There are so many apps available in the market since the usage of mobile phones has increased. Moreover, this has given rise to mobile marketing where you market apps and games available for mobile devices. If you are someone who wants to develop a mobile app, then you should know the correct approach to do it.
Mobile app development requires following certain steps correctly to ensure that the app development is heading in the right direction. This blog focuses on how to build a mobile app for two major platforms: iOS and Android.
Let us first take a look at the steps required to implement to develop a mobile app successfully:
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DETERMINE THE OBJECTIVES BEHIND YOUR MOBILE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT
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DEFINE THE FUNCTIONALITY AND FEATURES OF YOUR MOBILE APP
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FIND OUT WHAT YOUR COMPETITORS ARE DOING
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DEVELOP THE WIREFRAMES AND USE-CASES
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TEST OUT THE WIREFRAMES
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CHOOSE THE PATH FOR THE APP DEVELOPMENT
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DEVELOP THE MOBILE APP
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TEST THE MOBILE APP
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LAUNCH THE MOBILE APP IN THE MARKET
Before the development of your mobile application begins, you must decide whether you want to build a cross-platform mobile app or a native mobile app.
If you plan to build a cross-platform mobile application, you have to use certain tools that aid in mobile app development that works perfectly on both platforms.
But, if your app is going to be native, then you should develop the app specifically for Android and iOS platforms.
Thus, it becomes crucial to know what kind of platform you are developing a mobile app. Moreover, you should know how to make an app from scratch.
Determine the objectives behind your Mobile Application Development:
It is very important to know the objectives with which your mobile application development process works. Objectives are the business goals you want to achieve once the mobile app development is completed.
If you lose the focus of the objectives behind mobile application development, your app development process may go haywire. This may lead to the development of a poorly built app.
Measurable objectives and goals behind the app development process can work as a compass — it can help you find the direction in which you should be working.
Define the functionality and features of your mobile app
Once you have defined the objectives with which you develop a mobile application, it is time to define the feature set of your mobile app.
If you know how to create an app from scratch, you should first find out the features you want your app to have. When you define the features of your mobile app, you define the Unique Selling Point (USP) of the mobile app.
When you define the objectives clearly, it becomes easy to define the features you want in your mobile app. These features should align with the solution you want to provide to address the pain points.
For instance, if you are developing a taxi-booking mobile application, then it should have features like location tracking, availability details, the distance of the cab from your current location, etc.
The user will want to download the mobile app if it solves a specific set of problems that he may have. This can be defined by clearly listing out the features the mobile app will have. The process of defining the features is applicable in both Android and iOS mobile app development.
Find out what your competitors are doing:
There are so many companies that are building mobile apps taking up the path of cross-platform app development, native app development, and others.
You can do this by defining the domain of your app. First of all, determine whether your app is going to be a mobile app or a mobile game. If it is a mobile app, then find out similar apps in the app store to see what features other companies are offering.
With your mobile app, make sure that you offer features similar to your competitor and a little more over it. The features should be able to make you stand apart from all the other apps that are available in the market.
Develop the Wireframes And Use-cases:
Use-cases define various roles that users will play when they start using the app. Whether you are looking for how to create an app from Android and iOS, use-cases are necessary for both types of mobile app development.
As far as the prototype of your app is concerned, you have to build wireframes. A wireframe can be defined as a rough layout of your mobile app. It does not have to be an actual app or an app screen.
A wireframe could be a drawing on a piece of paper or a whiteboard. A wireframe is generally created using wireframing tools. You can find out various wireframing tools from the market and build a wireframe.
The basic idea behind building a wireframe for your app is to illustrate the app’s core elements and the design of the scheme. Also, the wireframe should be able to show the journey of the user throughout the app.
For instance, through a wireframe, you should be able to depict what a specific action like clicking or tapping a button will do.
A wireframe is built to avoid any development errors in the mobile app. It is similar to the prototype before you build a building.
Test out the Wireframes:
Before you begin the process of app development for iOS app development or Android app development, ensure that the wireframes are tested efficiently.
When you test the wireframe, you get a clear view of how the app development will proceed. If you are a beginner, and you don’t know how to make an app for beginners, then you should always follow the wireframing process.
Testing the wireframe lets you know the pain points of your application. Also, it lets you see the design of the screens, so that you can have a clutter-free design, and clear user-navigation elements.
Choose the path for the App Development:
As the above steps are successfully completed, you switch over to the actual process of app development. Here, you decide whether you want to develop specifically for the Android platform or the iOS platform. The type of platform you select will decide the direction of the mobile app development.
If you select the android app development, you have to use the tools used to develop a mobile app for Android apps. These tools include Eclipse, Android Studio, AVD Manager, Android SDK, and more.
If you want to go for iOS app development, then you can use tools like Xcode, iOS SDK, AppCode, and others for iOS apps.
You can also choose cross-platform app development or native mobile app development. And the tools may vary based on the selection of the type of app you want to develop.
Develop the Mobile App:
This is where the development of the actual mobile app begins. Once you list out the tools in the previous step, you start the development process.
According to the selected tools, you start developing the design layout for real and write the code behind the design to make it work. At this stage, UI/UX design begins to develop.
A good UI/UX design is essential for a good user experience. And a good user experience may bring more users along with a lot of user engagement and user retention.
Test the Mobile App:
Once the app is developed, you have to start testing your app. Test the app with the intention of breaking the app. This way, you would be able to test the strength of the mobile app.
Also, test the mobile app for the respective devices. For instance, if you are developing an Android app from scratch, test it on various Android devices.
Run the app on various iOS devices if you have opted to develop an iOS app from scratch. Testing the app on various devices will let you know how the app works on each device.
Launch the mobile app in the market:
Once the app is fully developed, it is time to launch the app in the market with much ado. As you launch the app, you have to create an account on the app store where you are planning to launch the app.
For instance, if you are planning to launch the app on the iOS store, you have to create an account with the Apple app store.
And if you want to release your mobile app on the Google play store, you have to create an account with Google’s play store.
Also, make sure that you correctly optimize your app before you start marketing the mobile app.
Conclusion
This blog clearly explains how to make a mobile app. In a summarized manner, we have also underlined how to create an app for Android and iOS. If you are a mobile app developer, you need to know the right way as to how to make a mobile app.