So you wake up with a wonderful idea for a mobile application- you can explain it, knowing it’s the most amazing concept ever, and you know your app idea can astound many people- now what?
The good news is that it’s a good start. The bad news is that only a small percentage of apps are truly successful. So, what separates the good from the bad—a little luck? Yes, as well as numerous correct steps. While you can try your luck, we’ll show you how to develop a mobile application properly.
Successful mobile applications = outcomes
For example, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat, as well as Tinder are the most popular smartphone applications.
Wait, outcomes? Are these applications the outcomes? Outcomes of what? These top apps result from tried and true mobile application development methods.
The mobile app industry has evolved along with technological advancements. Mobile application development is a requirement for everyone, from the Fintech as well as Insurance sectors to the fashion and retail industries. What began as a basic successful app called Flappy Bird has progressed to the point that it is now capable of meeting all human requirements.
Let’s look at our thorough guide to the mobile app development process if you’re thinking about making one. We’ve broken down the whole guide to the mobile app development process into a few important steps to make it easier to grasp.
Using new technologies can enable so much more.
Data security, data personalization, image recognition, in-app messaging, gamification, content sharing, as well as payment processing are all features of modern mobile apps.
Businesses can accomplish a lot more with mobile apps thanks to technologies like cloud computing, augmented reality, as well as artificial intelligence. As a result, developing a mobile app has become more sophisticated.
Life-cycle of Mobile App Development in 2022
Smartphone use is on the rise globally, with over 3.5 billion users. The numbers continue to rise gradually, with no signs of decreasing.
According to studies, the average American checks their phone every 12 minutes, with over 10% checking it every four minutes. There are a few more numbers to consider.
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The average mobile app user spends 35 hours per month on the device.
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Mobile accounts for more than half of all time spent with digital media.
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Mobile apps account for about 90% of smartphone users’ screen time.
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The average smartphone user has over 30 apps loaded.
Anyone who wants to construct or develop a mobile app will find the data motivating. But first, let’s have a better understanding of the mobile app development process.
Building a mobile app to capture a piece of the billion-dollar pie may be a lucrative proposition, but it requires careful consideration and planning.
In addition, your software will be competing with approximately 1.5 million other apps on the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.
The Process of Developing a Mobile App
The process of creating a mobile app is divided into two parts: frontend and backend.
Frontend development
This method is used to create what is displayed to app users. When designing and constructing the frontend of a mobile app, a mobile app developer must consider several factors.
This also includes the MVP of the product. The MVP assists you in understanding and knowing what your product requires right now from the client’s perspective.
The necessary items are prioritized based on development and requirement. You can list all the changes that can be made later in the app. This method allows you to have a clear vision and purpose, as well as ensure that the app’s main functionality is effectively developed.
The goal is to provide a straightforward experience with a low learning curve. It should also be precisely in sync with the backend to easily transfer information.
Further Reading: How To Plan A Lean MVP That Scales? (An Essential MVP Guide)
Backend development
This is the most important aspect of one of the app development steps. Your app will be more powerful if your backend is more robust. Even after the app is launched, the backend should be designed and constructed to allow scalability and easy management.
As much as your app’s design and UI/UX, the server is responsible for its back-end performance and scalability. Backend development primarily entails writing code while considering the language, database, wireframe, APIs, and other factors.
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Push notification service proportion
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Server-side logic development
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Explaining the structure of the backend
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Integration of data
After thoroughly discussing, comprehending, and understanding the procedures, the team moves on to developing the application’s aesthetics and functions.
The designer is in charge of creating the actual screens for your mobile app. The testing phase begins once the development phase is completed.
Clients’ General Concepts
Our clients typically come to us with a vision for the type of app they want to develop, as well as information about the consumers and competitors. The project is boosted now that the foundation research has been completed.
Let’s look at the data that prospects bring with them.
Who are the users of the app?
Companies know who will utilize the app on a surface stakeholder level as well as in terms of researched user demographics. They usually do user demographics research to determine which geographical area the users belong to, their age group, and how they use their mobile devices, among other things.
Understand who their competitors are
Our customers are aware of the app’s competitors. They contacted us after conducting preliminary research into the brands with which their app would compete.
Basic viability of an idea
Companies usually arrive after confirming that their app concept is viable and would provide significant value to their customers.
The concept of the app’s features: Our clients are aware of the features included in the app.
