What is Mobile App Development : An Interactive Guide - 2021 
Tags: mobileapp, development, appdevelopment
Published: 2021-10-08 09:32:55

In the beginning of this decade, there were impressive predictions. Through in-app advertising and app stores, mobile applications are predicted to generate around $700 billion. The fact that the development of mobile apps is spreading by leaps and bounds is encouraging, but there's a lot of mystery surrounding it. Only if you have a clearly defined goal and how to develop an app can you reach the pinnacle of success.

Why is Mobile App Development Important?
Apps are being downloaded and installed at a higher rate than ever before, as smartphones and smart devices continue to rise in popularity. Most businesses today rely on mobile apps to grow their customer base and attract more customers. By 2023, market experts project an increase in app revenue of 1 trillion dollars.

App Development Offers the Following Advantages:
Through effective communication between the developer and customer, the developer creates a loyal customer base.
The development of apps is a tried and tested method for ensuring your brand's all-pervasive presence.
The fastest way to let your customers know about potential offers or new products is through an app if you run a business.
It increases sales of your products/services when payment options are an integral part of the app.
Identify the Category of Apps You Are Looking For
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Health care apps
This category contains more than one hundred thousand apps. Apps for healthcare have evolved beyond their original function of checking the health of users. A doctor and patient can communicate two-way with their appointments, ensure that appropriate drugs are administered, and make appointments.

Manufacturing apps
Your manufacturing process can be streamlined with integrated data analysis. Your workforce is more efficient with manufacturing apps as they systematically decrease the system's flaws.

Logistics
With today's technology, you can track your packages at the touch of a button. Therefore, you can also send ETA to your users. Managing your warehouse and monitoring your fleet is easy if you own a business.

Retail Apps
Apps for retail today serve a number of purposes. Rather than simply displaying products, it enhances the interaction between the customer and the business owner. Customers are also informed about the latest products, coupons, and exciting offers.

E-learning Apps
Professional courses are in greater demand today than ever before. Enrollment numbers are also rising. App developers have realized the need for online classrooms with engaging and interactive tutorials.

Financial Apps
In managing your finances, financial apps have been the backbone. The firm can help you manage your debt and make predictions before you invest. Today, you are literally at the tip of your fingers when it comes to your financial wellbeing.

Media Apps
An app that offers you a variety of movies, music, streaming services, and messaging can be considered a media app. In today's world, media apps focus on connecting people better, especially in times of pandemics. In the modern era, people are stuck within the confines of their own homes, so we have created a larger collection of movies and music than ever before

Food and Hospitality
During a vacation, you can book your bed and breakfast or the best restaurant in the area with a click of a button. With the advent of customer reviews, tourists can now have a more interactive experience with the app when it comes to local specialties and places to visit.

Mobile Platforms that Are Dominant
What Are the Different Development Approaches for Building Apps?
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Native Apps
Apps that are native to a particular device unlock the full potential of the device and the app. Nevertheless, they are very costly and require a great deal of maintenance. This will give it good performance since APIs can be accessed directly. One of the disadvantages of native apps is that they require different code for each platform.

Cross-platform Applications
These applications are built using a variety of languages and frameworks. Because of this, they work on a wide range of platforms. They may have a single codebase, but maintenance requires efficient bridges. Performance is limited with native apps compared to web apps.

Hybrid Applications
JavaScript, HTML, and CSS are used to build these apps. The Android and iOS apps share the same codebase. Therefore, performance is lower than native applications.

Progressive Web Applications
Web-based applications. The browser allows you to use web applications without installing anything. Apps can be installed on the home screen and run in the background.

Technologies Used in Mobile Applications
React Native
It is a part of the Javascript library, so it shares a code base. Apps that run across platforms can be created with it. In addition to this, React includes a reusable code system that is applicable to a variety of scenarios.

Flutter
Google's toolkit can be found here. Flutter can be used to build native applications across multiple platforms with a single codebase. Since the architecture is layered, there are options for customisation.

Ionic
When compared to other processes, this mobile application development is more rapid. The reason for this is that it comes with inbuilt UI components, themes, and styles. Additionally, the application features adaptive styles and is interactive. The application runs smoothly across multiple operating systems because of this.

