Mobile app development customized for your brand is one of the most effective ways to expand your business and build a strong customer base. If you are planning to launch one for your business, then you would need to depend on the web development services of a competent mobile app development company. But before you do that, here are a few things you need to keep in mind before moving ahead with the plan.
Every year, the number of smartphone users is increasing across the globe. According to Statista, the number has already crossed 3.6 billion users in 2020 and is projected to hit the 4.3 billion mark in 2023. This number already shows how lucrative and attractive the mobile app market really is. The research also claims that the revenue from mobile application use will cross $935.2 billion by 2023.
Owing to the popularity of mobile phones, the number of mobile applications is also quickly increasing. For instance, in the second quarter of 2020, Google Play Store alone had 2.7 million apps in its kitty. This would mean that the competition in the mobile app industry is extremely high. The only way to stand out among your competitors is to build a highly functional app with the help of reliable web development services. Creating a successful mobile app needs an accurate selection of technologies, tools, platforms, and approaches. All these factors are dependent on the specific mobile app development project and product requirements, as well as the target base of customers.
In this article, we will go through everything you need to know to create an effective mobile application and also share our hands-on experience in the mobile and web application development sphere. This blog is also a guide to choosing a competent partner for your web development services and mobile app development. So, let’s begin!
Mobile app development lifecycle
If you are considering mobile app development for your business, you need to comprehend all the steps, phases, and procedures involved in the process before the final release. Defining and understanding these steps in your web development services allow the respective stakeholders to:
- Determine the amount of work completed at every phase and improve your planning
- Accurately allocate project resources
- Avoid possible troubles in the development process
- Carefully select frameworks, tools, and other development solutions
Irrespective of the length, scale, or complexity, all mobile app development projects usually go through the same stages. They can be divided into the following steps:
Planning stage
At this stage, your web development services will include a project manager, a business analyst, and a technical writer. They conduct business analysis, market research and decide on the major functionalities of a potential app. They then develop a detailed blueprint of the technical requirements and their specifications for further development. These details will help you determine the value of an app, the required budget estimate, ROI, etc.
This stage is crucial as it answers these questions:
- What is the app’s purpose and main idea?
- Who is the target audience?
- How much will be the development cost?
- How can this application benefit your business?
You also need to decide the programming languages and frameworks that you will need in order to proceed with the mobile app development. There are several options like React development to choose from for your business application. Just make sure that you select an appropriate platform that offers functionality and scalability for web app development or respective desktop application development.
Design & Prototype
This stage is about creating quick app prototypes and design mockups so that the layout and functionalities would meet the demands of the end-users.
Your app development company offering web development services can ideally first build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for a quick launch in the market. This will help you get initial feedback from real end-users and then based on that feedback decide which features to modify, add or remove.
Also, this stage helps in preventing additional development bottlenecks, mid-build changes or extended deadlines that could affect the final product release time or the budget.
Development stage
This stage is mainly handled by the development team of your web development services agency. The team will develop the app, include API layers, embed different technologies, adjust it for multiple mobile platforms, connect it with other online services, and do much more.
Quality assurance
This stage involves complete software testing or software quality assurance of the mobile app development process. QA engineers perform different types of tests to ensure the quality of the app. It will verify that the app has no major bugs, that it works properly, and is useful to the clients. To fulfill these requirements, the QA teams test the app on different devices, different screen sizes, and verify that the navigations, buttons, and menus work well.
App release & maintenance
This is the stage where your web development services agency publishes the app in the respective app stores. The team also involves in the release of the app’s timely updates, provision of customer support services, and infrastructure maintenance.
Mobile app development platforms
The choice of the platform for the development of a mobile app plays a major role in the functionality of the final product. Each platform determines the development tools, devices and practices that the app will run on. Therefore, your web development services agency, along with the respective project stakeholders will decide on the mobile platform right at the planning stage of the development lifecycle.
There are mainly two types of popular mobile app platforms – Android and iOS. Although these two systems are almost similar in functionalities, they have different app stores, software development tools, and kits. Also, they target different demographics and target audiences.
Mobile app development methodologies
Just like choosing the right platform for mobile development, make sure that your web development services agency takes into consideration the mobile app development approaches. These approaches define what platform the app will function on, which tools the development team should use, the capabilities of the app, etc.
There are primarily four major mobile app development approaches
- Native mobile apps
- Cross-platform solutions
- Hybrid mobile apps
- Progressive web apps
Each of these approaches has certain advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, before choosing one, you should understand your development project in detail and find out which approach will suit your requirement.
Wrapping Up
These days, most internet users prefer using mobile applications when they consume online services. That is why there has been a rapid increase in the number of mobile apps and web development services available. Most companies are now aiming to offer their services through professional mobile applications. These help organizations to effectively expand their customer base, increase customer experiences, and better support their business processes.
However, as we have mentioned above, the development of effective and robust mobile apps requires an accurate selection of development approaches and tools. Brands need to understand the processes involved in selecting the right development platform, technologies, and development approach that will suit their project best. This will help them meet the user requirements, deliver the app on time and keep the expenses low.
Have further queries? You can seek the guidance of our expert programmers and developers regarding mobile app development for your business. We are a custom software development company with expertise in mobile app development, eCommerce development, and cloud services. Looking for custom digital solutions for your business expansion? Contact our team to find the perfect solution for you.