How to Make an Educational App: A Simple Guide

The e-learning market is growing quickly and is expected to be worth over $400 billion by 2026. As more people choose online learning, educational apps are becoming very popular.

If you are thinking about creating an educational app, now is a great time to start. Whether you are an entrepreneur or part of a team, you can build an app that helps people learn easily and makes a real difference.

This guide will walk you through How to Make an Educational App. You will learn about the important steps, including market trends, design tips, and how to develop your app successfully.

Let’s get started and explore how your app can help people learn and grow around the world!

Educational Apps Market Insights

Educational apps are now used by schools, businesses, and lifelong learners around the world. They are not just for language learning anymore. These apps have become an important part of education and career growth.

Studies show that the global e-learning app market is growing at 14.6% per year. Since the pandemic, more than 60 million people use these apps daily.

In regions like Asia-Pacific (APAC), growth is booming due to more smartphone users. Meanwhile, North America leads in making the most money from e-learning apps.

Popular types of educational apps include:

• Language Learning Apps like Duolingo
• Skill-building Platforms like Coursera and LinkedIn Learning
• Academic Apps like Google Classroom

Today, educational apps are a key part of learning for everyone.

Benefits of E-Learning Apps

For Users

E-learning apps offer lots of great benefits for learners. Here are some of the most important ones:

• Learn Anytime, Anywhere: You can learn whenever you want, wherever you are, just using your phone.
• Personalized Learning: The app can adjust to your learning speed and how well you understand things, giving you a customized learning experience.
• Fun and Engaging: E-learning apps often use games, quick feedback, and videos to make learning more fun and keep you interested.
• Flexible Pace: You can learn at your own pace, speeding up or slowing down as needed.
• Wide Variety of Subjects: You can find apps to learn almost anything, from languages and coding to history and math.
• Cost-Effective: Many e-learning apps are cheaper than traditional classes or even free.
• Track Your Progress: Apps usually track your progress, so you can see how much you’ve learned and where you need to improve.

For Businesses

E-learning apps are very useful for businesses because they make training easier and cheaper. Here are some of the main benefits:

• Saves Money: Traditional training can cost a lot because of trainers, travel, and printed materials. E-learning apps help businesses save money by offering affordable online training.
• Flexible Learning: Employees can learn whenever and wherever they want. They don’t have to go to in-person classes, which makes it easier to fit training into their work schedules. They can also learn at their own speed.
• Consistent Training: E-learning apps make sure all employees receive the same training. This ensures everyone has the same knowledge and follows the same company rules.
• Easy Progress Tracking: Businesses can easily see how well employees are doing with their training using reports and tracking tools in the apps. This helps managers see who is improving and who needs extra help.
• More Productivity: Well-trained employees can do their jobs better and faster. E-learning apps help them learn new skills, which can lead to better work and better results for the business.

Types of E-Learning Apps

There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to educational apps. Here’s a breakdown of the most common categories and their goals:

What’s your niche? Understanding where your app fits is the first step to knowing your audience.

The Four Pillars of Designing an Educational App

If you want to create a successful learning app, there are four key things to focus on:

Intuitive User Experience (UX)

Your app needs to be simple and easy to navigate. Nobody likes apps that are confusing. Make sure the design is clear, easy to access, and looks good. Tools like Figma can help you create great designs before you even start building the app. A smooth and easy experience keeps learners interested and coming back.

High-Quality Content

The information in your app needs to be correct, interesting, and interactive. If the content is boring or wrong, people won’t use the app. Make sure the lessons are well-organized and engaging so people enjoy learning and want to keep going. Good content helps people learn better and makes them want to use the app more.

Personalized Learning

Everyone learns at their own pace. Your app should be able to adjust to each learner’s needs. Using AI, the app can track how well someone is doing and suggest learning materials based on what they’re good at and what they need to work on. When people feel like the app understands them, they’ll enjoy learning more.

Make it a Game (Gamification)

Learning should be fun! Adding things like quizzes, rewards, badges, and leaderboards can encourage people to keep learning. A good example is Duolingo’s streak feature, which motivates people to learn every day. Making learning like a game makes it more exciting and helps people stay engaged.

How to Make an Educational App

Now that you know what your app needs, here’s the step-by-step process to make it:

Step 1: Research and Define Your Audience

Who will use your app? Are they schoolchildren, professionals upskilling, or hobbyists learning for fun? Identify their needs.

Step 2: Choose a Business Model

Decide how you’ll monetize your app. Some popular models include:

• Subscriptions (monthly/annual payments)
• Freemium options (free basic features with paid advanced features)

Step 3: Prototype Your Design

Plan your app’s layout, user flow, and core features visually before development. Tools like Figma or Adobe XD are excellent for wireframing.

Step 4: Develop Features

Core features to consider:

• User Profiles for tracking progress.
• Smart Recommendations via machine learning that tailors content to user preferences.
• Interactive Learning Experiences like assessments, progress charts, and quizzes.

Step 5: Rigorous Testing

Ensure a bug-free experience and test across different devices for a seamless interface.

Step 6: Launch and Market

Deploy your app to app stores and leverage SEO-driven marketing strategies, referrals, and targeted ads to reach your audience.

Bonus Tip

Post-launch updates are critical! Regularly collect feedback to improve and expand your offerings.

What Does It Cost to Develop an Educational App?

Building an app can vary greatly in price based on its complexity, development platform, and the team you hire:

• Simple Apps with Basic Features: $20,000–$50,000
• Feature-rich Apps (AI personalization, gamification, advanced UX): $100,000–$200,000+
• Development in Offshore Regions (e.g., India, Eastern Europe): Costs tend to be lower by 30–50% compared to U.S. developers.

Want to cut costs? Start with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) focused on essential features and scale up over time.

How to Choose the Right App Development Partner

Choosing the right app development partner is very important to make a successful educational app. A good development team can turn your ideas into reality and ensure your app works smoothly.

Steps to Find the Perfect Development Partner

1. Look for Expertise
   Choose a team that has experience in educational app projects. Check if they have worked on similar apps before and understand what it takes to create engaging learning experiences.
2. Check Portfolios and Reviews
   Before making a decision, review the company’s portfolio to see their past work. Also, read client testimonials to learn about their experience with the company.
3. Ask for a Project Proposal
   A good partner should provide a detailed plan with timelines and cost estimates. This will help you understand how they will complete the project and if it fits your budget.

Pro Tip: Choose a partner like MyVirtualTalent Outsourcing, which offers long-term maintenance and support to keep your app running smoothly.

Choosing the Right Development Option

When creating an educational app, you have three options:

1. Hiring an In-House Team
   • This option is very expensive and requires time for recruiting the right people. You will also have to pay for salaries, insurance, and bonuses.
   • Managing an in-house team takes effort and resources.
2. Hiring Freelancers
   • Freelancers may seem cost-effective, but managing different people for different tasks like design, development, and testing can be difficult.
   • Lack of coordination can slow down the project and lead to delays.
3. Hiring an Offshore App Development Company
   • The best choice is to hire an offshore app development company like MyVirtualTalent Outsourcing.
   • They provide a full team of experts, including developers, testers, designers, and content writers, all working together in one place.
   • This option offers the best balance between quality and price. You also save money on salaries, taxes, and benefits.

Wrapping Up

Making an educational app can be easy if you follow the right steps. Start by planning your idea, choosing the right team, and focusing on creating a user-friendly design. With good content and smart features, your app can help many learners.

Now is the perfect time to take the first step and bring your app idea to life. Don’t wait! Start planning today and make your app a success.

Need expert help? Contact MyVirtualTalent for a free consultation and get the support you need to build an amazing educational app.