Everything you need to know about Productivity app development

What are Productivity apps?

Right now, the world is overly obsessed with productivity apps. If you are interested in productivity app development, read on.

These types of apps allow users to focus on tasks that lead to an increase in productivity.

From making notes to checklists to project management, productivity apps offer different functionalities depending on what you want to do.

If you look at the stats, you can see that the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store are filled with productivity apps such as Microsoft Planner, Evernote, and Todoist.

The need for productivity apps

Because time is considered money, people are looking forward to making the most when they are working. This is where productivity apps come in. 

Popular productivity apps like Todoist and Any.do remind people that they need to complete specific tasks in time so they can make the most of them. Having said that, apps like Microsoft Planner help divide the workload and help with teamwork.

On the other hand, apps like Any.do and Todoist helps you list everything you want to do and organize and schedule all your tasks. You can also track your daily progress, which will help you understand how much work you do in a day. The best part is that you can access these apps no matter where you are and where you go.

Advantages of productivity apps

You might wonder, why use productivity apps at all? There are various benefits productivity apps have to offer. 

1. These apps can help you improve your business in various areas and optimize numerous business functions as well. They help you simplify your workload and focus on important things.
2. Productivity apps can also give your customer detailed insight into their daily lives. They can be found in every category, from fitness to work to health.
3. If you stick to a productivity app, they can help you increase your productivity multifold in the long run.

MVP features of any productivity app like Microsoft Planner

1. Calendar view 

Another useful functionality is a calendar view. This allows users to schedule the tasks according to their preferences. It can also help users see what engagements they have on a particular date or time and decide their appointments accordingly.

2. Voice recording

A lot of people make use of voice recordings to do things. Thus, it is one of the essential tools of a productivity web app. 

People can also record voice transcripts and record important things so they can listen to them and take notes later.

3. Manage your projects

Project management apps like Any.do are helpful when working with a team that works on different aspects of a project. These apps help you organize, increase accountability and result in effective teamwork and communication.

4. Track Time

Productivity web apps can help you track your time on a particular task or the number of hours you work in total. The time tracking capability is beneficial both for the employer and the employee since none of you will have to prove that you work or did not work in a particular time period.

5. Make Notes

Making notes is one of the core features of any productivity app. Apps like Google Keep and Evernote allows users to make notes and insert media such as videos, images, and voice recording to remind them of things they want to do.

6. Schedule your tasks

If you want to maximize productivity, another important feature an app should have is to schedule tasks based on user preferences efficiently. Simple things like “remind me to do xyz in 30 minutes” will help increase your overall productivity levels in the long run.

7. To-do lists

Creating to-do lists lets people list down all their important tasks in one place. When users complete the job, they can simply cross it off the checklist.

These tasks can be customized by setting up alarms, insert images, and label them. The ability to create multiple task lists also comes in handy since it allows to divide tasks and create lists based on the type of task.

Also Read: How to create a podcast app like Pocket Casts?

Top 4 productivity apps

Now that we are familiar with what productivity apps do and what features they should include, let us look at some leading productivity apps that have proven themselves useful to the majority of the users.

1. Any.do

Any.do is a to-do list application unlike any other. Used by millions worldwide, the app allows users to list their tasks based on when they want to do it. The app also offers the ability to create custom to-do lists and plan all your tasks.

It also comes with a handful of widgets you can make use of to add tasks or manage existing to-do lists. Any.do also has the ability to share your to-do list with other people so you can sync and complete your tasks together.

2. Forest

Do you check your phone very often? If your answer is yes, then apps like Forest might be for you. It is a unique application that helps you with a digital detox. It can help you stay away from your phone and enables you to concentrate on your work.

The app also plants trees the more you use it in select countries. Apps like Forest are really helpful if you want to cut down your screen time.

3. Slack

Slack is one of the best productivity app companies in the market. It is a messaging platform that businesses make use of to enhance their productivity. 

If your team consists of various people working on different aspects of the project, Slack can help you coordinate and easily share everything that has been going on. It has completely redefined the way an organization communicates within departments.

You can think of it as Discord, but instead of gamers, it brings together various aspects of a business.

4. Habit Tracker

Apps like Habit Tracker encourages people to develop new habits. The technique used by the app is pretty simple.

For example, if you want to learn a new language, or learn to play the drums, or any other habit you want to incorporate in your life, Habit tracker can help you do so.

Habits are created by doing the same thing over and over every single day until it becomes a part of your life.  You can also track your habits using a fitness tracker.

The app lets users mark the day they have done a certain thing and asks them not to break the streak. The idea behind the app is not to miss the thing even once. Skip once, and you are likely to skip again. 

