An Encyclopedic Guide to Mobile App Development for Business in 2023
Tags: api, frontend, design, mobile
Published: 2023-04-17 11:31:24

The [mobile app development](https://quokkalabs.com/mobile-app-development?utm_source=Dev-to&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=Service) industry is thriving with success with each passing day.  As per the stats, the graph has risen to 3.5 billion users, all with smartphones or tablets. The continuous evolution and innovations have made people engaged with their smartphones.  

- People pick up their phones every 4-15 minutes to explore something on their phones. 
- They spend their ⅓the day on their phone. 
- People are crazy about social media platforms and spare time scrolling the feeds on the platforms.  
- Although cross-platform mobile development is trending and the market is flooded by cross-platform still, 85% of clients come up with the demand for native app developments. 
- A mobile user has installed at least 30 apps on their phone. 

## Essential things to Remember during Mobile App Development Process [Planning to Maintenance] 
Mobile app development isn’t an overnight practice but an intense step-by-step process. Before any idea is deployed, it involves brainstorming for the client's requirements, problems, and solutions. Deploying an app isn’t the end goal, but you must make them stand out on the Google Play Store and App Store charts. 

Mobile app development company deals with software development to meet client expectations using the network and computing resources. After the deployment, the app was released on the official app stores and google play store. It is essential to enable easy accessibility, downloading, and installation remotely.  

In an app development process, the developer team focuses on every aspect of the front-end and back-end, including data accessibility and APIs. 

By then, client expectations had evolved, and we needed to scale up the functionality/ features. We must review various essential points to roll out the new features. But a developer should be able to drive the transformation for the entrepreneurs and their business ventures. 

There are two major platform bases: iOS and Android. Each OS accesses the utility of different SDKs to deploy the exclusive apps for the relevant devices. Apple and Google have defined some guidelines and standards for iOS and Android. Both app stores list around 1.5 million apps. 

**Top 4 Mobile App development concepts comparison**
Mobile App development needs cater to 4 categories per the client’s preferences. 
1. Native Apps,  
2. PWA Apps,  
3. cross-platform, and  
4. Hybrid Apps

Each one satisfies a different set of requirements to deliver a top-notch experience. Pick the right approach to deploy the best apps with computing integrations and native and advanced features. 

### Take These Vitals into Consideration for Intuitive Mobile App Development 
There are three major phases of mobile app development. Each one is a broad concept that comprises the chunks that you’ll get introduced to one by one in brief.  

#### Requirement Analysis 
##### User Persona 
It plays an important role in the strategy and planning for product development. It includes all the basic Why, What, and How types of doubts. Precisely, the user persona defines the need of the app, its vision and abstraction, and how it will serve to target base of the audience. Which business model will align with the app idea? Define the revenue factors. You must also define the marketing strategy to engage the customers.  

User persona also includes the demographics, customer’s habits, behavior, and conversion factors to make an informed decision and set an influential brand image in the marketplace. 

##### Brainstorming on an App idea 
We have an idea on the table, but to deploy an ideal app, we need to look over every bit.  
- How can propose the audience align their preference?  
- What features will satisfy the customers?  
- List the minor and major points you must focus on and resolve.  

Each idea is different, and ultimately, the implementation will vary. Each team member will share their suggestions to shape the bug-free optimized app. Here you also need to take the suggestion for an ideal App name. 

##### Market Analysis & Insights 
The mobile app development company will try to dig out real-life market scenarios during this phase.  
- State which age group people will love the app.  
- How will we beat the competition with available alternatives?  
- What makes your app look different from the competitors?  
- Which tech stack will be more suitable and fit the customer’s preferences and the model? 

##### Definition of MVP 
An MVP depends on 4 components: Functionality, Reliability, Usability, and Top-notch quality design build. A minimum viable product is the package of all the implementation and features you want to hand over to the users.  

It's the first fresh app version, so don’t expect perfection at this phase. However, the development and production will try to integrate user preferences. But it first launched for early customers to evaluate the real-time experience, performance, and quality.  

Might occur some issues and bugs and based on the customer reviews and feedback, Hire mobile app developers will try to resolve them before the official big release. MVP is the output of user persona with minimum effort and time. It is the best time to engage customers with your vision and app. An MVP product launch unleashes many opportunities to scale up the app.

