They work together to break down the process and determine which areas need assessment. Determine the goals for each area. The following five steps are what make the most successful teams.
Why Develop a Mobile App For Your Business?
In the world, there are approximately 6.37 billion [ii] smartphone users. 90%[iii]of their time is spent using mobile apps. Mobile apps are growing in popularity and becoming more popular every day.
These data show that mobile apps are becoming the preferred way for consumers to interact with companies. Most businesses now have their mobile apps to attract more customers.
Benefits of Mobile Applications for Businesses
There are many benefits to mobile apps. Here are some of the benefits that you can receive from creating your mobile app for business.
1. Increase your Visibility
The average user spends 5-6 hours per day on their smartphone. Even though most of the time is spent using a few select apps, your app will still be seen by users as they scroll through their phones. It may seem trivial at first, but you will soon see its benefits.
Unconsciously, our brain records all the text and images we see in a single day. Your brand will be easier to remember if users are exposed to your app every day. Your brand's visibility and awareness will grow effortlessly.
2. Create a Direct Channel and Personalize It
Mobile apps are a great way to communicate directly with customers. However, they have a major advantage: personalized communication.
Mobile applications allow you to customize information, such as messages, offers, and recommendations, according to the user. You can customize your messages even further by using features such as geolocation and the user profile. You can deliver information to your users at their fingertips. Push notifications can also encourage users to interact with your business.
3. Improve User Experience
The user experience is crucial to the success of your business. The user experience is the main goal of any enhancements made to your digital platform.
With its user-friendly and engaging UI/UX, a mobile application can provide seamless browsing to users. This will increase their satisfaction. A happy customer is more likely to do business with you in the future.
4. Improve Customer Engagement
Mobile apps can be easily accessed and are an effective way of reaching out to your target audience. Mobile apps create a direct channel of interaction between the user and business, allowing them to explore and interact as they, please.
Integrating social media channels into your mobile app will help you to extend your digital presence and enhance your communication with your audience. It also allows your customers to easily share your content with their friends, which will ultimately increase engagement.
5. Capture Customer Insights
It is a great way to gather and analyze customer information. You can use it to gather information on customer behavior, such as time spent and areas that are most/least accessed.
This data can be used to better understand users and their preferences, which you can then use in your marketing. You can also use data to fuel your decisions and improve the business offers based on user interests.
6. New Window for Revenue
Apps for mobile devices are a great way to personalize shopping experiences for your clients. The purchasing process is made simple and intuitive, which leads to an increase in sales.
Domino's Pizza App is a great example. In the first six months after the launch of its mobile ordering app, the company saw its sales increase by 28% in the UK. The company receives 52% today of its total sales through its mobile app.
You can monetize an app with in-app purchases or freemium apps. Your users will pay more for your app if they enjoy it.
7. Improve Customer Service
Mobile applications can be a very effective way for your customers to contact you. These applications provide customers with easy-to-access data that leads to improved customer satisfaction.
Apps for mobile devices also create an instant feedback system, which encourages your customers to contact you with their questions and comments. It creates a feedback loop between you and your customers.
8. Stand out From the Competition
A mobile app gives you a competitive edge in today's digitally competitive world. It meets the needs of consumers for convenience and speeds better than traditional digital channels.
You can tailor your app so that it creates a brand-specific atmosphere, which strengthens the image and recognition of your brand.
9. Cultivate Customer Loyalty
Mobile applications play a small but important role in building customer trust. The mobile app is easily accessible and provides users with the correct information at the appropriate time, which helps them to make informed decisions.
It is easier to maintain a high retention rate if you offer customers experiences that encourage brand loyalty. You can also start loyalty programs to encourage customers to stay loyal to your brand.
Starbucks is an excellent example. Starbucks has a Star Point System that rewards customers for visiting nearby Starbucks outlets. The customer is encouraged to return to the outlet to earn even more rewards.
10. Leverage Technology Trends
The pace of technological advancement is increasing. To stay relevant, it is therefore important to adopt the latest technologies that will help you provide better services. This is best demonstrated by a mobile app.
Add any new feature you want to your app to improve its functionality and user experience. By integrating your IoT app, you can embed services into other devices, such as smartwatches and refrigerators, to create an advanced service ecosystem.
