What is Mobile App Development and How Does It Work?

Considering smartphones at the front of online interactions, it's never been more important to grasp what mobile app development is and how it could be used to boost business expansion.

You and application development organizations could rejoice in the fact that mobile applications are expected to increase rapidly in the next few years. In monetary terms, by 2023, worldwide revenue from mobile applications is expected to reach $935 billion.

It's hardly a shocking occurrence – if not a predictable one – given that mobile app downloads in 2020 are estimated to reach 218 billion.

Isn't this starting to sound like a fun project for your company? Then you might want to learn more before diving into mobile app development.

Let's start by defining what mobile application development is.

What is the definition of mobile application development?

Mobile application development is the process or action of creating a system for android smartphones.

Smartphones, tablets, and PCs are examples of portable devices. They're either pre-installed on devices or delivered as a web application.

Even if it might appear straightforward, there are numerous factors to consider when developing a mobile application. To ensure an effective customer experience within the application environment, elements including user interface, layout, and device engagements are thought out.

NOTE: How to Write User Stories for Mobile Apps in 5 Easy Steps

Mobile application categories

You might be shocked to learn that there will be various types of applications that could be developed, specifically if this is your first time designing a smartphone application.

Examining them can assist you in identifying and communicating your precise requirements to your partner developers:

• Native Mobile Apps — These would be typical applications, such as Android or iOS applications, that are built expressly for the device's operating system (OS). These applications are created for a specific platform and provide an enhanced client journey by being among the fastest and most dependable in terms of reliability.

• HTML5 Mobile Applications — Such applications function similarly to mobile applications, but they must be accessed through the web on a smartphone or tablet. These are web pages that could readily adjust to the customer's device's interface. Because of its versatility, this application of digital apps is cost-effective to design.

• Hybrid Mobile Applications — Such applications have the appearance of mobile applications but are essentially online applications. Even for individuals with sluggish internet access, this program requires less code and is still a feasible option.

• Progressive Web Applications — These applications combine the features of both a website and a smartphone app. These would be composed of a variety of technologies that provide a variety of benefits, such as being available offline, being installable, and being able to send mobile alerts, to name a few. When it comes to the mobile application creation, these applications are called the fastest standard.

Platforms for developing mobile apps

It's time to choose which app development platforms to employ now that you know what kinds of mobile applications you could make. Here are a few of the most prevalent and well-known ones, which are utilized by a variety of brands and companies.

Apple's iOS development platform- is locked since it adheres to a set of rules on programming languages and gadget deployment. If you want to create an app for Apple products, you should be willing to follow these standards and upgrade your application development when the operating system changes. This means you'll have to communicate and cooperate with your developers to make these necessary changes.

Android development platform — Given the widespread use of Android phones and tablets around the world, it is one of the greatest programming platforms available. You can reach a larger number of loyal buyers and use a range of phones, tablets, and other devices with an Android app.

Cross-platform applications — This is the platform to choose if you're searching for a low-cost opportunity to grow mobile applications. HTML5 mobile apps integrated with native plug-ins run on this system. As you'll save time with coding, some frameworks have limitations, so weigh the benefits and drawbacks before deciding on your chosen platform.

An overview of the procedure of creating a mobile app

Developing a successful mobile app is a time-consuming procedure. Your employees may have to redo the processes from the start if they make a mistake.

You would like to establish your flow when building an app for your business or brand, scaled to your total business abilities and needs. However, if you're not sure where to begin, here are a few first actions you could do.

1. Create a BIG concept.

Although if it's only a hazy lightbulb moment, anything starts with a lightbulb moment.

This concept must be based on how you envision your smartphone app finding solutions for as well as around business end-users (internal or external stakeholders) life.

You'll need a better grasp of your customers and the brand at this point; what makes them tick? And what parts of their lives might your application make easier for them? In this domain, having a strong foundation in information and insight generation will be quite beneficial.

Before committing a significant lot of time and cost to the creation of this project, consider the merits and disadvantages of creating an application for your business.

2. Creating a wireframe and deciding on a workflow

Once you've decided on a concept, make a list of the features and information that you want your clients to view on the application. Wireframing and work flowing are two more prominent smartphone app development best ways that can help your team complete the project quickly.

Wireframing ensures that all basic functions of the application have a home. Based on their significance or applicability, these may appear many times within the frame or only once. The wireframe is among the most significant elements in mobile app development because it forms the foundation for the entire coding stage.