Steps for Creating the Ideal Mobile App Development
Although each app is unique, the development process is nearly identical. Depending on the app’s requirements and domain, our approaches are continually evolving.
Nonetheless, we’ve compiled a common approach and stages for creating a mobile device app. The procedures are based on app development for Android and iOS devices. So let’s take a peek!
1. Mobile App Development strategy
Creating a strategy to translate your design into a sale-worthy app is the first step in any Mobile App Development process. A more important component of this can be integrated into your overall organizational mobility plan.
Because your app’s aims may differ from those of others, you’ll need to take an app-centric approach to software development.
The following are the strategic criteria required to develop mobile applications:
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Determine who your users are.
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Investigate your competitors.
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Determine the purpose and ambitions of your app.
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Select a platform for your app.
2. Mobile App Development process analysis and planning
During the planning stage, your concept takes shape and becomes a project. Establishing use cases and determining detailed functional requirements are the first steps in planning and analysis.
Create a software development roadmap after determining your app’s requirements. This entails selecting and organizing your mobile app’s features into measurable milestones. If you’re short on resources, time, or money, identify the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and focus on it for your app’s initial release.
Different app development technology stacks must make your program available on iOS and Android mobile platforms. It also entails recruiting or hiring iOS and Android developers.
Make a distinctive name for your app after conducting thorough research in each app store to ensure it is not already in use!
3. UI / UX Design in the Mobile App Development process
Your app should have a professional appearance and provide a seamless and painless user experience. A seasoned UI/UX design services company can ensure this.
When you create the best mobile applications, your app becomes a big hit with consumers since they can successfully adapt and profit from its features.
User interface/user experience design aims to provide an exceptional user experience that makes your software engaging, intuitive, as well as user-friendly to keep people interested.
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Information architecture & workflows
In the early stages of mobile app development, data is used in various ways, including the one displayed to users, the one collected, and how users interact with the app.
Users are granted set roles, rights, or rules important to the information architecture of a mobile app as it is being developed. Workflow diagrams aid in the identification of all possible user interactions inside the app’s navigation hierarchy.
Wireframes are similar to digital sketches created by app designers for the mobile app development process. It helps build a visual structure for your app’s functional requirements by creating its conceptual layouts, commonly known as low-fidelity mockups.
Instead of app color schemes and styles, wireframes focus on an app’s aesthetics and how-to, mobile app development for its user experience. It’s a rapid and cost-effective strategy that should consider device-specific design across a wide range of devices to give intuitive and device-specific user experiences.
Style guides are “living documents” that specify an application’s style requirements throughout the development process, from branding regulations to navigation icons.
It consists of:
When designing mobile apps, style guides can assist you in developing an app strategy. If done early on, it establishes a style guide for your mobile app developers.
By following a style guide, you can keep an app’s look and feel consistent. Examine Apple’s for iOS and Google’s Android app design guidelines.
App developers call these final designs the high fidelity designs. By including your style guide in the wireframes of your app, you may create mockups. Your information architecture, workflow, and aesthetics will all be changed after you finish the app design.
To create high-fidelity mockups for your mobile app development process, you can utilize Adobe Photoshop, the most popular application.
App mockups are static designs that show how your mobile app works. To make them click-through prototypes, you can utilize tools like Invision and Figma.
Prototypes are essential for simulating the user experience, and app workflow delivered when the final product is released. While prototyping takes time, it’s worth it because it allows you to show off your app’s design and functionality early on.
Prototypes can help you identify improvements to the functionality provided by the app during the mobile app development process.
When the functional aspects of an app aren’t thoroughly thought out, some companies opt to construct prototypes during the wireframing stage. They also do this while designing mobile apps to examine their planned functionality with a focus group.
4. App development
Planning is a critical component of mobile app development. Before you begin serious app development and programming, you must first:
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Establish the technological framework of your app.
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Select a stack of technologies.
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Determine the milestones for progress.
The back-end or server technology, API(s), and the app’s front-end are the three main components of a standard app plan.
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Back-End/Server technology
This section of mobile app development provides all app functionality, as well as the necessary database and server-side objects. It is often possible to implement the desired mobile capabilities by modifying an existing back-end platform.
The Application Programming Interface (API) ensures communication between the app and the back-end server/database in the mobile app development process.