Key Stages of the App Development Process
Fig: Mobile app development process
Step 1: Confirming the Idea
Answering these questions will help you determine if you're marrying the right idea and if it is worth your time and effort.
- App Goal: What is the purpose of your mobile app? Does it have a real need in your business? Does your idea fit the needs of your business/target audience? Are you able to devote enough resources to its promotion?
- Your Target Audience: who is your target? Who are your potential users?
- App USP - What are the key features? What is your app's core appeal? Why should your audience download your app? What will make you stand out?
- Analysis of your Competitors: Who is your competition? Are they using a similar app? Is your solution to the problem better than theirs?
- App Investment: Any application development will require you to invest money, time, and effort. Are you prepared?
- App Marketing: When and How will you market your application? What is your marketing strategy for the first 500 users?
Step 2: Market Research
It's time to start the most important phase of your journey. Market research will show you what the real interest or demand of the market is. You can then modify your idea and use the research to give you a list of requirements that can help you prioritize the work. The question is, how do you conduct market research correctly? Here is a step-by-step guide to market research:
Market research has many other benefits:
- You can maintain a better understanding of your customers
- Find out what your competitors are doing
- Assess your product before launch.
- How can you reach your audience?
- Business opportunities are identified
- Discover the features and needs of users
Step 3: Create your app's Wireframe
After you have a list of ideas, it is time to give your idea a form. Wireframes. A wireframe can be viewed as the blueprint for your application. The Wireframe will show the functionality and design of your application. It will also help you to understand how the app looks and works.
App wireframes are a way for the team members to understand the concept. It is also a good guide for developers.
- Create a Mobile Frame
Select a frame with dimensions that match the device you are designing. The frame will act as a constraint and prevent you from adding excessive elements to a screen. A frame should create the illusion of a real frame.
We recommend that you start with a device of mid-screen size. As an iOS App Development Company, we use the XS Framework of the iPhone.
- Use Design Patterns
The most important factor in UX design is familiarity. Users can use their previous experience to interact with a product when they see familiar User Interface components. Native design patterns are available on both iOS and Android, which can help designers create a familiar user experience. Design patterns are reusable blocks of content that can be used to solve common problems.
- Ensure Your Content Scales Well
Does your design work on the iPhone XS screen? That's great! It will look good on all screen sizes. It doesn't matter if your design is great on a phone with a medium screen size, like the iPhone XS. This does not mean that iPhone 5 or iPhone XS Max owners will experience the same thing. It is fine to wireframe with a middle-sized screen, but it's also important to test how the content looks in different sizes.
Design Sprints: Bring Order to the Design Chaos
You will not know if you have made the right decisions during wireframing. Perhaps one layout is better than the other, or maybe some xx features should be added. Design Sprints are a scientific, collaborative process that helps to determine which features should be built first and which to eliminate. By establishing concepts, it can save time and money in the development process.
The Importance of Design Sprint
Every stage of a project can benefit from design sprints. Let's explore:
- Create a new service or product
- Redesigning an existing product/service
- Add new features to existing products/services
Let's look at the steps involved in a design sprint to gain a deeper understanding of it.
- Deep: Dig deeper into the design problem
- Define: Defining the main strategy and focus
- Diverge : Develop as many solutions as you can as quickly as possible
- Decide: Select the best ideas that you have so far
- Prototype: Build Something Quick and Dirty
- User Feedback: Learn what works and what doesn't
Step 4 - Platform Selection
We will help you choose the best platform for your mobile app development. There are three options available for the development sector:
- Native App: Developers can create applications for specific platforms, such as Android and iOS, with the help of tools and development languages.
- Cross Platform App/ Hybrid App: One mobile application that is built using HTML5 and runs on multiple platforms. These apps can be downloaded from any app store, just like native apps.
- HTML5 App: It's actually optimized mobile sites that look like native applications and run in the mobile browser. This web app is platform-independent and has a superior user interface and functionality. This web application is most useful in cases where the respective app store does not allow the application, or the end user will not be motivated to install the app.