After you've completed the wireframe, you'll need to construct the application's process. Inside the application environment, the process refers to the paths or channels that users move through. It's crucial to keep track of how many clicks your user requires to execute a particular activity during this stage. The simpler the workflow, the fewer clicks it takes to accomplish a job.

3. Identifying technical viability

When you've completed the wireframes and process, it's time to consider the technical viability of your smartphone application.

As previously said, there are numerous prerequisites for designing a mobile app. As a result, it's critical to check and examine whether the features and functions implemented are valid, lawful, and suitable with the platforms and devices used by your intended end-users.

If there even is one loose end here, it must not be allowed to go live.

Have a technical feasibility analysis performed on your application to see if the hardware, software, and other elements fulfill application development criteria.

4. Creating a prototype for your smartphone application

Now that the green light has been given, it's time to start working on a smartphone app prototype.

You may map out the entire appearance, look, and performance of your final product without being to go through the whole coding process by creating a prototype.

Your company and the application developers could look at these three key aspects of a smartphone app when designing the prototype:

• Efficiency of concept

• User-friendliness or user experience is a term used to describe how easy something is to use.

• The application's overall result

5. Using both UX and UI design

Now comes the exciting part. It's now better to upgrade the grayscale parts in your wireframes and process with the actual application developed.

You could use your company's style guide. It's crucial, though, not to confine yourself to the style guide alone. Examine applications and add style and components that you believe will help your smartphone app become the main topic of conversation.

It's critical to keep the components used across frames and landing pages similar while creating the app. Your customers would have a frictionless experience with your application as a result of this.

ADDITIONAL READING: A Quick Guide to User Experience Design

6. Creating your mobile application

Your developers would start studying the design, overall architecture, and process in this phase to create the coding required to deliver the finished program.

Prior to proceeding, double-check that everything has been authorized, including the process, general design, and prototype. However, if you make modifications throughout development, you'll end up back where you started - and nobody wants that.

It's vital to remember your earlier concerns, such as platform compliance, because this will determine the tools you'll require. This is because iOS and Android are substantially different platforms that require distinct technologies.

ADDITIONAL READING: The Top Android Application Development Software for Getting Your 2022 Projects Off the Ground

7. Put your smartphone application to the test

You and your organization must test the app after it has been coded before deploying it.

Enlist third-party evaluators to review and test your application for full and fair testing and validation procedure. Have experts look for the following:

Functionality. Check to see if the function behaves as expected according to the specifications. With this element, it's best to collaborate with a quality assurance team.

The user's perspective. If an application is user-friendly, it would be utilized frequently. Run the program with "first-time users" to see how they react throughout the evaluation.

Performance. While browsing between sites, keep an eye on the application's loading speed. Is it adaptable? Is the loading time excessive? How many clicks are required to purchase a product? These are the inquiries that must be addressed.

Equipment evaluation. If you want to release your smartphone application on numerous devices, ensure certain functions and general appearance of the application are appropriate with each device and platform.

8. Putting your mobile app on the market

You may now publish your application and distribute it to several application stores after everything is finished, refined, and approved. However, the story will not end here.

You'll like to optimize it for optimal exposure once it's been launched, which you can do in 2 directions:

• Optimization for the application store, as well as;

• Use your numerous digital networks to promote your app.

For later, our app store optimization guideline must be able to assist you in understanding the fundamental criteria.

However, choosing your promotion techniques must be based on a particular objective, that could initially be as simple as obtaining as many downloads as possible. What more can you concentrate on after you reach a certain number of downloads and users?

After you've answered those questions, plan out how you'll attain your objectives.

The most important takeaways

Creating a mobile app for your company is an interesting undertaking. Furthermore, along with something in digital marketing, you can't accomplish it without a strategy - especially if you wouldn't even understand the principles of what you're going to do.

Besides what we've already stated, keep the following in mind while creating your branding applications:

Operate in a structured manner. Mobile app development could be a pricey venture with more dangers than benefits. Working systematically can assist you to decrease these dangers even while increasing your long-term profits.

Being two – perhaps three steps ahead of the game. As we previously stated, mobile app development does not finish with the release of your application. Once it's life, you'll need to consider how to efficiently manage your smartphone application to recoup your investment.

It all comes down to the customer experience. Keep remembering that you're developing this application for your clients all across the development phase, from wireframing to introducing the product. To ensure the achievement of project objectives, build an application depending on their desires and requirements.

Are you planning to release your app soon? What companies and individuals' demands prompted you to take the plunge? Leave a comment or send us a message on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn with your ideas. We'd be delighted to exchange ideas with you.