{% embed https://quokkalabs.com/hire-android-developer %}

#### Product Development 
##### Define the strategy and architectures 
At this phase, you will have the list of app use cases, functional requirements, and a strategy to develop the app to achieve them and accomplish the vision. Prioritize things bit by bit to achieve the milestone of the project. Always have an MVP idea in your priority bucket for the initial launch and manage unnecessary expenses. 

##### Prepare a tech stack 
Have proper clarity about the app idea production. It could be an android or iOS-based native app or a cross-platform app if you have the vision to design a desktop-based app that could later be available for mobile users. It's a hybrid app development. 

Each one is associated with a particular tech stack and technology preferences. Each developer, QA, and designer has unique skills and proficiency levels. As per the project requirements, we will move on the team collaboration.   

##### Strategy for App Release and Milestones 
Your customers wouldn’t get engaged until it is fully optimized. Prepare a well-defined strategy to engage the users and boost the download and install count. App store optimization improves the search experience for users. 

#### Mobile App Design Process 
Like the requirement analysis, the design phase also involves some research for the development. To ease and faster the design process, many handy tools are available.  

Figma, one of them, unlocks the features to design an intuitive, impressive, interactive interface. If your design team doesn’t understand the app’s idea and vision, they can’t streamline the startup process. Thus, share the detailed documentation of mobile app development project requirements so they can decide which tool should use throughout the UX/ UI design phase. When familiar with the app's functionalities and features, they can design the UI flow comfortably for navigation and user experience. A [UX UI design](https://quokkalabs.com/ui-ux-design-services?utm_source=DeV-to&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=Service) process comprises the following steps: 

- Screen User Flow 
- Wireframing/ prototyping 
- Design patterns, pallets, elements, pallets, design and style manuals 
- Mockups 
- Test and Touchup 
- Product Testing  

### App Development split into three parts: 
The company hosts full-stack [mobile app development services](https://quokkalabs.com/mobile-app-development?utm_source=Dev-to&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=Service) and handles every aspect of the following parts. 
- Frontend  
- APIs 
- Backend 

#### Front end  
It is the client-side appearance of an app. It should be impressive. Its designers are responsible for designing rich and appealing layouts with the appropriate color schemes and design standards. 

Collaborate with a team familiar with cutting-edge futuristic technologies to choose the right stack of technologies and tools. If they wouldn’t updated with the trends and vision of the app, it would create a situation where you find a needle in the sand. 

Some apps need proper integration of databases, APIs, and backend functionality. While some of them can be completed in limited time and effort with limited resources. 

**_Languages, Tools & Technologies_ **
HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and C++ are the most preferred programming languages for front-end tasks. Angular, React, jQuery, Flutter, React Native, Typescript, Next. UI UX designers are part of the team and pick different component libraries, design frameworks, systems, and principles. 

#### API Development 
To manage the functional and non-functional practices, server-side flow, connectivity, backend, APIs, and web service are required. To ease things, tech giants have launched the tools. It is possible to create APIs manually or by tools. 

Postman is a widely famous tool for API development. Further, SoapUI, Sandbox, Hoppscotch, Swagger, REST, Apigee, etc., are other alternatives for app development. 

#### Backend Development 
Each application contains some data, content, and functionalities. To manage the background flow or server-side thing backend is required. [Backend Development](https://quokkalabs.com/backend-development?utm_source=Dev-to&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=Service) eases the dat processing, storing, response, and another backstage drama. The backend offers architecture creation, logic scripts, and information storage management. It sorts out all the data mess. Some apps require network connectivity, while others can be managed remotely. Most OTT and ecommerce platforms require a backend to manage the customer and admin activity. 

Read more about influencive backend frameworks: 
{% embed https://quokkalabs.com/blog/which-backend-frameworks-are-impacting-mobile-web-app-development-immensely %}

#### Security 
Integrate the top API security standards to secure your applications from cyber threats and hacking activities. OAuth2, Open ID, TLS, and SSL are common security integrations. Although, a good developer team prioritizes it and manages the integrations for control flow, data fetching, privacy, encryption, and secrecy. Check these security compliance factors: 

{% embed https://medium.com/@quokkalabs135/the-importance-of-mobile-app-security-and-how-to-ensure-it-cb0b826eb723 %}

#### Documentation 
Whether it's a backend, front end, database, design, or API phase, each task should well-documented. In case of modification or if a team member gets in or out, it wouldn't influence the workflow. Moreover, when you try to scale up the features or if any bug is encountered or the wrong code is implemented. You can review the things and make a fix. 

