Whether you’re an accomplished business trying to strengthen your digital presence or a startup, you might have considered mobile app development to deliver an exceptional user experience and add value to their lives.
There are, however, a lot of challenges involved in it. For starters, it requires an efficient & effective development process. It should then be a hit with the users. Once that is achieved, the app has to be maintained & updated often to meet the changing needs of the app stores or the operating systems.
Worry not though, staying on the right path can help you achieve your app goals.
There’s a huge demand for mobile apps now. Especially, in the post-COVID era. According to statistics, a majority of users between the ages of 18 and 24, spend up to 4 hours using mobile apps daily, and with over 6 billion smartphone subscriptions worldwide, investing in mobile app development is a no-brainer. Here’s what you’ll have to take into account to successfully create the desired application.
Things to Consider
Having a clear understanding of the objectives is vital and the lack of good planning can be detrimental to your business. After all, failing to plan is planning to fail. It is essential to have a vision and a clear roadmap before embarking on this endeavor. Especially, if this is your first time or you’ve been through a bad experience before.
The software realm is constantly evolving and mobile app development, in particular, has seen some drastic changes in the last few years. In the beginning, there were just a few specified methods and the choices were scarce when it came to building an app.
Today, thanks to technological advances, there are so many ways to do that. For example, we have access to amazing templates, components, frameworks, and even hybrid applications. Today, we are going to try and cover 3 things that make a good app.
1. Platform
This is probably the most important aspect of mobile app development because it will determine most of the steps that follow. You have to be clear whether the target is iOS, Android, or both. While there are others too, such as Windows, iOS & Android are the most dominant.
However, you also want to be sure of the devices you want the app to work on. If the application is for an iPhone, iPad, Android phone, or tablet, it will give you a clear understanding of the dynamics and scope of work required. Keeping in mind things like the device specifications, screen size, & other limitations. It will greatly influence the development process.
Talking of platforms, it is also a good idea to explore Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). More and more mobile users now are accessing websites, so PWAs give you an easier barrier to entry.
Whenever users stumble upon your website organically via Google search or directly via the URL, a progressive web app will allow you to engage with them without them having to download the app. The users can be prompted via push notifications to visit the desired product, they can be offered new user discounts, or asked to download the app for a more native experience. So determining the platforms is essential.
2. Teams
As discussed earlier, the platforms we choose will influence the scope of work. Whether you hire an offshore software development company or in-house developers, the team you’d require will depend on the technology stack that will be involved in the creation of your app.
Also read: WEB AND APP DEVELOPMENT COMPANY OR A FREELANCER – WHO TO HIRE?
So if you are going for an Android app, you’ll have to work with an Android developer and an iOS developer if it’s an Apple device. Now, you can find a developer that can do both but that can be very time-consuming and prone to bugs.
On the other hand, if you opt for separate teams via a mobile app development service, it might cost you more in terms of finances but you can make it to the market much faster and save valuable time, and in an industry where time is money, it is always a good idea to leave it to the experts.
3. Tools & Technologies
The next step is to finalize the technical requirements of your application. There are a lot of tools in the form of templates, components, web & app designs, and even pre-written code that you can purchase online and start developing your app. It is suitable for projects that don’t have complex functionality.
When choosing the technologies for your project, considering a hybrid platform is also a good idea. There are tools out there that allow you to write code once and use that on iOS, Android, or as a PWA. Eliminating the need for hiring three different developers for the different platforms. This way, you’d be able to release the app simultaneously for all platforms.
Now, you might be thinking, why isn’t everyone opting for a hybrid model? Well, while it works perfectly well for some, it is probably not the best idea when it comes to developing let’s say, an augmented reality app, or something that requires a high refresh rate and performance like video games. It is possible to make it work but the quality will surely be compromised. In this scenario again, it is recommended to hire developers skilled in a particular platform.
Another technology you can incorporate in your app development is rapid app development tools. This takes you a notch higher than hybrid apps by offering tools that assist in developing apps rapidly in a single integrated developer environment (IDE). Allowing swift, development, hosting, and release of the apps. So choose the tools that complement your app’s needs.
The idea of this article was to equip you with the basic knowledge required for successful mobile application development and hope we were successful in achieving that.
However, if you are still in two minds about how and where to start, you can always get in touch with the experts at Intagleo Systems. From consultation to development and beyond, we take care of all your pre and post-development needs.
