Self-care apps have come far enough from being mediocre and apps that no one downloaded to becoming one of the most successful apps. Apps like Happify have gained popularity as more and more people realize they need some self-care. A perfect set of activities, quizzes, games, self-care apps provide the answer people look for these days.
According to Deloitte Global, global spending on mental health mobile applications will reach over half a billion dollars in 2022. Assuming an annual growth rate of 20% is a conservative figure, considering the 32% growth. Especially considering the growth of US$203 million to US$269 million in the first ten months of 2019 to the same period in 2020.
While the growth might be lesser than other segments of mobile apps, it is growing far and wide with a future like no other. If you plan to get into self-care apps or develop an app like Happify, now could be the perfect time to do it. The competition isn’t staggering, the growth is promising, and you are at the right place to get your mobile app developed.
About Happify App
The Happify app is a self-care app that improves users’ stress handling and mindfulness. The entire concept of Happify is to make users happy and leave behind their mental worries. Happify enables so by activities, quizzes, short games, and more. Everything from the screen layout to the UI/UX falls in place for an exclusive app like this.
With Happify, users can take control of their emotional life and well-being and eventually achieve more happiness than they would have. There are 100s of different mindfulness apps; what makes Happify different is that most of them are biased towards calmness and meditation. Happify hopes to turn things around with what matters: Happiness.
Steps to Develop a Self-Care App Like Happify
People assume self-care apps might be somewhat easier to build, but with more power comes more responsibility. Since these apps affect human lives directly, it’s upon developers to ensure everything falls in place. Expert consultation should be your priority when planning an app like Happify, for as it may, you will need it anyway down the line.
Apps like Happify have been gaining constant popularity but still lack mass adoption, and you should keep this in mind while focusing on resources. There may soon be a boom when a huge influx happens, and your app needs to be scaled for it from the start. Now that you have a basic idea of what needs to be done let’s take you through the steps to develop an app like Happify.
Step 1: Planning the Essentials
It all starts with an idea, but to move ahead and move ahead faster, you will need to plan a few things from the start. Things like features, UI/UX, wireframe all play a major role in your app. While you cannot just go ahead and fix these on your own, you should get a consultation to put things in perspective from the start.
This affects the cost and how the entire app development project would go about. While everything else can be decided with the help of your development partner, you need to figure out what the app does, and for that, you need to decide on the features.
User Registration
Used for onboarding new customers and giving them a unique identity over your platform. User registration is a must-have feature for an app as specific as Happify.
User Profile
Let users add the information essential for your algorithm; you can save and personalize their profile based on various metrics you collect from them over time.
Payment Gateway
Self-Care apps usually monetize through a subscription model; you need to integrate an efficient payment gateway for easy payments for subscription plans or other in-app purchases.
Track Progress
This feature lets users track their progress across different segments. You can even make it linked to the entire community so people can compare and see how much they have improved.
Character Strength Report
Character Strength Reports by VIA so users can easily get to know the best of their strengths better. Happify integrated it to ensure every user can dig deep into what they are looking to achieve.
Meditation and Quizzes
Different methods to induce deep state linked with meditation, along with small quizzes for users to get to know themselves better.
Step 2: The Development Part
Deciding on the features is the first step; implementing them in your mobile app is the next. Each of the above components can be very complex when implemented correctly and function as the USP of your self-care app. For all of it to work perfectly, in the timeline you require it to, you need to focus on the development part as much as possible. Mobile app development companies promise expertise in the segment, and if you are unsure about anything, you can always consult a company like ours. There are two main choices you need to make:
Choosing the Launch Platform for the App
Android and iOS are the two most popular platforms, and while targeting both would be ideal, it costs you double in various circumstances. Since each of these apps is built using different technologies, when you go the Native way, you will be making two separate apps and paying for each.
