can be a simpler task than youd expect. It starts
by giving your customers a voice. People want to know that their voices
are heard. When you provide them with a listening ear they are grateful
and often pleasantly surprised.
Being directly connected to your customer base through your app helps
direct those negative reviews to you instead of the app store. From
there, you have the opportunity to solve the problem, learn more with a
conversation, and make an unhappy customer feel appreciated. This is
the best way to turn unsatisfied customers into loyal fans and improve
retention.
Important for customer acquisition, these positive customer experiences

drive many of the recommendations that customers share with their
friends and family.
Sign-Up For a Free Account Today >
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Competitive Intelligence
Your competitors are a useful and even valuable benchmark. Comparing

your app to your competitors can show you what areas your app need
to improve.
USEFUL METRICS FOR TRACKING

COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE:
App Downloads
It isnt possible to know exactly how many downloads your competitor
has but you can gain a general idea through research. Many times, apps
announce download numbers in press releases. Use those numbers
in partnership with their app rankings and compare the data with your
own numbers and ranking to form an idea of their downloads.
App Price
Does your app cost $1.99 and your competitors app is free? If you plan
to sell your app while the competition is offering a similar product for
free, you must be sure to provide siginificantly more value.
App Rankings and Vertical
Track the rankings of your app and your competitiors each week.
Update Cycle
Understanding your competitiors update cycles and purpose for each
release. Were they fixing bugs or adding new features?
Number of Review and Average Customer Ratings
These numbers are important to track in order to see how they change
over time and how your own app compares.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Managing Up the Organization

Educating the Audience
Managing up, as it is often called, is an important process of

communicating your success, goals, and future plans to your superiors.
Most of the problems and solutions you are dealing with are not issues
many members of your organization are familiar with, so it is up to you
to educate them.
When educating your executives it is important to aggregate what youve

learned and the trends that you are seeing. Your information should
be clear, easy to understand, and explainable in just a few minutes.
Succinctly identify the issues you are targeting and your goals. Explain
why these items are the important places to focus on and how you plan
on approaching them.
Brand Management
A mobile app can be a useful tool for creating or reinforcing a positive

brand image for your company. On the other hand, a mobile app that
ignores customers or receives negative reviews can tarnish a companys
brand. It is important to have as much, if not more, resources invested
to help mobile customers and ensure a positive experience as there is
provided in-store or online.
In many cases, a mobile app may be a customers first interaction with

your brand. It is important that the mobile experience be on par if not
better than the other channels where your company interacts with
customers.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Expansion
More Platforms
The next step to your product is expanding the audience. If your app
was built on iOS it is time to make it available on Android or vice versa.
The process of expanding onto a new platform should be smooth and
relatively fast. You know your product inside and out, and you also know
what your customers want.
If your app is already available for both Android and iOS you should
submit your app to alternative app stores such as the Amazon App Store
or GetJar. In other app stores the liklihood of being featured is increased
and it is easier to get noticed.
Marketing and Growth
Marketing budgets for mobile products can often be lean, but there are
many great ways to market your app without a budget. Implementing
social capabilities into your app is a great way to facilitate and encourage
customers to share their experiences with their friends. Happy customers
make the most effective marketers.
A video showing off your app is a powerful marketing device that can
easily be shared and spread. Blogging, commenting on blogs, developing
relationships with journalists, getting press, sponsoring events, and
participating in events are all things that any company can do.
Use your website to drive traffic to your apps download page. A common
mistake on websites is not mentionting the existence of a mobile app
that is available for download.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Monetization
App monetization needs to be dicussed before your app is launched as

it can be an essential component determining your success. For most
apps, it is ideal to have a strategy already outlined for launch, as cus-
tomers dont like changes that require them to pay more later.
$ The two most common and successful

app monetization strategies are in-app
advertisements and in-app purchases.
In-App Advertisements
Advertisements drive revenue, but can also drive away your customers.
If you use advertisements in your app make them as unobtrusive as
possible. Place them in loading screens, pause screens, or other areas
that dont inhibit customers from using the app.
Be selective about the type of ads you display. Pixelated and generally
low-grade ads can really detract from the design and experience of the
app. There are multiple different ad formats and one format may work
better than others for your mobile app.
In-App Purchases
Excluding advertisements, in-app purchases make up more than 90%
of the revenue for mobile apps in Google Play and the Apple App Store.
The freemium model is currently driving the most successful apps on
the market.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Reflection
The Great Mobile Product Manager
Being a mobile product manager is

