Here are some facts
- Mobile apps are expected to generate $189 billion in revenue by 2020.
- The Apple App Store has 2.2 million apps available for download.
- There are 2.8 million apps available for download on the Google Play Store.
- 21% of Millennials open an app 50+ times per day.
- 49% of people open an app 11+ times each day.
- 57% of all digital media usage comes from mobile apps.
- The average smartphone owner uses 30 apps each month.
By observing such statistics, it’s only natural that every other business is looking for a way to expand and integrate it with new trends like that of mobile app development. And to achieve even a little success in such competitive landscape, it is becoming more and more crucial to keep up and run,along with everyone else.
Of course, there is no one clear path you need to tread to develop an application. The development of each application needs a special approach to tackle the process efficiently. But there definitely are some yardsticks, you need to reach in order to have a clear idea.
So, what actually is the step by step process to developing an app ? Which step are you on ? Are you ahead or just starting ? Let’s figure it out.
Outline your Idea
Probably,the first and foremost step which every single individual thinking of developing a mobile application need to ask themselves, what is their ‘ why ‘ ? Why do you need a mobile app ? Will this specific business move help bring comfort to your customers and with that being considered, will it be beneficial to your business ?
After looking for these answers, you can start bringing your own app ‘ idea ‘ to life. Make sure it is tangible in nature. Define the features of your app. Set aside the features ( Minimal Viable Product ) which are extremely crucial for your application to work. After that, set aside those creative ideas which makes your application stand out from the ones already existing.
Remember, Your application works by MVP and thrives through those extra features.
Market Research
You cannot get ahead by knowing who your competitors are, by knowing their strategies and their shortcomings and by knowing their pros and cons. Market research is an important step as by making such analysis, you can create your own unique strategy and actually point out what’s missing in your initial model and what makes it stand out from others.
Identify the Basics
After the market research, you’d get to know your competitors and will be able to identify :
– Unique Selling Point : What is your products unique selling point ? Why is it different from your competitors ?
– Target Users : Who are your target users ? How can you actually target them? What are the consumer trends you need to follow ?
– Mistakes : A wise man once said that your own life is too short to learn everything by a first hand experience. In order to get ahead, you must learn from experiences of your associates as well. By a thorough research you’d be able to identify what mistakes others are making & how can you improve on that ?
Mockup and design
Remember how in school when you had the task of writing an article and were told to create a rough sketch just to get your points on paper which simplified the process ? Well, keep the same approach during this process and it’ll get way less intimidating.
Keep in mind, you must pay attention to the functional aspect of the application and start on creating aesthetics after.
Create a model of how your app looks, which icons are to be placed where and how to get from screen A to screen B . This mockup does not include fine-grained UI elements, exact positioning of UI elements and complex color schemes and effects.
Even when you have a customer, it is a very good idea to present your customer a mockup, by just using pen and paper. It gives them and even you ( being a developer ) and idea which doesn’t require any kind of cost.
After the mockup, comes design. A good UX and UI design would ultimately mean good discoverability. It is a crucial step which defines usability of the app, engages the customers and enhances their app experience.
App development
App development is a harsh process. It requires you to identify which approach you need that fulfills the needs of your own application i.e. hybrid, web or native.
There are other 3 crucial factors i.e. Back end Server Technology, API ( Application Programming Interface ) and Front-End technology. The first factor includes database and server-side objects necessary for supporting functions of your mobile app. The API facilitates communication between the application and back end servers. The third factor is the final product which a customer uses.
Testing
The application, when fully developed goes through various phases of testing that helps to fix errors and provides a finishing touch to the application. It makes the it usable, secure and functional. It also checks the security aspects of an application.
When you develop an application, it’s different uses attracts different customers. Hence, a user based testing is essential for the app as different users will access different functions of the app and it’ll identify all kinds of defects through the whole application. The Performance Testing involves how your app is responds to different user requests, if it’s slow or not, how much your app is draining the battery as well as memory of the mobile, all these factors are very crucial and if one of these defects is present in the app, it might drive a huge audience from using your app. Security Testing is also a crucial aspect as one has to know before launch if the app is vulnerable to hacking or leaking information to the third parties without permission. Only after going through these phases of testing can you successfully launch an applications with the least defects.
App developer account
You must have an account registered under your name independently or the company which wishes to launch it on that particular platform. Once uploaded on app stores or google play, it is reviewed and become available for submission.
Integrating analytics
After launching the application for the public use, you must analyze how well app is doing, the customer engagement and those behavior will help you enhance the app according to the trends. You should quickly start working on developing marketing strategies as well as improvising according to the new technologies being introduced and needs of the consumers.
Building an application is a comprehensive yet exhilarating process. These steps are not sacrosanct but just a help book for you to identify how to navigate your way through the entire process.
Remember, It’s all about bridging the gap between what people want, Your creativity and realistically, What you can provide.
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