In the development stage of mobile apps, this is the native mobile app that an end-user uses. Mobile applications typically consist of interactive user experiences that employ an API as well as a data management back-end. In exceptional cases, the program can use local data storage to allow users to function without access to the internet.
In-app development, nearly any web programming language, and database can be utilized for the backend. For native apps, a technological stack must be chosen, as it is for each mobile OS.
Objective-C, as well as Swift, are two programming languages that can be used to create iOS apps. Java and Kotlin are the most popular Android applications.
For designing mobile apps, there are numerous programming languages and technological stacks. As a result, always use technology that is appropriate for your project.
5. Testing
Helios applications are functional, stable, and safe thanks to comprehensive Quality Assurance (QA) checks during the mobile app development phase. Create test cases that look at all aspects of mobile app testing to ensure you’re running a full QA test of the app.
Implementing test steps, recording findings for software quality analysis, and monitoring issue fixes for reprocessing are all examples of test scenarios.
For the best results, involve the QA team throughout the Analysis and Design phases. Knowledge of the app’s functions and goals will aid in the creation of accurate test cases.
The test scenarios you should concentrate on are as follows:
6. Support and deployment
You have to submit your new mobile application to the app stores for Apple and Android before you can release it. Before you can distribute the software, you’ll need an Apple Store developer account and a Google Play Store account.
App store submission or optimization requires metadata such as the following:
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The application’s name
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Key Phrases
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App description
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Category or genre
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Launch icon
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App Store screenshots
Once an app is submitted for review to the Apple app store, it will be subjected to a review, which might take anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on the quality of the software and how well it follows the iOS app development standards and guidelines. If an app requires users to log in, the developer must offer a test user account to Apple.
Monitor app usage using mobile analytics and analyze your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to determine the app’s success rate once it has been released in the app stores. You must also investigate crash reports and other user-reported defects on a regular basis.
Platforms for Mobile App Development
After establishing itself as the clear leader in mobile app development, the platform has expanded its offerings to include a variety of products that are just as simple to use.
These designer devices are excellent for quickly creating portable applications and, surprisingly, offer cross-stage functionality for reaching a larger audience. Consider these mobile app platforms:
After establishing itself as the clear leader in mobile app development, the platform has expanded its offerings to include a variety of products that are just as simple to use.
These designer devices are excellent for quickly creating portable applications and, surprisingly, offer cross-stage functionality for reaching a larger audience. Consider these mobile app platforms:
Flutter
With Flutter, you can develop high-performance apps for iOS, Android, the web, as well as desktops using a single codebase.
It’s built using React, the best-in-class JavaScript toolkit for creating user interfaces, and it’s optimized for smartphones.
Further Reading: The Only Flutter App Development Guide You’ll Ever Need
Felgo
Felgo, formerly known as the V-Play Engine, is a well-known cross-stage development environment for creating a variety of games and applications.
It provides extensive support for IDEs and other portable application development tools and allows you to create local apps for the iOS as well as Android platforms. Buyers and organizations frequently use it to create cross-stage and local portable apps.
Appy Pie
Appy Pie is a product platform that allows you to create your own apps without having to know how to code.
To make the required application, there is a variety of simple-to-use options and devices. The system includes App Builder / Ionic Studio, a visual development environment for constructing functional applications.
Xamarin
With Xamarin Developers, you can create your own apps for Android, tvOS, watchOS, iOS, macOS, as well as Windows using a local working area.
With Microsoft Visual Studio Xamarin, you can create long-lasting apps for Windows, iOS, as well as Android with only a single.NET code.
The nicest feature of Xamarin’s cross-platform technologies is that all apps built with them have a look and feel of native apps because they employ a native interface that functions the way users expect.
Because of the fierce competition in mobile software programming and modifications at every level, application programming designers must also consider a wide range of screen sizes, details, and equipment configurations.
Conclusion
Finally, we hope that after reading this, you have a better understanding of the entire mobile app development process. How well you execute each of the development processes will determine the success of your mobile app.
Because app creation is a constant activity, maintaining your mobile app after it has been released assures its excellent performance and yields higher returns over time.
As a result, our mobile app developers make it a point to carefully follow each step in order to make your app more engaging and dynamic. Please contact us if you have any concerns about how to create a mobile app development strategy or how the mobile app design process works.
As a skilled mobile app development company, we can provide a competitive advantage to business owners. Fill out the contact form to have our app development team respond to your inquiries