no small task. You shoulder a hefty
portion of the responsibility for creating
a successful mobile application.
Remember, success looks different to
everyone, but it should be based off of
the goals you set in the beginning stages
of formulating the product.
During development and product updates, success can be based on

how closely you are able to keep the app on or ahead of schedule.
This includes your ability to adapt to the market, understand customer
sentiment, and make changes within the product to optimize for
success.
On the numbers side, success can be graphed with DAUs, MAUs, lifetime
customer value, average revenue per customer, retention, engagement,
and download metrics as well as your social reputation, ratings, and
reviews. These numbers are clear indicators about the success of the
app and can be easily used to craft a report for upper management.
It is important to keep in mind that even an app that failed to meet

deadlines, went over budget, or had a low ROI is an important learning
experience. The only real mistake is not understanding why the app
didnt live up to expectations and learning from the experience.
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Using
Apptentive is a perfect tool to help mobile product managers create a successful
mobile app. Our customers get better reviews, more feedback, and increased
retention.
Heres what our customers have to say:
Apptentives rating prompts have increased our positive ratings and reviews
by over 1000% and helped us turn unhappy customers into loyal fans.
Matthew Matanovic, Director of User Experience, Urbanspoon
Apptentive has been vital in improving our mobile app ratings, growing our
user base and fielding support issues.
Chris Corriveau, CTO, StockTwits
Our retention rates have increased approximately 20% since using

Apptentive. Almost every customer that comes to us is an opportunity to
create an amazing experience and further develop our trust. I can confidently
say that every customer who talks to us will be coming back to use us again.
George McMullen, Head of Mobile, Credit Sesame
Get Started with Apptentive

Create a Free Account > Request a Demo >
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Extras
Create Your App Time Line
The first step to creating a

succesful mobile app is creating a
timeline. We have created a simple
timeline that you can download to
track the different stages of your
app and each task for that stage.
Download Timeline >
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com
Extras
Measurement, Benchmarking, & Competitive Intelligence
Use Apptentives pre-made spreadsheet to track your key metrics and competitors.
Download the Spreadsheet >
SHARE THIS GUIDE!

www.apptentive.com

Mobile Product Management

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Mobile Product Management

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

The Guide to Mobile Product Management 2

Mobile Product Management

The Mobile Product Manager Page 3

The Basics Page 4

Internal App Development Page 11

Outsourcing Development Page 16

Launching and Planning Releases Page 20

Managing the Product Page 25

Measuring and Benchmarking Page 27

Managing Up the Organization Page 30

SHARE THIS GUIDE!

The Mobile Product Manager

What does success look like for a mobile product manager?

Numerically, success can be based on a certain amount of revenue

SHARE THIS GUIDE!

App Stages Tasks

App development Wireframe, Design, Code

Beta Launch (MVP) Get feedback, fix the app,

Foreign Country Launch Get feedback, final fixes,

Offical Launch Celebrate

First Update Cycle

SHARE THIS GUIDE!

Pick one platform, build the app, and learn*

As a mobile product manager you must be willing and open to being

SHARE THIS GUIDE!

Do you build a native app right away?

WEB VS. NATIVE

SHARE THIS GUIDE!

Desktop vs. Mobile

Avoid simply porting your existing website, web app, or

There is a huge difference between desktop and mobile

SHARE THIS GUIDE!

This is the endless argument in mobile development. A couple of years

iOS VS. Android

SHARE THIS GUIDE!

Another approach takes advantage of both platforms by using cross-

So, iOS or Android? - It ultimately depends on where your customers

SHARE THIS GUIDE!

Simple use cases

SHARE THIS GUIDE!

Internal App Development

SHARE THIS GUIDE!

The Engineering Team

There are two common development practices.

The Agile Method

Every engineering team should use available tools and resources

Project Management Trackers: Repository:

SHARE THIS GUIDE!

If youre unfamiliar on what to look for in terms of technical skill ask

THINGS TO LOOK AT:

SHARE THIS GUIDE!

Minimum Viable Product

Build a minimum viable product before trying to build out a complete

As you delve further into development, be structured in the

Next, you need to make sure that features

These two points need to be answered

For simple mockups of design and user

POP is enough to get the developer started,

SHARE THIS GUIDE!

Tools to Measure, Track, and Connect

Being able to measure, track, and create reports is incredibly important

Customer Feedback, Research, & Support:

Whatever tools you choose to use, or even

SHARE THIS GUIDE!