17 Jun, 2021
Lotte, Digital Content Specialist

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As a business owner, you want to stay ahead of the competition at all times. And in a time where technology is advancing rapidly, a digital transformation of your business and its internal processes is indispensable. Unfortunately, this transformation doesn’t happen overnight. It involves a lot of planning, brainstorming, and most importantly, finding the right partner for the job. In our blog on finding the right digital partner, you can read about all the things to consider when searching for an agency that can help you with conceptualizing and developing your digital solution. However, finding the right agency is just one part of the process of starting a digital partnership.


Once you’ve found a partner that suits your needs and requirements, it’s essential to get in touch with them with a prepared plan in your hands. That doesn’t mean you must already know all the details and technical requirements of your solution, but the more information you can provide, the smoother the process towards the development of your application. Keep reading to find out how to fully prepare yourself for a successful digital partnership.

1. Get to know the world of app development

Before diving into a digital partnership, it’s good to already become familiar with the software development industry and its professional jargon. Working together with experts in the field of app development, you’ll come across a myriad of complex terms and concepts, and it’s a good idea to already prepare yourself by reading into the most used definitions to avoid confusion and misunderstandings. Have a look at our blog page for a wide range of information about app development and everything that comes with it. Not only is it easier for your digital partners to explain the technical aspects and processes of the development of your solution, but it also gives you the confidence to know what’s going on during these processes and to know what to expect from a digital partnership.

2. Dive into your target audience and competition

For both your digital partner and yourself, it’s important to gather as much information as possible about your target audience and the competition in your industry. By precisely defining your target audience and turning them into so-called customer personas, you get a deep understanding of their needs, the problems they face, and their expectations of a potential solution. With this information, you can already shape the idea of your application into a concrete solution, which provides a great and well-prepared start of your digital partnership.


Besides knowing your target audience from the inside out, knowing and understanding your competitors is equally important. After all, you don’t want to show up with a plan that already exists. You want to reshape and revolutionize the industry, right? Take some time and effort to find out what’s already on the market (within your region and across the world), including specific features, functionalities and strategies of competing applications. Only by knowing exactly what’s already out there, can you begin to think about the unique specifications that will really add value for your end-users.

3. Define your budget

Estimating the price of developing your app as well as defining a budget isn’t a cakewalk. The price can vary considerably depending on the number and complexity of features, type of solution, and several other factors. Because many of these factors may change during the development process, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact price of an app beforehand. While defining your budget, it is essential to make sure that there’s enough room for the inevitable changes based on new input and feedback from your end-users. As mentioned earlier, the price of app development isn’t an exact science. It changes depending on the process itself, insights gained during development, end-user feedback, and potential adaptations in functionalities to optimize the user experience. So, it’s best to define your maximum budget and leave some room for extra development and product release needs. Keep in mind that app development includes more than simply the technical development itself.


Think of, for example, marketing strategies, advertising campaigns, continued maintenance of the software and servers. In case you don’t have the financial capacity to pay for the development yourself, you can consider finding an investor who can help you with the biggest expenses.

4. Mindmap your solution

Great ideas come and go in a blink of an eye, so write down everything that comes to mind. Even ideas that don’t seem that great at the time might come in handy later on in the process of the development of your application. Mindmaps are a great way to structure your thoughts and turn them into a visualized concept, and there are a lot of free mobile apps and web apps to immediately get started. Once you have a structured mindmap, you can begin to write out the details of your solution, which you can later use for your briefing document.

5. Finalize your briefing

In our blog on creating the perfect briefing document, we summarized the most essential elements to include in your briefing or proposal. This document should include all the details you’ve defined in the elements mentioned above and should represent the potential effectiveness and success of your digital solution. Your proposal should consist of at least the following information:

  • An introduction to your business, industry and target audience
  • What problems your target audience is facing
  • How your application can contribute to solving these problems
  • How your app is unique/better than already existing solutions
  • What features are essential for the app to function properly
  • What features are not as essential but a valuable addition to the app
  • Design ideas in the form of wireframes, mockups or a clickable demo if you already have one
  • A plan to financially support the development and release of your app, including a budget estimation and a backup plan in case the price ends up being higher than initially planned, as well as a potential plan for finding an investor

Need a hand?

Lizard Global is your full-stack digital partner for the conceptualization, design and development of your very own application. We believe that any business in any industry can benefit from a digital transformation. Together with our clients, we walk the road towards revolutionizing your business and reshaping your industry with the power of technology. Interested in partnering up with us for the development of your digital solution? Give us a call!

Frequently asked questions

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01

Who is Lizard Global?

Lizard Global is your full-stack Digital Partner - your CTO, technical co-founder and go-to partner. An agency with 35+ result-driven team players; from UI/UX Design to (web-)App Development and beyond! A partner who challenges the status quo by transforming any idea into a digital experience.

02

What does the process of partnering up with Lizard Global look like?

The process of partnering up with Lizard Global involves a custom combination of services like digital conceptualization, technical business research, custom software development, UI/UX design, growth & digital marketing strategies and CRM integrations. All these processes are done in an agile working environment, in which transparency to and close collaboration with the client and end-user fulfils a central role.

03

How much does it cost to develop an app at Lizard Global?

The development of an application, website or web app involves many processes, from digital conceptualization and technical business research to custom software development and UI/UX design. The price of these services fully depend on the complexity of your application and your personal budget. If you want to know more about our budget estimations, fill in the contact form on our website or give us a call.

04

What does digital transformation mean?

Digital transformation defines the shift from offline to online. This can include any element of our society, among which the business world. At Lizard Global, we guide our clients through the process of digitizing their business processes in order to increase productivity and stimulate long-term growth.

05

What is a digital briefing document?

A digital brief is a document that’s created to outline the most important information and requirements for a specific project. A digital brief can greatly contribute to your success of finding a digital partner to help you with the development of your product.
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Hey there, can I help you?

Did you like the blog above, but do you still have some questions about the subject or related topics? No issue! You can easily contact one of our Lizard specialists on these specific topics, and they gladly tell you more about it. This way, you’ll never leave with uncertainties.

MARKUS MONNIKENDAM

Global Commercial Director | markus@lizard.global | +60 18 35 65 702

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