Six phases form the basis of a focused approach to app development. Let's take a closer look at them:

1. Strategizing
To turn an idea into a working app, the first phase of app development is to have a clearly defined policy. This process should also include your enterprise mobility strategy. It is important to identify the key demographics that will use the app during this phase. Your competitors should be known to you. It is very important for a mobile app development company to be clear about the app's objectives before deciding on a platform.

2. Planning and Analysis
You will be able to tell when your idea is transformed into a real project. The first thing you do is analyze the scenarios in which your application can add value as well as the functional requirements to get started. Once you know all of these things, you should create a product roadmap that charts the progress of your idea from its very first day until its eventual execution.

You should also include the requirements and the date by which you expect a milestone to be achieved. It would be good to have an MVP available if cost is a concern.

A key element of the planning process is identifying the skills required for app development. You'll need developers who understand how to use these technology stacks if you plan on developing an Android or iOS app. Your app needs a name, and you need to check if it has already been taken.

3. UI/UX Design
An impression of your mobile application is greatly influenced by the way it looks. No matter whether you want to launch a complete product or an MVP, the user experience must be top-notch.

When users interact with your app, they are simply evoking emotions. App development must address the issues of design, accessibility, usability, system performance, and marketing to maximize user experience. It makes sense to create an interactive and seamless UX when you build apps with more and more companies shifting to a more user-centric approach.

In order to make the app appealing to users, you must make the UI presentable. Good UX design companies create UIs which evoke a feeling of curiosity and make the user want to know more about the application that they have developed.

Information Architecture
As part of your app development process, you should also have a systematic understanding of the data that your app will display, the data that will be taken from the user, and the user's navigational journey within the app.

Different businesses have different users with different privileges and functions, so it is crucial to enable these information to be stored in the information architecture within business mobility.

In addition to this, you should also draw out a workflow diagram to see the possible combinations of interactions between the app and the user.

Wireframes
Wireframes are essentially digital sketches. Applicant's aesthetics are represented by these screenshots. Develop the layout so you can review the design before finalizing it in an effective manner. Ideally, any application you design should be device-specific. As a result, it is important to clarify whether your app runs on Android, iOS, as the user experience will differ.

Style Guides
Designers use a style guide as a guide when they are designing. It can be difficult for a designer to create wireframes because of the complexity. He must choose a font while designing. It is important that the color scheme matches the vision of the application. A decision needs to be made regarding where certain icons should be positioned.

Any app's productivity and efficiency can be increased by focusing on the style guide during the development process. In addition, style guides allow you to chart your product's evolution

Mockups
You have a high-fidelity final rendering of the app when you apply the standards of the style guide to the wireframe. You can make further changes to the interface, the information architecture, and the workflow once the mockup is ready. These mockups are often created by UI designers using Adobe Photoshop. Figma and Sketch are also popular apps.

Prototype
A prototype is a dynamic first rendition of the app which you can use to simulate the user experience, while mockups are static images that give you an idea of the layout of the app. Additionally, a prototype reviews the workflow that can be expected from the final product.

Although building a prototype can be expensive and time-consuming, it makes sense to do so. App development teams can use this data to determine if the app lacks anything and make necessary changes before the launch. Prototype building can be done with Invision.

4. App Development
App development usually consists of three parts. Backend/server technology is the first step, followed by API(s), and finally mobile app front end development.

Backend Technology
The backend of a mobile app is used to store, secure, and process data. Backend refers to the process that occurs when the user interacts with the UI. The backend stores information in a remote database, which allows the creation of the architecture. There is no need for a backend in applications that do not require data connection.

API(s) development
Today, there is hardly any app that does not stay connected to servers. App developers often use Amazon, Google, or internal teams to provide APIs.

API development is a very sensitive process, and making requests through servers can be tricky if not done correctly. APIs can be bought and built. You can integrate an API into your application if you buy it. It will save you time and money, but you will have to give up the freedom to include features of your choice. An app developer team develops the latter.

In addition to documenting APIs, you should keep this in mind during the process of developing a mobile app. Documentation can give you an overview of the app's history and current state. It is easier to form updates this way. It is possible to allow others access to your API by documenting it.

Front End Development
The front end of a mobile application is what the users actually see and interact with. Apps for mobile devices will use interactive experiences for the user that are enabled by the backend and API. Applications that don't use APIs will store their data locally. The backend of an app can be developed in any programming language. You will need to use a platform-specific technology stack when using native applications.

