The world had been posited as a global village; a name it earned for itself because of rapid growth in technology. Worthy of note is continuous improvements in the cyberspace such as dominance by social networking sites. The globalization of the world is taking another dimension that had seen mobile applications taking centre stage.
Online platforms such as social networks and e-commerce are not left out of the frenzy as they have developed mobile apps for users’ convenience. With reports that an average smartphone user spends 80% of his online presence surfing contents in mobile applications, it is crystal clear that mobile applications are the new order in a proposed Internet of Things (IoT). Developers have encountered challenges creating mobile apps that meet clients’ specifications.
If you have been looking for ways to convert your passion for mobile apps without hassles, here’s a list of 6 Steps to Mobile App Development.
Define your Scope
There are millions of mobile apps on distribution platforms such as the Play Store and there’s the tendency that your app might have the same feature as others. What stands your out is setting eyes on would-be users and working towards providing service that will attract them to your mobile app.
To this end, while creating a mental picture of the users your anticipate, also consider the relevance of the app. Can the app beat others out there in the market? What makes it stand out? Is it worth considering similar apps?
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Taking time to answer these questions will help you determine what your app has to offer and its relevance when launched. The early stage of the app development lifecycle also begs the question “what contents will be integrated in the app?” Users are out to have an amazing experience while surfing contents in apps. Hence, your anticipated users’ interests will help you chose the right contents to fit into your mobile app.
Spy on Competitors
To gain a fair share of the market, it is pertinent to keep tabs with your competitors – already existing apps. Find out their strengths and weaknesses and use the latter to improve on your app’s quality.
A better way to have an influx of users is providing services that were hitherto lacking in similar apps. Spying on your competitors gives you the edge and you can go through users’ reviews on existing apps; take their complaints into consideration and provide the lacking service on your app. Then sit back and watch prospects struggle to install your app on their device.
Formulate a Prototype
It will be literally an app development suicide to create and launch your mobile app without test-run. Collate tools needed for your app’s development and put them to separate testing. The major consideration should be placed on user experience (UX) and this spans across how your app sits on the users’ smartphone. For instance, an app developed to run on an iOS device cannot function as expected on a device with an Android operating system.
Hence, consideration should be placed on screen resolutions in addition to integrating appropriate wireframes for easy access to your mobile app. Other features such as push notifications can be added.
After these, you can get some friends to play with the app. Their response to the apps’ functionality will determine your proceeding to the next stage or re-working some aspects. In the case of anomalies, try to fix the bugs before launching the main app.
Choose a Medium to Release the App
Your mobile app is now ready and set to hit the market. One crucial step before a launch is deciding the best medium to launch your app. The Play and App Stores are favourites for most developers and brands that want to launch their apps. You can choose to rewrite the story by releasing your app through your website.
There is, therefore, need to create a website for this purpose and a landing page to help you drive downloads. The distribution store such as Play Store has become darling to many developers and you might consider launching your app here. To do this, gather some clear pictures of the app’s interface and a short video to show how it works. These are specifications for launching a mobile application on distribution platforms.
Release the App
It is now time to release your mobile application to teeming prospects that have awaited its arrival. You can launch using any of the platforms you selected – your website or the app stores. Embark on digital adverts to increase awareness that will see your app into many smartphones sooner than you expected.
Lookout for Bugs
Do not rest on your oars after launching your app; keep tabs with users’ experience. Take out time to go through users’ reviews and fix the bugs that were pointed out. You can also keep your app fresh and up-to-date with the latest innovations – this drives away competitors from having a go at your users’ heart.
Final Thoughts
Mobile application development has been a nightmare to businesses that are looking for ways to create seamless transactions for their clients. The journey to mobile app development will be rosy if these steps are religiously put into practice.