Read More: Web App Development In 2023: Everything You Need To Know
Step 5 - Development
It is now time to structure your project if your mobile app design has passed the usability test. This process covers If your mobile application design passes the usability test, it's time to give your dream project a proper structure. This process includes the actual implementation of your app and the coding portion. The stages of mobile app development include multiple activities, such as establishing an appropriate development environment and developing different parts. They also involve preliminary testing and the creation of a mobile application that can be tested and installed. Android's okhttp interceptor is used to centrally rewrite network calls and retry them during development.
Programming and configuring the environment for development are part of a development project. There are usually three parts to any app: the back end, the APIs, and the front end. The development is done in stages, and your developer will provide you with interim builds you can run on your own device.
Server/Back-End Technology
Connecting your mobile app to a network makes it necessary to use database and server-side objects. If you're using a back-end platform, it may be necessary to make changes and configure the app in order to achieve the desired functionality. The server-side components developed in this phase must be tested and configured with other app components.
Application Programming Interface
APIs are a collection of tools, protocols, and practices for creating software applications. It defines how software components will interact. This programming interface is also used to program GUI components.
Mobile App Front-End
It is the front-end programming, also known as "client-side," that your app users will interact with. It is responsible for the structure, design, and animation that appears on your screen when you launch a website, mobile app, or web application.
There are many tutorials that will help you develop your app even if you're not an expert. You can also hand the design over to an Android app development company or a freelancer developer.
Step 6: Test and Improve Your App
A code review process is a great way to ensure that no major bugs are left after development. This is how we align our development process with code reviews as part of everyday code.
It's important to test the usability of your application with colleagues after you've created a fully functional and visually appealing app. You may discover bugs you missed, but you can also make the final tweaks to the product.
Mobile Application Testing Stages
We can help you learn about the different stages of mobile app testing. Here is the list.
- Documentation Testing:
Documentation testing is the first step in the development of a mobile app. It is also called the preparatory phase. The strategy for mobile app development begins with the screen layouts, navigational chart, and other aspects of importance that are not visible in the design. During this phase, you will need to verify that all features are complete and accurate. During this phase, developers will find and fix any discrepancies before app development starts.
- Functional Testing:
You can test the app's responses in accordance with industry standards. When you are performing functional testing on your mobile app, remember the following elements.
- Business Functionality: It can be used for Net Banking, social networks, order and delivery of goods, tickets, the game industry, etc.
- Target Audience: entrepreneurs, companies, students, etc.
- Distribution Channels: App Store, Google Play, direct delivery, etc.
- Tests of usability:
This test ensures your app is easy to use for all of your customers and that it generates an interface that adheres to industry standards. It provides fast, easy-to-use apps that attract users. Three criteria are used to judge the usability of an app:
- Satisfaction
- Efficiency
- Effectiveness
- User Interface (UI) Testing:
Testing the graphical user interface of your application is a good way to ensure that it meets all specifications.
- Compatibility Testing:
Compatibility/Configuration testing provides the optimal performance of your mobile app according to the device size, version, screen resolution, hardware, etc. Compatibility testing also takes care of the following:
- OS Configuration
- Browser Configuration
- Database Configuration
- Device Configuration
- Network Configuration
- Performance Testing:
Performance testing is a great way to test the consistency and reaction of your mobile app under varying workloads.
- We will now show you different types of performance testing.
- Load testing
- Stress Test
- Stability Testing
- Volume Testing
- Concurrency Testing
- Security Testing:
This process is used to validate the security concerns of your application. It also checks for the risk of hackers and viruses in mobile apps, as well as protection from unauthorized access.
- Certification Testing:
Certification testing is a process that analyzes whether your app meets industry standards, licensing agreements, terms of usage, and requirements for stores such as the Google Play Store, App Store, or Windows Phone.
Check out Popular Mobile Application Testing Tools:
- To Manage Functionality Testing: Selendroid, Appium, Robotium, Ranorex.
- To Test Usability: User zoom, Reflector, Loop.
- To Test the app Interface: FitNesse (for iOS), Jubula (for Android), LoadUI (for Windows), and Coded UI.
- To Test Compatibility: BrowserStack (for testing), Browsera (for testing cross-browser compatibility), Litmus, Ghostlab, and Rational ClearCase.
- For Performance Testing: NeoLoad, Apteligent, New Relic.
- To Test Security: Retina CS community, OWASP Zed Attack Proxy (Zed Attack Proxy), Veracode, Google Nogotofail, and SQL Map.
