Mobile app development may be one of the most profitable ventures today, but it’s also one of the most difficult. The development process requires spinning a lot of plates and balancing the needs of multiple teams at once.
A good manager with the flexibility to adapt to changing goalposts is a necessity, but a good plan is just as important.
This checklist can help you understand the process and put better systems in place for development in 2024.
While you may have what feels like a solid idea for the app in your head, the devil is always in the details. Setting out a clear set of objectives for the first iteration of your app will prevent feature creep, make sure you can scale, and prevent redundancies and miscommunications during the development process.
Start by identifying your target audience and defining user stories. You want to identify problems that your users face and clarify each feature as a solution to the problem. The worst thing you can do is go into the ideation process blind, so try to find other apps that fulfil similar objectives and study them closely.
Determine what works, what doesn’t, and where you might improve on their existing features. If you’re designing an app for profit, try to pinpoint the App Monetization process of competing apps so you’re sure you have a tenable path to financial success. This is the very first Mobile App Development Process.
Once you understand the fundamentals of what your app is accomplishing, look at how to accomplish them.
Will you be focusing on one platform or both Android and iOS? Will your app use a native or hybrid model, and how much will it leverage the features native to the device? Also, look carefully into the underpinnings.
If you’re looking to store user information securely, for instance, you must make sure you have developers who are confident working in cloud architecture.
The user experience is just as important as the features themselves. This is the third step in Mobile App Development Process. One fatal mistake that first-time developers make is assuming that users will be sold on the potential of their app, but with so much competition on the market, an intuitive interface with minimal onboarding is critical for fostering early adoption.
This is the time to bring in UI and UX designers and put together a proof of concept with a solid wireframe. I suggest testing out this bare-bones interface with as many people as you can to determine any weaknesses in the design before you get into the heavier parts of the development.
Making sure your interface is inherently easy to understand now will save you from having to redesign the blueprint further along.
You should now have identified what problems your users are dealing with and how you can confront them with a discrete set of features. You should have a UI and UX framework in place and understand what your plans for monetization are. Once you have figured out the app budget based on the design and features of your app. It’s time to look at hiring a team.
If your app is being developed in-house, you have an easier job, but you still need to look at the scale and specializations of your developers to determine if you need to enlist outside help or hire new staff. If you’re contracting outside developers, carefully vet them to make sure they have the expertise and resources to execute the project within your budget.
Pay special attention to whether your contractors are local or remote, as the latter can create issues with management on your end.
Thoroughness is key here.
You want to speak to as many team members as possible so you have a realistic understanding of the development process. The twin issues of financial and time commitments are the biggest things to take into consideration.
If your development process is straining against either of these variables, there’s no shame in going back to the drawing board and scaling down your design. Setbacks are common in the development process, and you want to make sure you have a decent amount of leeway to adjust to these demands.
One issue that you want to pay special attention to is security. This is something that any experienced development team should know how to handle.
But while bugs, crashes, and clumsily implemented design sensibilities can be resolved after you release your app, a security breach can irreparably tarnish your reputation with users. Make sure your plan for security measures is rock solid before you start on development.
The development phase is certain to be the longest and most exhausting part of the development process, and your team will juggle a lot of different balls at once. That’s why it’s important to put a milestone system in place and make sure you have proper managerial oversight in place.
From a managerial perspective, development is as much about disaster control as it is about inspiring your team. A delay or mishap on one segment of the app's development can have a ripple effect on the rest of the developers and create unintended pile-ups for different teams.
Amend this by making sure that you have goalposts, budgets, and schedules defined for both minor and major milestones.
That will allow you to identify individual problems quicker and reallocate resources or adjust your plans before they become disastrous issues.
Just because you have the fundamentals of your app in place doesn’t mean that it’s time to launch yet. Testing is a very important part of the Mobile App Development Process.
First impressions are the most important, so you need to make sure that everything is polished and bug-free for the official debut.
If you’re launching on separate operating systems, make sure you use the same level of exhaustive testing to both and involve both your team and non-technical users in the process. If your user comes from a non-technical field, their experience will matter the most.
Developers will have the experience to test out use cases that users may not know how to seek, while users can provide a live understanding of problems your app might experience out in the wild. Also, be sure you’re future-proofed for post-launch.
Have a roadmap for new features, a team ready to deal with any post-launch issues, and a step-by-step blueprint for how to deal with the next update for each operating system.
The best app in the world won’t mean much if you can’t convince users it’s worth their time to download. Last Process in Development of Mobile App. That’s why you need a rock-solid plan in place for app marketing.
Reaching out to the right customers with advertising is important, but so is making sure that you have a name and logo that appeals to your desired demographic and that everything is in line with the standards set out by the respective storefronts you’re selling your app in.
By now, your goals are set in place to determine what qualifies as a success for your app, and you should be able to track the metrics of use cases to make sure everything is on track. Just keep in mind that pure monetary gain isn’t everything.
If you design your app as a further form of outreach for your business, the convenience it brings to your customers can be worth your time even if the app itself doesn’t draw in money on its own.
Good luck!
