Are you thinking about creating your mobile app? Or maybe develop a mobile app that is already run? You are not alone! But how to go about actually doing it? Have a look at our guide – it contains a handful of useful tips on how to run your application development process.
The world is spinning around apps. Statistics show that last year over 218 billion apps were downloaded worldwide! With over 3.2 billion smartphone users around the world, it’s no wonder the appetite for new apps keeps growing year by year. No wonder, then, that the app development industry is still growing!
But creating a good and successful mobile app is not an easy job. Recent research confirmed that only 0.01% of all apps become successful. Their success depends on many factors, one of the most important being the way they are created.
Apps Development
Let’s start with the basics. What is mobile application development? It is the process of creating and developing applications for mobile devices – smartphones and other hand-held devices.
Your mobile app’s functionality should contain depend on its usage. An application developed for mobile banking will have different requirements, others an m-commerce application, and others a gaming application. Depending on your needs, you will also choose a programming language and technology, you will need to get app developers with different competencies.
However, regardless of the details, the app development process will involve fixed stages, such as creating installable software packages (code, binaries, assets, etc.), implementing backend services (like accessing data via APIs) all the way to final testing of the app on target devices. And, of course, the highly anticipated moment of leading the app to the Apple Store and Google Play. In one sentence – you need to prepare your app development strategy.
Let’s take a quick look at the specific requirements of applications dedicated to Android and iOS devices.
Android app development
We will briefly introduce you to the topic if you are wondering how Android apps are developed.
The most popular app development software used to develop these kinds of apps is Kotlin ( about 60 percent of the top 1000 apps on the Play Store) and Java. However, with the help of supplementary frameworks and tools, it is possible to develop apps also in C++, Python, C#, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Additionally, Google provides Android developers with two tools: Android Studio and Android SDK. Using both is not necessarily for app development, however, it makes the whole process much more manageable.
iOs app development
If you are interested in ios mobile app you need to know a few key things. First of all, it’s good for you to remember that the entire app development process allows your mobile app to reach users of Apple devices: iPhones, iPads, or MacBooks. So this is a whole new audience.
How to develop an iOs app? As you may have guessed the best way is to find the right developers, who know the app development software provided by Apple. Apps for Apple devices are developed on Mac computers – with the Swift language (available in open source), the Xcode environment, and free developer tools from Apple.
Apps developers
Building mobile apps won’t be any challenge if you find the best app builders 🙂 As
Most popular programming languages for mobile app development – Swift, C++, Java, HTML5, PHP.
What is the app developer cost? Unfortunately, here it is difficult to determine a specific cost. This is because app developers have different rates depending on years of experience and the number and variety of mobile apps built. In addition, fluctuating market conditions make app developers’ rates variable.
Are you ready to prepare your application development process? Let’s look at the steps one needs to take to create a successful app.
Development starts with a mobile app idea
Having a vague idea is not enough. As a part of your application development process, you will need to pitch your idea to some people (your app developers, business partners, etc.) so you need to be as clear as possible when it comes to knowing what you want to achieve.
What you really need for your app to be successful is thorough research.
You need to establish:
- your goal (what do you want to create and what do you want to achieve with it),
- your target users and their needs (is your app responding to a specific problem/challenge?),
- your potential competitors.
Think creatively about whether your idea is really responding to your users’ needs. Then prioritize which features are the most important for your app and which need to be developed first. Take your time to reflect on your budget, deadlines, and the way you want to work on it. Don’t forget about your marketing strategy – for your app to rock, people need to know about it. Finally, do market research – make sure you have a full picture before you take the next step.
Choose your operating model
Depending on your resources, you may want to develop your app with your in-house team, or you may want to outsource the mobile app to an external partner, with experience in software development. Today, more and more people decide to outsource their app development projects – hiring skilled specialists becomes increasingly difficult while finding a good partner is doable and more convenient time- and price-wise.
If you decide to outsource app development project, take your time, and do research before signing a contract. Establish which companies do apps that may be similar to the one you are creating, and which of them have relevant experience and good references from their previous clients. Consider whether your future partner works with businesses similar to yours, both in terms of size and the type of industry you are in, and also what’s their way of communicating with their clients: are they responsive and positive? Don’t forget about comparing prices and checking what each of the proposals includes (some developers will offer you just developing your app, while others will help you with planning, publishing, and maintaining it).
Mobile app design
Now that you’ve selected a reliable partner, it’s time to kick-start working on the details of your app. Your app developers will advise you to look at both UX (User Experience – the way your app will work) and UI (User Interface – the way your app will look) app design. Together you can create a User Journey May which will help you understand how your app’s users will use the app.
The next step is down to your developers – they should develop Wireframes, a visual concept of the app, which will be used as a guide in the app development process.
App development process
The next stage is planning the actual process, and establishing deadlines, responsibilities, and roles of all the people who will be engaged in it. You also need to establish a way of communication that will be used by all team members.
Another very important step is choosing the platform that will be used in the mobile app development process. Your partners will help you make this decision depending on your needs.
Mobile app development
Planning is done, there is no other way than to start developing your app. Your app developers will most probably be working according to the agile methodology, using Scrum or a similar framework that allows dividing the project into smaller parts which will be developed, tested, and modified in certain timeframes (sprints). Such methods allow for good cooperation and regular reviews of the product that is being developed. If you are keen to read more about SCRUM, have a look here.
Mobile app launch
Now that your app is ready, it can finally plan a mobile app launch. Your developers should give you a hand when it comes to getting it ready for publishing on the most important app stores: Google Play Store and Apple Store.
Mobile app testing
The application development process does not finish with publishing your app. You need to market it to the right people to convince them to explore it and make use of it. Also, its performance needs to be reviewed regularly to detect any crashes, decide on any improvements, and check whether it’s actually reaching the target audience. Such a post-development phase allows you to decide what to change in the product to make it more attractive and engage more users.
Mobile application development – summary
As you can see, the application development process consists of several key stages, for which you need to prepare properly. Already at the planning stage, it would be advisable for you to get to know your audience in-depth and evaluate the activities of your competitors so that your mobile app stands out among them. This is very important, considering how much competition there is.
Make sure you will build mobile apps with the best app developers before moving on to the technical stage. Remember that you have different options for cooperation: you can hire them to your team permanently, or invite them to work with you only for a particular stage, through an app development company.
Don’t forget to test and develop mobile apps regularly after launch. Prepare yourself a strategy and a plan of what new features you would like to add, so as to increase the app’s appeal to users.