Step 7: Launch A Beta Version Of Your App
Early adopters can be attracted by a beta version, and this is a crucial step to bringing your app to the mainstream. Early adopters can provide valuable feedback on the pros and cons of your app. Their experience and rating will help you understand the demand and acceptance of your app. This word-of-mouth marketing will help your mobile app's reputation and allow the admin to gain more users.
Step 8: Launch Your App
Now that you have developed and tested your application, it is time to launch it in the Google Play Store or Apple Store. It is now time to upload it to the Google Play Store or Apple Store.
How can you submit your app to the App Store and Google Play Store?
We will highlight the basic submission process to give you an idea of how the Apple Store works.
- Create an iOS profile and distribution certificate
- Create an iTunes Connect record for your app
- Archive & Upload your Mobile App by Xcode
- Configure the metadata and other details of your mobile app in iTunes Connect's record
- Submit your application to be reviewed
- Check the status of your app
Learn about the Google Play Store submission process:
- Get your mobile app information ready
- Download the APK files or mobile application bundles for your application
- You can set the content rating of your mobile application.
- Set the app's price and
- Set a distribution plan
- Publication of your application
Step 9: Post-Launch Activity
The next step after launching your app is to market it. You can't expect people to download your app if they don't know about it. Consider making informative and attractive videos to show the app's features and spread awareness. Don't forget to use social media and all digital platforms in order to reach people around the globe. This will give people a quick glimpse at your app and highlight its key features.
Five Essential Things To Look Before Deployment
Marketing Strategy and Documentation
Thinking about traffic and the best routes to reach your target audience is essential. How do your fans communicate with one another? How can you shorten the journey from your website to their mobile app? This stage determines how practical the next steps are. This issue can be solved in many ways.
- Some project creators handle everything themselves, even the technical assignments.
- One person thinks about the primary strategy and orders professional growth.
- Combination approach: You have MVP but need to improve your marketing strategy.
Every case that succeeds includes the next
- Analytics -- An overview of the market and similar successful or unsuccessful projects.
- Marketing strategy -- A map explaining the logic behind the path to users. It should include the intended tests as well as the steps that were taken before and after publication.
- It is the creation of a clickable prototype for a website or mobile app. This is the most abstract level of technical assignment.
- Complete technical documentation. It is essential to plan and evaluate the programming work of programmers.
- Making an estimate. Writing a technical assignment is often the first step in planning the work of a project.
- Sometimes, the creation of a pitch. Create a presentation to investors explaining the project's key product characteristics.
Design
Design development can include multiple areas.
- Branding involves corporate identity, tone, voice, and other aspects that define the visual paradigm for the project. It takes between 7-14 days to complete. Sometimes it takes longer to get to know the audience. A well-designed marketing strategy is another important factor.
- Logo -- It usually takes around a week.
- UI development largely depends on the type of project. This step can take anywhere from a week to a whole month.
- Animations aren't necessary. Animations are not required. They can hold users' attention, make them memorable, and build emotional attachment.
Promotional materials. Banners can be used for advertising, app stores, and press kits for media and presentations.
Management
Contractors, not just IT professionals, try to get the customer's attention as little as possible to this work component. It isn't apparent and remains behind the main work. Unlike programming and design, the result of the work of the development team manager cannot be touched.
We all know the importance of administrative work. You can accomplish the same task in different ways and with other qualities. You can win or lose, depending on how you set it up. It is essential to define the instructions and then monitor their performance.
Mobile Application Development
Hybrid app development is a great way to save money at this expensive stage. This step is important because you must research the topic and ensure that your goals are met.
Test
An efficient approach to architecture development avoids many mistakes. But not all cases can easily be verified from a technical and logical perspective. What if the Internet disappears on the user's device immediately after it was debited from their card? How can they avoid worrying about this now?
Different screen sizes, technical data, and peripheral matter. How do you deal with calls while the app is running? Is it possible to interrupt the application? There may be other factors that don't create the user experience you desire.
Key Takeaways
The mobile app market is growing rapidly, and the question that arises now is not "Does our business need a smartphone app?" but "How can I build the best app for my company?" We recommend consulting a professional who can strategize for the development of your mobile app.
