Most of our online activities happen on our phones. Everything has gone mobile, from ordering food and groceries to booking a ride and movie tickets, choosing and purchasing our favorite e-commerce products to finding a partner all in a mobile app inside our phones.
Mobile app development has become crucial as it opens the doors to reach a broader audience. Forward-thinking organizations took the lead and created mobile apps to boost their businesses.
If, as a small business owner, you want to know about the mobile app development process from A to Z, keep reading this piece.
How Do You Develop a Mobile App?
Follow these simple steps to develop a mobile application.
1- Come Up with a Unique Idea
Remember that a brand new idea comes in years. App ideas are usually born from old app ideas. You can tweak your favorite app’s idea or take several aspects of different apps and merge them into one product.
2- Competitor Research is Vital
Check if the solution your application offers is offered by other apps. If you find numerous other products that aim to cater to the same pain point you are focusing on, this means your idea is feasible. And users need this kind of product.
If the existing app solutions are outdated or the app author hasn’t updated them for a long time, you can fill the gap here. Check if the existing products completely meet the needs of users.
To do this, check out the reviews of your competitors’ applications. Create a spreadsheet and jot down the applications’ names, features, price plans, date of the last update, app publishers, ratings, and downloads.
This practice will help you decide your app’s feature set and what aspects to focus on first.
3- Lay Out the Features
Now, you should write the intended feature set of your solution or create a wireframe. Think out even the tiny details and put them down on paper.
Envision how the user will use the product and whether there is a flow in it. This document will help the app developer clearly understand your concept and needs.
Also, add the things the user will be able to do using the app. For example, if it’s a social media application, you may write:
- Users can make a profile
- They would be able to signup using a new email address or sign in with Google, Facebook, or Twitter
- They would be able to make their profile including a picture, a user name, and a short bio
4- Its Time to Create Design Drafts
Many businesses in the USA tell their mobile app development company to only focus on developing an app and creating a basic design. They make a blunder of thinking design only means their app’s appearance however, it also deals with the user experience.
So, mobile app development deals with the expert usage of technology while design deals with human creativity. Good developers always use a design-first approach which means giving importance to user experience and graphics.
5- Hire a Mobile app development Services Provider
Look for an acclaimed app development agency in the USA to get a quality mobile app developed for your business. Digital Gravity Agency in USA has a team of talented and diligent app developers who know how to help a business thrive with a functional mobile application.
6- Make Developer Accounts
You need to launch your app through one or more app stores. To do that, you should register yourself with the app stores to put your app on their platforms. The developer account could be made as a company or an individual.
7- Monitor Your App’s Performance
For this step, you should craft and monitor key performance indicators or KPIs. Use free tools like Flurry to integrate analytics with your application and track user engagement, downloads, and retention.
8- Leverage User Reviews
Don’t forget to request users for their feedback once you have released your app publicly. Your friends or colleagues may have a soft corner in their hearts while reviewing your product but, your consumers will not hesitate to give brutally honest feedback.
If your users suggest a new feature/functionality, prioritize working on it. And if you were to add something new but users don’t demand it, don’t waste your money.
This might interest you as well: 9 Tips to Become a Mobile App Developer in 2022
What are the 3 Types of Mobile Apps?
The three types of mobile apps are:
1- Native Mobile Applications
Native applications are developed for a particular app store/operating system. For example, an app created for Apple’s AppStore will be native to that platform.
You can offer a refined user experience via a native application since it is created specifically for a single platform. It will run more smoothly and rapidly.
2- Hybrid Mobile Applications
A hybrid app merges both a web application and a native application but is covered within a native app. Users can download hybrid apps on their phones similar to native apps, however, they function via web browsers.
A hybrid application can run on all platforms, making the mobile app development process easier than it is for native apps. These apps help you save time and money.
3- Web Applications
A mobile-friendly website will change its design when you open it on a mobile phone. Therefore, app developers create web applications that don’t change their design when accessed via a mobile device.
They can adapt to various screen sizes of mobile gadgets as developers deliver web apps using a mobile browser.
Can I Learn App Development on my Own?
Yes, you can learn mobile app development on your own but it will take a lot of time. You would need at least a month to learn only the basics of app development only if you put in enough effort and time in it.
Can I Create an App without Knowing to Code?
Yes, you can create an application without any coding knowledge using one of the app builders. You would just need to learn to use that app builder, include functionalities, and tailor the appearance and user experience of the application with your company’s branding.
What Skills Do You Need to be an App Developer?
We have discussed what skills you need to develop an app using an app builder. However, if you want to build your app from scratch, you need a lot of skills including:
- Modern programming skills
- Expertise in software development
- Back-end computing
- Mobile UI design
- Cross-platform app development
- Analytical and communication skills
- Creativity and problem solving
- Using agile methodologies
- Product management
- Cyber security
- Business skills
Bottom Line
Beginners often find creating an application overwhelming especially if they have no technical knowledge. That is why we have tried to use simple language to break down the process of app development and answer the frequently asked questions.
However, the easier route is to hire a trustworthy mobile app development company like Digital Gravity. Save yourself from the hassle and focus entirely on your business objectives!
Read the 2023 guide on How To Develop an iPhone App here.
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