Mobile Development Best Practices

Mobile applications and services are revolutionizing business today – enabling new business and revenue models, driving new operational efficiencies, opening doors for collaboration and new levels of customer and employee engagement.

The growing adoption and usage of mobile devices have rendered primary computer usage a thing of the past. Information of all kinds must now be made readily available via a variety of devices for customers and employees.

Mobile app development is a process that involves multiple separate tasks performed to build a single product. Some of these tasks may have errors at times or may not be efficient enough.

Enterprises in virtually every industry are racing to expand their use of mobile to enable new customer experiences, increase employee productivity and stay ahead of their competition.

Access to information on the go has become an expected and standard part of life. Applications must now cater to individual target audiences within the realm of mobile. Each of these applications must solve the specific needs of its target audience.

There is also a unique and fast-growing mobile ecosystem that must be accounted for – adding to both the opportunities for the enterprise as well as the challenges for mobile application development.

What is mobile development?

Mobile development refers to activities of developing a mobile application for devices that run mobile operating systems like iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. These devices can be smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and all other types of wearable devices.

Since the use of smart devices is becoming more popular, it’s never too late to build an app. The following mobile use statistics that can motivate you to get started:

• Over 2.71 billion smartphone users and 1.28 billion tablet users across the world.

• There are 2.2 million apps available in the Apple App Store and 2.8 million apps on the Google Play Store.

• 21% of millennials open any app more than 50 times per day.

• 49% of people open any app more than 11 times per day.

• Mobile apps account for 57% of all digital media usage.

• On average, a smartphone owner uses 30 apps each month.

Mobile Development Best Practices

Keeping up with the fast-paced requirements of mobile application development requires a different approach to design, development, delivery, and deployment for most enterprises. Whether you are building B2B, B2E, or B2C applications, the following mobile application development best practices can help your team accelerate your efforts, your adoption, and your success in the marketplace.

1. Do your Research

The first step, even before planning the app development process, should be proper research. When you know your market, product benefits and understand the target audience only then you stand a chance in the fierce competition. Before the app development starts, proper research about every important aspect should be done. This not only helps in proper planning but also prepares for any losses that may come.

To create a successful product, the first step is to understand the market.

• Who is my target user?

• What are their chief concerns?

• Is my idea valid for my target audience?

• Do they have any other concerns that could hamper a customer placing their trust in my product?

• How can I waive those concerns for my target audience?

2. Choose the right technology

Mobile apps are built differently. It must be decided beforehand if the app will be built a hybrid, native, cross-platform, or web-based. The mobile app development process for each development method is different and involves its own pros and cons. The decision is made on the basis of the type of app that needs to be built.

Part of this decision could have to do with the type of app that you’re building. For example, for those of you who are going to build a game app that needs to have a flawless user experience, you’ll probably be better off with a native app.

Native apps are great, but they are going to be more expensive to develop and you can only develop them for one platform at a time. Web apps are for those of you who want to build an app that’s not restricted to the app stores for distribution.

Making this decision will also depend on what types of skills you have. So just make sure that you get all of this sorted out before you start. Then you’ll be able to decide if you need help.

3. Pick your Platform

Another important selection that has to be done is which platform the app will be built in. iOS, Android, and Windows are the most famous platforms. However, there is always an ongoing battle between Android vs iOS, especially for startups. Choosing the platform at an early stage is crucial since the iOS app development process and Android app development process are different from each other.

Refer back to the research that you conducted earlier about your target market. Find out what devices your prospective users have. This will help aid your decision.

That’s because there are differences between Apple and Android users.

4. Plan the Design

Developers and designers are extremely different. Developers get more technical with each development stage and designers get more creative as their creativity brings beautiful results. Both the app design and development process must keep in mind the importance of design as well as technicalities.

You need to understand how the design components are going to work so you can code the app accordingly. In order to get designers and developers working together effectively, your entire team needs to be on the same page.

5. Focus on User Experience (UX)

Any app that does not satisfy the users is considered to have failed. The app development process steps should have one goal in common i.e. maximum user satisfaction. Having a long-term goal for your app will help you shape it better, after all, the app will be in the hands of millions of users.

6. Follow the app store development guidelines

Earlier you picked a platform. Now you’ve got to follow those guidelines of that operating system in order to properly develop your app.

However, you need to be familiar with both regulations and best practices for the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, even if you’re only developing for one of these right now.

If you don’t follow their rules, you could be rejected from the app store. So figure this out ahead of time so you don’t get delayed or have other problems.

7. Get Feedback

Even if you think your app looks amazing and works smoothly, get feedback from others. Beta testing is a great way of getting feedback from beta testers and it will be worth it. Also contacting other app developers for advice will be good for the app, especially if you are a startup and doing this for the first time.

8. Keep the analytics in mind

Analytics plays an important role in the marketing of the app. User behavior analytics can be used to market the app in the right way. Including an analytics tracker in the apps can be highly beneficial in the long run.

Analytics can help make your app better and improve performance. But this is something that needs to be thought of while you’re still developing it. Then it will be easier to add these plugins later on.

Conclusion

Organizations should look at application development from a strategic perspective. Consider the overall role of mobile in your business and the specific target audience and end goal of each application – early in the process.