Mobile devices and solutions drive this world. People spend an enormous amount of time using their smartphones, businesses extend greatly with simple mobile apps, and the interest in this galaxy increases annually.
Considering the huge number of apps on Play Market or App Store, there is an opinion that nowadays, mobile app development is a piece of cake and you can launch a product in several hours.
However, a basic mobile solution building with a limited number of features may take up to several weeks; in a case with a complex powerful mobile app for business purpose, the process may take months and years.
What’s the difference and why does it take it so long? What is the mobile app development process steps? Let’s dive into the depth of a non-technical explanation.
6 Components of a successful app development
No matter what type of product you would like to launch, let it be an entertainment app for a 5-years-old or a massive solution for your company’s needs, the development process consists of 6 typical components.
1] Specification
Ordering a mobile app, start with a detailed explanation of functionality you would like it to demonstrate. The market is full of a multitude of apps, thus, make sure that your own idea highlights some unique features.
First of all, you should decide on a mobile platform. Would you like your app to run on Android? Or will it be more profitable to spread it across the Apple products market?
Get acquainted with your target audience, find out what devices these people use and build your choice upon that. Remember, there is always an option to develop a cross-browser mobile app that runs on any platform.
Devote as much time as you can to creating the requirements. Proper preparation is a key to successful mobile app launch, so every tiny detail matters. Try and test similar apps, investigate the market pain points and add the app’s features that are able to heal them.
A great tip is to ask your development team for building an app’s prototype so you can make sure you are moving in the right direction.
2] Design
In order to make the potential users love your app, you should create a design concept that appeals to them. Develop an intuitive UX design and catch the attention. Take a look at special design guides and hire a specialist to take care of it.
It is crucial to combine uniqueness and good old design concepts in one solution. Users do not very likely to fall in love with extraordinary designs, weird color combinations or unusual buttons’ placing. Avoid distracting elements and too much advertising, too: it may bring you money but at the same time, it pushes users away.
3] Estimation
After you have developed a list of requirements and core functionality as well as designed pages of your app, it is time to define some terms. For that, your development partners need to estimate your project and tell you how much time it will take to deliver a similar solution.
Decisive factors here are seamless communication and trust. A development team lead and project manager may tell you about a bigger amount of time than you’ve expected: they are professionals and they can see the hidden time-consuming pitfalls. Get ready to make your first step towards trust, understanding and transparent business relations.
4] NDA and contract
Here, we have come to the things that help to build a more reliable partnership: the non-disclosure agreement and official contract.
This is your guarantee that not a single part of your idea will be transmitted to the third party. NDA protects the information you exchange with your partner and it is a common practice in the IT world to sign it.
This is the official agreement between you and development services provider containing information about the following things.
- Development plan;
- Human resources involved;
- Terms and estimations;
- Both parties responsibilities.
5] Mobile app development and testing
This is the largest part of the entire process. Here, the team selects the development methodology and technology stack. Depending on a platform you have defined several lines above and the competence of your team, your colleagues will recommend the tool-set to employ.
If you would like to get 2 separate native mobile apps for 2 major mobile platforms instead of one cross-browser app, you may need more specialists in your team:
- The Java/ Kotlin Android team will work on a product to launch on a Play Market;
- Objective C/ Swift developers will deliver an app to Play Market.
During the whole development process, QA and QC engineers and testers make sure the functionality meets the requirements.
6] Production stage
You are almost there! Your app is up and running and surprising its beta-users with excellent functionality!
When everything’s ready, it is time to study the Play Market requirements and App Store rules. Both of them will check your app thoroughly and present it in their catalogues only after the official approval. This process may take from several hours to a couple of days.
What’s next?
The successful mobile app launch doesn’t mean you can rest on laurels. It is still necessary to acquire users, attract more and more attention and improve the existing solution. Here are several steps for you to take after the mobile app launch.
- Ask for the reviews and read them carefully to make sure there are no bugs;
- Build a support team to address any issue instantly;
- Upgrade your app according to users’ demands;
- Do not forget to launch a tremendous marketing campaign.
In conclusion
As you can see from all the described points, it is nearly impossible to launch a mobile app by yourself, especially if you have no technical background. Software development is tricky, and the overflowing mobile industry hardly gives more than one attempt to succeed.
Therefore, the most important thing to do before you take part in the mobile apps races is finding a dependable development team.
Our team has developed dozens of great mobile apps you can take a look at them in our portfolio. And we know how to help you to take your idea to the top.
So don’t hesitate and get ready to set the industry on fire with a striking mobile app!