Apps for iOS can be developed using Flutter or React Native, for example. Java and Kotlin can be used to develop apps for Android, in addition to the others mentioned earlier. A mobile app developer should understand the pros and cons of each language before selecting one.

5. Testing a Developed Application
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In any mobile app development program, quality checking is one of the most important phases. With quality hecking, the app is more usable, more secure, and more stable. This process requires you to prepare test cases that address all the qualities of the app. Manual or automatic testing is possible.

Test cases provide answers regarding the viability of an app development, just as use cases provide answers regarding its viability. You can follow the following types of testing procedures

User Experience Testing
A well-designed application matches the expectations of the user experience curated by the design team. According to the style guide, the app will leave a good impression on the reader. Use aesthetic color schemes and fonts in your app, and ensure a consistent design. As soon as your app meets these standards, it can be launched.

Functional Testing
By using this method, you can ensure that all your specifications are justified in your app. The app will be used differently by every user, and therefore mobile app development must take this into account. Finding out if your app has a bug can be done through functional testing. The app might need to be fixed if the outcome is different for two similar actions. The app should be available on two platforms so that two versions of the application can be compared. The functionality of an application can also be broken down into various components to be analyzed.

Performance Testing
Performance testing in app development is aimed at determining whether the app can perform consistently even with different loads. During this test, an important question will be answered, such as how well it responds to user requests and how fast screens load. It will also test the app's effect on the device, determining if it drains the battery or causes memory leaks. In addition, it raises the important question of whether your app is too big. The development of mobile apps should also consider how the app performs when multiple users are logged in.

Security Testing
Mobile app development is concerned with achieving a security standard that cannot be compromised. A hacker can exploit any vulnerability. Occasionally, the work is outsourced for thorough examination. Logins should be recorded in the device and on the backend if your app requires them. The user should be able to terminate the session if they haven't interacted for some time

The security of your device should be emphasized in case your mobile app development also allows a user's credentials to be stored on the device. Apple's keychain feature, for example, allows users to store credentials and not worry about losing them.

Device and Platform Testing
Testing web apps is easy, but testing mobile apps should be far more frequent since new devices are continuously being released with new firmware, operating systems, and designs. It is therefore important to test mobile apps across different platforms and simulators to ensure the app works properly on all of them.

Because it is more expensive to develop multiplatform apps, most companies opt for single-platform apps. You can follow device testing as one of the best tools to ensure sustainability if you are wondering how to build an app.

Recovery Testing
Testing your app's recovery means assessing its ability to recover from failures. One of the most important things you should realize if you are considering how to create an app is that it can fail, but what matters is how quickly it relaunches.

Beta Testing
An app is beta tested by real users in terms of App development terminology. In mobile app development, beta testing ensures the product's reliability, security and compatibility. Through beta testing, a large group of users evaluates the application for loopholes. In-app purchases are also checked for reliability.

Certification testing is the final form of testing. App developers should follow the standards set by the Apple and Play Stores so there will be no difference between the devices and the apps they create.

6. Mobile App Deployment
An app must be submitted to the app store of the device in order to be launched. After the mobile app development process is complete, you will need to create a developer's account in order to submit your app. Meta-data for the release of the app will include the following:

The Title of the App
Description of the App
Category
Keywords
App store screenshots
An Android app becomes a part of the app store after a few hours. With the Apple store, however, there will be a review process that will determine how well your app follows the store's guidelines. It is necessary to create a test account for the store if users will need to log in.

Once your app has been approved for the store, check out feedback and crash reports. As part of quality control after app development, key analytics and performance indicators should be used.

After Mobile App Development Is Completed, How Can Quality Be Maintained?
After the app development process, it is crucial to update the app interface. When the users do not have anything new to look forward to, they will likely switch to the competing app that provides similar features.
You can never build an app if you want to keep it compatible with new hardware and software updates.
Mobile app development includes fixing bugs as well, and it can show your dedication to ensuring the quality of your application to your customers.
Getting feedback from your customers after developing mobile apps should provide you with useful information for developing new features. Users may decide to switch to another app if your app doesn't excite them.

Conclusion
Artistixe IT Solutions LLP is an efficient Mobile App Development Company that offers a carefully curated selection of technologically diverse products and services. To get in touch, mail us at info@artistixeit.com if you have a project that needs attention.

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