Read More: Enterprise Mobile Application Development: A Complete Guide
However, you don’t need to spend a fortune if you are willing to go with different technologies; it comes with a few compromises but would cost half as much. In the end, if you are good to go with either platform or both, it depends on how the market operates and, to an extent, is a personal choice. Once you have decided on the launch platform, you have two options:
1. Native Applications
Native applications are built using Kotlin/Java for Android and Swift/C for iOS. These applications are made specifically for the operating system and won’t work on other devices. You can achieve the best with Native app development, and it has been a top choice for market players looking forward to the absolute best. The only downside is the cost and time to develop them, as now, instead of one self-care mobile application, you are looking at two.
2. Cross-Platform Application
As the name suggests, a cross-platform application can run on multiple platforms. The apps are built reusing a majority of source code, saving you tons of resources while keeping your app capable of running on both Android and iOS devices. The downside of cross-platform apps is the scalability and the implementation of advanced features. If you don’t need to focus on either at the start, you can always re-build the apps as native once your project takes off. This also happens to make cross-platform app development very popular among startups.
Technology Stack
The technology stack apart from the base mobile app development technologies is something you need to manage. Various features in your app like Happify will require third-party APIs, and you will need a CMS, databases, web-based services, and more. Making the correct choice is essential as it helps you save money and make your application run smoother and better. Many technologies complement each other, and for that, you will need the help of veteran mobile app development companies. Below are the few options you have when getting your app as Happify developed.
| Application Tools and Database | Python, Node.js, React, Java, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Amazon S3, Amazon EC2, Flask, Amazon RDS, Cassandra, Amazon DynamoDB, Hadoop, Oracle, Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL, Amazon EMR, Presto, CloudBees, Pig, Winjs, Atlas-D |
| Utilities | Amazon SES, Urban Airship |
| DevOps | GitHub, Git, Jenkins, Gradle, Apache Mesos, AWS CloudTrail, Sumo Logic, Express Gateway, LogicMonitor, Crittercism, Dynomite, Boundary, Vector |
| Business Tools | G Suite, Confluence, OneLogin, HubCommander |
Choose the Right Mobile App Development Partner
Developing an app like Happify, a complex layout, and features, demands you to choose the right development partner. There are various ways to go about it; you can seek consultation and build your team, hire dedicated developers, or start the entire process from scratch.
Every way has its merits and demerits, but you can be assured it will be one of the most significant decisions you have to make. Choose the one which suits your project the best; as far as we can tell, for something as complex as Happify, the top choice is to go with expert mobile app development companies.
1. In-House Team
You can start from scratch and hire an in-house team to work for you to develop the mobile app. While it is one of the most expensive options, you can choose everything first-hand. Choosing everything per them can be a hassle to most people, but if you are passionate about technicalities, this option can work for you. What’s more, there is the availability of skilled developers in your area; you can work it out if they are there. If not, the other options should be your top consideration.
2. Go for a Freelance Team
The working capacity of a freelance team is much higher if you are willing to hire more and more freelancers. However, they are not known for timely deliveries and can affect projects bound to market entry timelines. If you have good project managers and team leaders, you can opt for this option, given you have the bandwidth if things get delayed. This option is mostly chosen for people looking forward to smaller changes rather than getting their app developed ground-up.
3. Hire a Mobile App Development Company
They are the experts for the services you are looking for, and while there are a few downsides, the benefits far outweigh them. You are looking at a classic situation of letting the experts do it or hiring individuals to build single components and compiling them. Even though we are a mobile app development company, we don’t believe in forcing people to choose us over other options. But for most people with complex requirements, their star developer can only do as much, while a company like ours with star developers, testers, analysts can do a much better job.
Ready to Develop an App like Happify?
The majority of the users prefer Self-Care apps, and companies worldwide are experimenting with new features and technologies to get a significant user count, which ultimately translates to great revenue. Matellio can help you achieve the decided milestone with our team of certified developers and experts. Our flexible engagement models are designed to keep your budget under the chosen limit.
Our engineers understand the global market trends and have good experience with emerging technologies to develop a perfect app for your business. If you plan to build a self-care app like Happify, book a 30-min free consultation call with our experts to know more!
