What you will discover is:
- The critical phases of developing a mobile app, from the idea to post-launch monitoring.
- The degree to which various stakeholders get involved at each level.
- The outputs at various phases of the procedure
- The specifics of designing mobile apps, including why it requires a number of stages to create a user-centered app.
There are several steps involved in creating an app, including approach, design, development, and marketing. We divide the creation of an app into 7 steps and discuss in great detail on each one. You’ll comprehend the development of your product from a concept to a usable programmed that can be acquired from app stores better.
1. Ideation
Every mobile project begins in a different way. Many clients merely have a concept when they contact us. Others already have a list of features they’d want to see in an app or certain needs that have been written down. Sometimes a client needs to create an app that is identical to an existing system. For instance, when a business relies on a web platform and demands an app to give clients or employees a smooth cross-device experience. And it’s common to receive requests for an “app like Uber Eats” or similar requests.
In any event, our main objective from the beginning has been to understand as much as we can concerning the idea behind your product. Who will employ it? What platform(s) are we developing for? Exist comparable systems in this market? What are the project’s business objectives? Have you thought about a marketing plan?
We begin the process of developing an app with a series of customer conversations and workshops to gain a comprehensive understanding of the project goals, context, and timeframe. In a perfect world, we involve several parties on your side, including a product owner, creators, your marketing team, and subject matter experts, etc. This method enables us to discuss as many project-related details as we can, hear your desires, and delve into your company’s market and business environment.
Once we have all the necessary data and needs, we proceed to one of the most crucial stages of the application development process: analytics and research.
2. Research
In the creation of every new product, this is an essential step. Your product approach will be more honed the better your research is. During the remaining stages of development, it helps save a significant amount of time and lowers the cost of developing mobile applications.
3. UX Designing
Because it gives you the first taste of how your application might look and function, user experience design is undoubtedly the most exciting phase of the mobile application development lifecycle. At this point, we make decisions about how users will interact with the system and the application.
UX design is an extensive method in and of itself. We’ll offer you a brief overview, but if you’re interested in learning more, read our article on the methods and processes of design.
Information architecture
- Information architecture (IA) depicts the organization and initial design of the app’s user interface. It helps you get a sense of what will be displayed on various displays, how they are related, and how users will move about your application.
Sketches
Sketching on paper on a whiteboard is a very innovative and team-oriented method of developing mobile applications. This step’s objective is to investigate various design iterations for each display and interface. Along with project managers and designers, the team may also include developers, business analysts, and quality assurance specialists. It is typically a very hectic process with countless iterations and millions of recommendations. This describes how quick-and-easy tools like markers and stickers work.
4. UI Designing
Wireframes in black and white are transformed into appealing, colorful mockups during the UI design stage. This is undoubtedly one of the more rewarding phases of creating an app. You can now preview exactly how your application will appear when a user launches it on a mobile device.
If your product reflects a completely new brand that was developed from scratch, this approach may begin with vision boards, a set of design components, and color scheme examples. However, if you already have an advertising book, style guide, or other branding resources, a UI designer’s major objective will be to accurately adapt your business’s distinct personality to the new application.
You will have a vibrant, high-fidelity model of your app in Figma, a or another design tool by the end of this round.
The final stage of the design process is UI design. But don’t be shocked if we need to return to the designs and make some adjustments later on, perhaps during the development and testing phases of creating an app. The wonderful aspect of the iterative development method is that it enables us to test our assumptions and design ideas before the system even gets into the hands of its final users, enabling us to make improvements based on early feedback.
5. Development and Test
The next stage in the creation of the app begins when the completed and approved UI design is given to the development team. Before any coding starts, this transition must go smoothly, and developers and designers must be able to interact and iron out the nuances. After all, the development team aims to produce an application that is not only useful but also captivating and pixel-perfect..
The group’s skill set and composition will depend on the application’s specifics. One iOS and one Android mobile app layout are used for generating two native applications, but two engineers (one for each platform) are employed to develop an app for each store. Universal mobile apps, which usually consist of one source code base and can be produced by a single engineer, can be made using current techniques like React Native and Flutter. However, we might need to add more expertise and talents to the project if the app requires significant backend development. Of course, a QA engineer is necessary in order to design a reliable application.
The development step of a mobile app takes the longest. Thankfully, it’s also the process’ most enjoyable step mostly because you will be able to try out your application at last. Additionally, you may keep a close eye on its development and occasionally test out new iterations.
Agile methodology
The industry-standard and tried-and-true method of agile development is used in software development. The entire development process is divided into a number of phases that each comprise development, testing, and review before we even begin to code. We create a batch of attributes, test their implementation, address any problems, and conduct a review for each cycle. If something doesn’t add up or the needs change, we may quickly reorient the development strategy without experiencing significant delays or expensive revisions.
This strategy offers tremendous transparency for you and the development team in addition to flexibility. You can always weigh in with feedback and suggestions as you watch the application develop iteratively.