Joe Peters is a Baltimore-based freelance writer and an ultimate techie. When he is not working his magic as a marketing consultant, this incurable tech junkie devours the news on the latest gadgets and binge-watches his favourite TV shows. Follow him on @bmorepeters
Checklist for Successful Mobile App Development
- Ideation
- Technical Specification
- Frameworking
- Getting a Team Together
- Development Oversight
- Testing
- Marketing, Branding, and Promotion
- Conclusion
A good manager with the flexibility to adapt to changing goalposts is a necessity, but a good plan is just as important.
This checklist can help you understand the process and put better systems in place for development in 2024.
1. Ideation
While you may have what feels like a solid idea for the app in your head, the devil is always in the details. Setting out a clear set of objectives for the first iteration of your app will prevent feature creep, make sure you can scale, and prevent redundancies and miscommunications during the development process.
Start by identifying your target audience and defining user stories. You want to identify problems that your users face and clarify each feature as a solution to the problem. The worst thing you can do is go into the ideation process blind, so try to find other apps that fulfil similar objectives and study them closely.
Determine what works, what doesn’t, and where you might improve on their existing features. If you’re designing an app for profit, try to pinpoint the App Monetization process of competing apps so you’re sure you have a tenable path to financial success. This is the very first Mobile App Development Process.
2. Technical Specification
Once you understand the fundamentals of what your app is accomplishing, look at how to accomplish them.
Will you be focusing on one platform or both Android and iOS? Will your app use a native or hybrid model, and how much will it leverage the features native to the device? Also, look carefully into the underpinnings.
If you’re looking to store user information securely, for instance, you must make sure you have developers who are confident working in cloud architecture.
3. Frameworking
The user experience is just as important as the features themselves. This is the third step in Mobile App Development Process. One fatal mistake that first-time developers make is assuming that users will be sold on the potential of their app, but with so much competition on the market, an intuitive interface with minimal onboarding is critical for fostering early adoption.
Making sure your interface is inherently easy to understand now will save you from having to redesign the blueprint further along.
4. Getting a Team Together
You should now have identified what problems your users are dealing with and how you can confront them with a discrete set of features. You should have a UI and UX framework in place and understand what your plans for monetization are. Once you have figured out the app budget based on the design and features of your app. It’s time to look at hiring a team.
If your app is being developed in-house, you have an easier job, but you still need to look at the scale and specializations of your developers to determine if you need to enlist outside help or hire new staff. If you’re contracting outside developers, carefully vet them to make sure they have the expertise and resources to execute the project within your budget.
Pay special attention to whether your contractors are local or remote, as the latter can create issues with management on your end.
Thoroughness is key here.
You want to speak to as many team members as possible so you have a realistic understanding of the development process. The twin issues of financial and time commitments are the biggest things to take into consideration.
If your development process is straining against either of these variables, there’s no shame in going back to the drawing board and scaling down your design. Setbacks are common in the development process, and you want to make sure you have a decent amount of leeway to adjust to these demands.
One issue that you want to pay special attention to is security. This is something that any experienced development team should know how to handle.
But while bugs, crashes, and clumsily implemented design sensibilities can be resolved after you release your app, a security breach can irreparably tarnish your reputation with users. Make sure your plan for security measures is rock solid before you start on development.
5. Development Oversight
The development phase is certain to be the longest and most exhausting part of the development process, and your team will juggle a lot of different balls at once. That’s why it’s important to put a milestone system in place and make sure you have proper managerial oversight in place.
From a managerial perspective, development is as much about disaster control as it is about inspiring your team. A delay or mishap on one segment of the app's development can have a ripple effect on the rest of the developers and create unintended pile-ups for different teams.
Amend this by making sure that you have goalposts, budgets, and schedules defined for both minor and major milestones.
That will allow you to identify individual problems quicker and reallocate resources or adjust your plans before they become disastrous issues.
6. Testing- Mobile App Development
Just because you have the fundamentals of your app in place doesn’t mean that it’s time to launch yet. Testing is a very important part of the Mobile App Development Process.
First impressions are the most important, so you need to make sure that everything is polished and bug-free for the official debut.
If you’re launching on separate operating systems, make sure you use the same level of exhaustive testing to both and involve both your team and non-technical users in the process. If your user comes from a non-technical field, their experience will matter the most.
Developers will have the experience to test out use cases that users may not know how to seek, while users can provide a live understanding of problems your app might experience out in the wild. Also, be sure you’re future-proofed for post-launch.
Have a roadmap for new features, a team ready to deal with any post-launch issues, and a step-by-step blueprint for how to deal with the next update for each operating system.
7. Marketing, Branding, and Promotion
The best app in the world won’t mean much if you can’t convince users it’s worth their time to download. Last Process in Development of Mobile App. That’s why you need a rock-solid plan in place for app marketing.
Reaching out to the right customers with advertising is important, but so is making sure that you have a name and logo that appeals to your desired demographic and that everything is in line with the standards set out by the respective storefronts you’re selling your app in.
Conclusion
By now, your goals are set in place to determine what qualifies as a success for your app, and you should be able to track the metrics of use cases to make sure everything is on track. Just keep in mind that pure monetary gain isn’t everything.
If you design your app as a further form of outreach for your business, the convenience it brings to your customers can be worth your time even if the app itself doesn’t draw in money on its own.
Good luck!
Author Bio
Joe Peters is a Baltimore-based freelance writer and an ultimate techie. When he is not working his magic as a marketing consultant, this incurable tech junkie devours the news on the latest gadgets and binge-watches his favourite TV shows. Follow him on @bmorepeters
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