Unlike other productivity apps listed, Habit Tracker is beneficial only in the long run.

Tech Stack 

Before you start the productivity app development process, you should decide what technology and languages you would like to make use of to develop the application.

There are a lot of options to choose from, so make your decision wisely. Before we get into the technical aspects of the productivity app development process, you will need a team consisting of the following members:

• Business analyst
• Project manager
• UI/UX designer 
• Android developer
• iOS developer
• Back end developer
• PR Team
• QA Testers

If you are developing an Android-based productivity app, you can either use Java or opt for Kotlin. For an iOS-based app, you can choose between Swift and Objective-C.

Keep in mind that these are not the only technologies you will require in order to develop a productivity app. Depending on the features and the platform you choose, the technology needed will vary accordingly. 

Moreover, it also depends on the things you want your productivity app to do. For example, a to-do-list app has no use of fitness tracking features and vice versa.

Productivity app development: Stages of the development process

There are various stages to the productivity app development process:

1. Planning

Before you start developing a mobile application, make sure you have everything planned. The planning process involves deciding which technologies you will make use of and performing market research.

Various factors should be planned, such as what you want your app to do and what unique features you will offer.

Talk to the developers and tell them about your app and how you want it to work. It is one of the most important aspects of the productivity app development phase but is quite often overlooked.

2. Set a budget and adhere to that

Depending on the type of app you want to make, the app cost will vary drastically. The very first thing you should do is set a budget for your app. Build your app with all the MVP features and work on the additional features as and when needed.

This will help you develop a functional app with all the core features while also not compromising on additional features. Most productivity apps make use of the cloud one way or another, so check if you need that too.

3. UI/UX design

Another overlooked aspect of the productivity app development process is UI and UX development. If you want to create a minimal and user-friendly app, talk to the UX and UI developers and tell them if you have an idea. 

This will enable them to work on your app according to your preferences and make your app an instant success. Make sure you use transition animations in order to make user navigation smoother.

4. App development

This is the main part of the productivity app development process. Make sure you are using the right set of technologies that will help you create the app of your dreams. Also, ensure that your app developers are familiar with the technology you are using.

Users are likely never to launch an app if they encounter some bugs or glitches in the first run, so give the app development process as much time as you can.

5. Productivity app development testing

Another important part of the process is testing and debugging. Giving developers enough time to test the app thoroughly will only result in making the app better. Even though most companies rush through this process, it is one of the most important aspects of app development.

6. App deployment

Post-launch support is crucial for any business to be successful. A reputed mobile app development company will always provide you support after the app is available on app stores. This enables a smooth transition from the developer to the maintainer.

The developers can easily work on the app and help fix it if anything goes wrong after the app is released.

Also Read: How to create a photo editing app?

Cost of productivity app development

If you are creating a productivity app, you must be naturally curious about the cost associated with the application. Depending on the type of productivity application you want to develop, the price will vary drastically.

While there is no specific figure that can justify the cost of the app, the productivity app development process will cost you from $4,000-$40,000. Even if you are a little bit limited on a budget, Idea Usher can help you achieve your goals and become one of the best productivity app companies.

Why choose Idea Usher

Idea Usher is a mobile app development company with a rich portfolio of already published apps. From planning to post-launch support, Idea Usher can help you with the productivity app development process. 

Our expert team of developers and designers will ensure that your app looks just the way you want it to. If you are interested in working with us, drop us a mail at [email protected] or click on this link.

Conclusion

Productivity apps help you manage everything, from projects to work allocation. If you are running a business, you will need a productivity app of some sort to optimize business processes.

Using productivity apps will make your work easier and increase your quality of life. No matter how messy things might sound, these apps can simplify them for you.

F*87AQ: Productivity app development

1. Why use a productivity app?

Productivity apps help you simplify things and help you boost your morale and overall productivity. If you are running a business, they can do wonders for you and your team.

They are also beneficial when it comes to schedule and project management.

2. How will it affect my business productivity?

Productivity apps help you optimize your business functions. Compared to when not using a productivity tool, you will notice that you are not getting things done fast enough. 

If you want to make the most out of your business, make sure you have the right set of tools to do so.

3. Which is the best productivity app?

These apps span across various categories, from health to fitness to personal and even business tools. So answering this question is quite hard. However, if you are looking for a project management app, Microsoft Planner is your best friend.

It is free and easy to use. The app is quite intuitive and is used by the majority of companies.

4. How long does the productivity app development process take?

Depending on the features you need and want to incorporate in your productivity app, it might take a few weeks to a few months. However, if you’re going to include the MVP features, the productivity app development process might require a month or two.