Well, if you have noticed, the mobile app development industry is experiencing a transformative change. With the emergence of micro-processing technologies, we will become capable of running mobile apps on varied platforms soon.
Just wait for some time, you will witness that the apps that are developed for mobiles will run flawlessly on the desktops in the coming years. Besides, mobile apps that are developed with React Native or Flutter will work seamlessly on iPhones, Android Phones, and PCs.
But, before we reach too far let’s start with the mobile app development guide 2021 so that you may also know more about revolutionizing mobile app development.
What Is Mobile App Development?
A process of developing mobile applications that can run smoothly on mobile devices is known as mobile app development. Such apps can either be pre-installed or the user will need to download and install them next. The mobile applications use the network potential of the device to perform perfectly accessing the resources remotely. Therefore, the process of mobile app development demands the creation of software that can be installed on the device and facilitate backend services for data access all through APIs and test the app on target devices.
To build scalable mobile applications, you will also need to think about the hardware requirements, screen sizes, and more aspects related to the app development process. As the number of jobs is increasing in the mobile app development industry, the process needs to be well-defined and well-understood by startups, entrepreneurs, and especially developers.
Mobile App Development Platforms
The chief mobile app platforms are Android from Google, and iOS from Apple Inc. The proprietary mobile OS system of Apple, iOS is built particularly for iPhones. On the other hand, Android runs on mobile devices that are manufactured by many OEMs, including Google.
As both the platforms are somewhat similar to each other, yet distinct software development kits (SDKs) are used for distinct platforms. While Google has allowed Android to be available for other brands to meet their specific needs, Apple utilizes iOS for its devices only. The developers have developed over 1.5+ million apps for both platforms to date.
The Three-Phase Process to go from Discovery to Launch
Various mobile app development companies typically take three months to complete the mobile app development project which also includes app approval and launch on the app store. It’s a three-phase process that starts from discovery and ends till launch. Let’s just walk through the entire process of mobile app development.
Phase 1: App Planning & Discovery
This app planning process is developed on three essential elements. Let’s check them out one by one.
Strategizing Your App Experience
While developing a strategy, a blueprint is created. The company works with its clients to make a clear timeline by analyzing their business needs and circumstances. Next, the company connects with its internal team of mobile app development and confirms the project expectations. Then, they sit together to discuss the business objectives, target audiences, insights, and priority features that will assist them in creating an app that is more expected to explore product-market fit.
Crafting The User Experience
As we don’t prefer constructing our home without any blueprint, similar goes with the app. We should also never try to build our mobile app without a blueprint. That’s why the mobile app development company builds a user experience that stays close to the completion, and next, it is passed on to the developer for implementation. At this stage, the deliverable is counted as an architecture that includes a defined journey of users, prints of the experience, and that also screen-by-screen, a working prototype, and high-fidelity mockups that one can test and take a demo.
Creating A Solid Product Roadmap
Post the completion of designs, the company offers its clients detailed technical needs along with UX documentation with which any experienced team of mobile development can perform. This roadmap of the product eases clients with everything they want to develop their app, counting along with the info they want to set their budget for the short as well as long term.
At the end of this phase, the two important reasons behind the seamless flow of the process emerge with no delays, and the scope extensions, namely consistent collaboration and time approvals.
Phase 2: Mobile App Development
Post the research roadmap, and designs, next, it’s time for the development. The development stage is conducted primarily on the company’s end with very little client work. On the other hand, the programmers and developers use this time to write code and craft an amazing app experience.
The span of the development phase relies on the complexity of the app according to the roadmap of phase one. If the application is chiefly for information purposes with a few interactions, it may take a month to develop it. An excessively complicated app including geo-location, an inventory, dynamic content, social logins, and a user database may demand double, even triple of the effort, and hence time.
Before making the app ‘live’, the mobile application development company offers its team a chance to conduct a demo and test the application. Also, it performs QA testing, resolves the bugs, and adjusts the final design that showcases a good impression before the audience of the app.
Phase 3: Maintenance, Support & Updates
Post the mobile app development, its approval by the app store, and its download by the real people, it’s time for celebration. That’s fine, but along with that, you should be sure that things are moving in the right direction. And here, one should determine which features should be developed next, and then implement constant mobile app testing to keep the application working flawlessly.
To plan this part, the roadmap that we developed in phase one will outline specific updates and features that can be built post-launch.
Alternatives To Developing Mobile Apps
Apart from the above three phases to develop a mobile app, now, we will discuss the alternatives that we can follow for developing a mobile app. So, let’s get started.
You can meet mobile app development in the following four different ways:
- Develop Native Mobile Applications
- Build Cross-Platform Native Mobile Apps
- Build Hybrid Mobile Apps
- Build Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)
Well, we all know the mobile app development arrives with various advantages and disadvantages, regardless of the approach we follow. By picking an approach that meets our strategy, we can avail required computing resources, develop native features needed for your app, and meet the desired user experience.
Conclusion
When we plan to develop our mobile presence, we should consider offering an amazing experience to our audience and that also as efficiently as we can.
For some brands, this seems to be like developing mobile apps. However, for many others, a mobile site would not only be more efficient but also prove itself well-embedded with enhanced functionality and best-suitability with the desires and needs of their target audience.
So, after going through a perfect mobile app development guide 2021, if you are planning to go for it, then you should hire a leading mobile app development company that may listen to your business needs patiently, plan everything accordingly, and follow the best approaches and practices to meet your desired business outcomes and goals.
