Mobile application development is the process of creating software applications that run on a mobile device, and a typical mobile application utilizes a network connection to work with remote computing resources. Hence, the mobile development process involves creating installable software bundles (code, binaries, assets, etc.) , implementing backend services such as data access with an API, and testing the application on target devices.
Mobile Applications and Device Platforms
There are two dominant platforms in the modern smartphone market. One is the iOS platform from Apple Inc. The iOS platform is the operating system that powers Apple's popular line of iPhone smartphones. The second is Android from Google. The Android operating system is used not only by Google devices but also by many other OEMs to built their own smartphones and other smart devices.
Native Applications
Native mobile applications are written in the programming language and frameworks provided by the platform owner and running directly on the operating system of the device such as iOS and Android. We, at Excel Cloud Solutions, use Native API Management to build our products and services. Best runtime performance and Direct access to device APIs are some of the advantages of using Native Applications.
The Mobile Application Development Lifecycle
Ideation or Initialization-
If you look at the whole project, there is always project ideation at the beginning, requirements analysis, or Discovery phase. As soon as a client comes with a request to a company, he or she presents the engagement manager with the business needs, objectives, and vision over the product. In fact, if the concept of the project is vague and needs estimation of target audience and market trends, ensuring its helpfulness for end-users, estimating costs and time, refining requirements, then a client can choose the initial product ideation service. A picture of the project should be consistent for the expert team to conduct requirements specifications and agrees on improvements with a client (if there are some).
Wireframing-
Requirements analysis should be done professionally and ensure that you’ve learned end users’ needs, and they clearly match users’ expectations. We can classify requirements from high-level to detailed that corresponds to business requirements, user requirements, and then system requirements that are the most important. The last is what the system does, how well the system performs, whether it suits user goals and user point of view. Then, after analysing all the requirements, it is vital to perform project estimation, i.e. timeline, costs, efficient workforce number, resources we need to use, and many more.
Estimating and Planning is not just in scheduling product deadlines. It should not give an exact answer to how much time the team will spend on the product. Estimation and planning are always incremental and give a team a feeling of flexibility they could use later.
Design-
Prototyping in mobile application development phases is a fast way to draw out the first design sketches for your app. It should direct to a common vision with a client over how the app will feel and what iterations there would be. After UI/UX designer sketches the design of the app incorporating the best transitions, animations, and styles to make the app feel smooth in usage and convenient for navigation, and have an intuitive and user-friendly interface. After UI/UX designers have made a solid prototype and mapped the user flow, it is time start coding.
Development-
The application development process is not mere coding. Every client wants the app to be made on time. The majority of software development teams use backlog – a storehouse of tasks. It is always important to know in advance how much there is to do and how much time development can take. That’s why, prior to development, there is always prioritization and estimation of tasks. The most critical tasks at the moment are the most prioritized ones to go into the estimation stage. Estimation helps the team define the time they need to close the task. This time takes into account only pure coding and excludes meetings, discussions and other time spent on development during the project.
Development is done with the technology stack that we define at the beginning of the project. Software engineers work side by side with UI/UX designers and quality assurance engineers. Together with a project manager the team will have regular meetings with a client and report on a daily or weekly basis depending on approaches and models of cooperation the company offers.
Testing-
During this time, you can test run your app to check if it is working as intended. If it doesn’t meet your expectations, you can make necessary alterations to the app with the help of a software developer or designer before releasing the app to the market. Once all the specifications are met, submit your app for review in the App Store. There they will examine the app you have developed, and make it go through careful screening processes before accommodating your app into their store.
Deployment-
After all the testing is done, your app is now finally approved for final launch. Set a date and begin the official rollout. You can publish the app in online mobile app stores like App Store (Apple Inc.), and Google Play Store (Android). You will have to follow their guidelines and consent to their terms and conditions before you offer your app in their respective stores. Many app stores accept the prerequisites for publishing an app.
Publishing your app is the culmination of the app development process that you began. It is the penultimate step of app development. You will have to announce a launch date through media campaigns. You will have to employ marketing and advertising teams, plan out social media campaigns, advertise through word of mouth, or launch emails to various people or organizations who took an active interest in your app.
However, what is the ultimate end of app development is maintenance and updating the app. You polish the app and improve it by adding advanced features from the project’s backlog. Every self-respecting developer promises technical assistance in any other situation that may arise.
You have to be proactive in this step and align user involvement with regular app updates. Feedback from users has to be applied. The app has to be regularly updated with software features, bug fixes, design implementation, and many other factors. App development then becomes a dynamic process. The true development of an app takes place only after this final step.
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