### App Testing  
To evaluate the quality, performance, flow, and functionality, each dev team has a QA. Similarly, as a proper development cycle, each process has its flow. To configure usability, reliability, stability, etc., there are many strategies for frontend, backend, and API.  

The testing phase is essential to know if the product is functioning and responding to your plan. 

The testing phase comprises the test scope, planning, execution, analyzing & logging, and review. 

#### Test Scope: 
Definition of parameters, features, and implementation. Test scope gives clarity of the preferable to decide the testing methods. 

The most concerning parameters to look over are the following: 

App Type, App interactivity, network configuration, front-end & Back-end testing, device, OS, version configuration, and location testing. 

###Test planning:  
You will plan a roadmap to choose this phase's first-to-last testing methods. Subsequently, you will craft the scripts and test cases. Furthermore, consider the following points for test planning: 

- Pick the suitable methodology aligning the app's needs. 
- Writing & choosing test cases 
- Form the tester team 
- Are you going to choose any tools, or will it be performed manually by the in-house team? 

#### Test execution: 
It’s the phase where all the processes and practices will carry on and check in. This phase will manage the Device, OS, platforms, and networks.  

- After execution, we will overview the opportunities to fix and rearrange the goals for further accomplishments. 
- The outcomes and improvement areas details will share across the team for instant fixes and further testing 
- The loop will continue from the initial to the last deployment/ development stage 

#### Test Analysis & Logging 
It's all about error inspection, analysis, and logging activity for the testing outputs. QA and developer teams work together to act immediately on crucial risk occurrences. You can draw the results through tools. 

- Decision and Resolution for the errors and defects based on various priority levels. 
- Logging defects to be resolved on time as per the priority. 
- Pick the right trusted tracking partner to carry out the results. 

#### Test Review 
After the test execution and their successful logging tracking and resolution, it's time to review everything to be assured. Subsequently, we need to draft a documentation report to give each action. Here we will note a summary of behavior, performance in keeping up the order, and priority. This report will clarify whether the product can be out for release or not. 

Testing execution comprises by following methods: 

- Unit Testing 
- Integration Testing 
- Smoke Testing 
- Black Box testing 
- White Box testing 
- Device Testing 
- Network Testing 
- Platform Testing 
- Security Testing 
- Battery Life Testing 
- Stress Testing 
- Automated Testing 
- Regression Testing 
- Load Testing 

#### Maintenance 
The testing phase takes longer than usual for a complex and multi-featured app.  

- Keep a stack ready with server tools and CI. Also, to avoid crash events pre-release or post-release, access and practice with the crash reporting tools. 
- Practice with static code analysis tools and remove the bugs. 
- Execute all test cases, review the outputs, and correct them if required. 
- If it needs to run the cycle again, code alternation or remove. Do so but stick to security, usability, and user experience. 
- To cut down the testing time and effort, use automation tools. You can manage screenshots, analysis, tracking, test case execution, or craft scripts that you can build. 

### Additional Tips to Get the Most of the App 
To make the app's health, performance, and behavior a few things you can keep in mind. 

- Don’t stick with the default style, features, and functionality. Release the updates with some appealing modifications to keep engaging the users. 
- Review the real-time forecast, user insights, test logging, bugs, and analysis through analytics tools.  
- Each software and hardware firm releases new variants. You need to make the app and its functionalities compatible with those updates. 
- keep track of user behavior and interaction with all the features. In which they are taking an interest which is out of their course. 

## Final Thoughts: 
The [mobile app development company](https://quokkalabs.com/mobile-app-development?utm_source=Dev-to&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=Service) follows an intense cycle. But the post-development phase is more concerning and involves regular bug fix maintenance, updates, releases, and user experience. Another important thing is to stay ahead of competitors and strengthen the brand position. We have mentioned the best mobile app development practices in this blog, so consider them.