A Quick Guide to Mobile App Development

Mobile Application Development has become extremely popular recently. Right now there are more than 2.8 million apps on Android’s Play store and 2.2 millions apps on Apple’s App Store. If you also have an idea which you want to transform into something real, interactive and useful then here you have a chance to develop it into an app. Apps are created first in the head and then on real computer world.

There is no doubt that Mobile app development industry is already a multi-billion dollar industry and it is expected to grow even faster in coming years. For most of users, it is a way to reach millions of users and potential customers worldwide and also a way to earn money and respect. Good apps can’t be developed by just learning from videos and learning some programming language. Developing great app requires lots of creativity, design, awareness of the market trends and most importantly – a great idea.

This article is not a systematic instruction for creation of a mobile application. Rather this article will be very useful for those who decide to create their first mobile app and don’t know from where to start and also for those who already have been producing apps for applications store and right now looking for new ideas.

Solving a Problem with your Idea: 
If you want to start building your mobile app the first step is to find a relevant problem which can be solved with the help of a custom mobile app. From where you will get the idea. Just look at some of the existing successful apps and you will find that most of them are designed to simplify life and quickly solve day today difficulties and issues. The idea for a new product is just near you. Think about what issues you are experiencing daily and if a simple mobile app can help in solving them.

Relevance of Your Idea:
Thoroughly check the relevance of your app idea. Check queries in search engines and Google Keyword Planner to evaluate how many people are searching the internet for the solution which you are offering. If you don’t have a website yet then it is time to create it. By this you can attract an audience for your application. It will also help you in promotion of your app.

Features of Your App:
Now you should make detailed record of the features you want to incorporate into your app. Start from the essential design documents such as a vision of the application, business requirements, use cases, functional and non-functional requirements and a mockups of the User Interface (UI).

Scope of Your Mobile App:
Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is a minimum set of features of your mobile app that still can be useful for your customers. MVP is a shortened version of your future application which includes only its core functions. Hence define the scope of the MVP of your mobile application.
MVP will save money in software development and also makes a connection with the customers who can estimate the MVP and provide feedback at an early stage. This will help in estimating the audience, demand and other features which users want to see in the application. Define priorities of the features and  prepare a development plan for your mobile app.

Designing the User Interface:
The design of your mobile app should be beautiful and professional. Your app should be attractive as it is the major choosing factors for users when they download the application for the first time. The design should be user friendly and it should implement best User Experience (UX) practices.

Software Development:
Do you want to create Android app or an iOS app or for both? Do you want to develop a cross-platform or a native mobile application?

a) Native Mobile Apps:
Native Mobile Apps are programs developed for a specific mobile platform i.e Android, iOS or Windows. Limiting yourself to one platform will also limit your audience. Hence you should consider developing both iOS and Android versions of your app. To save money, first you can develop a native application for one platform, say iOS and then copy it to Android.

 b) Hybrid Mobile Apps:
Hybrid Mobile apps allow development of app for multiple devices, whatever OS they are running. Compared to Native apps, the speed and efficiency of these apps are lower.

c) Adaptive Web Applications:
Using Adaptive Web application, you can release the app on several platforms. Actually, it is not an app but a web application to which the users can connect from a web browser on their device. This kind of web application is adaptive and it can be opened from desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones etc.

If you have completed the above steps then now you can start developing the first version (MVP) of your app. Involve the software team. As idea is yours hence stay involved in the process as product owner, ask for short iterations, review the results, revise the scope and design in the next steps. Most developers today follow agile methodology of software development hence you can also be part of it for efficient and faster development of your mobile app.

Launching the App in the Market:
When the MVP or first design of your mobile app is ready and tested and you want your app on both iOS and Android platforms then start by registering your app in the stores and pay the registration fee. Their teams will check the app and approve the app or reject it with their comments. Even before the release of the app, you should plan thoroughly and prepare the analytic report including number of downloads of your app.

Feedback and Review:
Now if your app is running and available for download then now it is time to check the feedback and reviews about your app and improve it further. Check who and how downloads your app and what are their additional requirements? Listen to the opinions of your customers and users and make right decisions. Due to these valuable feedbacks you can expand the audience, attract more customer and can also revise the app and add new features into it.

Conclusion
As we have just discussed, planning, developing and promoting your mobile app is not an easy process. You need to follow a proper strategy for this. Starting from the idea stage, to design and development of the app to launching it into the market, it involves following proper processes and methodologies. If you have done a thoroughly research and followed all processes carefully, no one can stop you from launching a successful and highly downloadable mobile app which will take your business to new heights.