Apps are an accessible way to bring a big idea to life. Mobile operating systems are built to make app development inexpensive with straightforward APIs and pre-configured designs. Users, moreover, can easily find and download published apps through both a developer’s website and a smartphone’s app store. Therefore, millions of apps have already been created, but an abundance of room is still available for new apps with innovative functionality.
1. Project Planning
The first step for developing a great app is to plan out the specific development requirements from start to finish. Some apps can be completed in less than a week, but complex apps could take a whole team years to finish. While development might appear easy at first glance, entrepreneurs planning an ambitious app should lay out a very specific plan to ensure that they fully understand the resources required for completing the project. Nothing is worse than falling short at the very end due to a lack of planning. Investors are very receptive to new apps in today’s world, so entrepreneurs should not be afraid to seek funding when it is required.
2. Infrastructure Resources
Once an app has been fully planned and funded, the first stage of development is to build the infrastructure that will enable an app’s core functionality. Most apps depend on cloud services to store sensitive data, process information, and make resources available across multiple platforms. Since infrastructure development is often the most complex and essential aspect of app design, this stage should usually be completed first to prevent having to redesign the core functionality of an app due to changes in the infrastructure layer.
3. Back-end Development
Back-end development builds the core functions that enable an app to run properly. Since users are often not be able to see back-end processes, entrepreneurs can sometimes underestimate the amount of back-end work required to finish an app. Functions will have to be developed to interact with outside servers, process user requests, and correct errors. The capabilities of mobile operating systems vary, and they often have routine updates; therefore, some functions will need to be developed several times to account for this variation. Throughout the back-end development process, app designers will also have to test and optimize functions to improve performance.
4. Interface Design
Since the interface is the component of the app that the user actually sees, perfecting it is essential for successful app development. To achieve differentiation, apps must have a unique look and incorporate brand standards. Information must be displayed in an intuitive way through straightforward menus and rapid feedback. Interfaces must also be tested and optimized to ensure that users are able to find all of an app’s capabilities. Interface design, therefore, requires multidisciplinary expertise in design, programming, and user experience optimization.
5. Preparing for Updates
Apps must support updates because mobile operating systems are modified by their developers on a weekly basis. While operating system updates can add support for new software capabilities, apps can break when developers drop support for key functions and processes. However, information about upcoming operating system changes is usually published in advance, and developers can prevent their apps from breaking by implementing necessary updates before changes are introduced. Update capabilities, therefore, are a requirement for apps to keep up with routine operating system changes.
Publishing a Great App
Before publishing an app, developers must thoroughly test every aspect of their work to ensure that it performs properly. Many app developers have made the mistake of rushing a bug-laden app out the door, and they have almost always paid for their lack of foresight with poor reception among users. Developers who publish a well-designed app can realize rapid success when word spreads about what their innovative creation has to offer.
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