Having a great business idea is often synonymous to planning to create a great mobile application for iOS and Android devices. But the challenge is, you are not certain how to turn that one good instinct in your brain into a market-ready mobile app.
Being an entrepreneur, you might not have time enough to bring the idea to life with do-it-yourself technique available from online app building programs.
Fortunately, there is a pool of smart mobile app developers who are roaring to partner with you. You can simply pick a promising bunch and they will save you a headache of all the strategic planning, methodical approach and technical involvement in the process.
According to reports by Vision Mobile, the UK app developer market are forecast to be more than £31 billion by 2025 and the economy will be worth more than £30 billion by 2030.
Read Also: App Development Cost Design, Development, Deployment
For new players in the business, described here are 11 easy fundamental steps to create a mobile application.
1. Define realistic goals
The very first step to create a mobile application is to think of what you really want to achieve and why you wish to build the app. All you need at this stage is a pen, a paper and clear mind before you set out for a fairly complicated design and development process.
A few questions you should mull over at this point are:
- What exactly do you want your app to be like?
- What would make it appear best to users?
- How will it simplify and contribute to the life of users?
- What makes it more competitive than other established players?
- What are your thoughts on app marketing tactics?
For you to survive and flourish in the market, it is essential to define and know where you are headed.
So before engaging with a mobile app development partner, imagine a clear picture of business objectives that are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Realistic
- Achievable
2. Sketch your plans and app structure
Now it’s time to jump from your confidence about the goals to penning down those brilliant ideas about your mobile app. Here words would essentially be translated into vivid visuals that will eventually help substantiate your dream app structure.
It may look a little wild and fantastical, but this step will include a set of clever ideas about future decisions such as app monetization or reselling.
You can prepare a sketch of whether or not you fancy flashing ads to generate revenue or there will be premium and freemium versions with certain in-app purchases. Foster a clear prospect of what exactly you want to do with your app at this stage.
3. Research
The next is research. As almost every mobile app developer would unanimously agree, there is no alternative to doing thorough research. This relates to both competitors and end users.
Even your most exemplary app idea will have some competition considering nearly 5 million apps already inundating the app stores. Explore the depth and find out all about your rival apps and their success stories.
It will help you understand what it is that makes them popular and what you need to make your app stand out and outshine.
Shift your focus to internet to know if there are copyright constraints or heavy technical challenges. This crucial step will tell you whether your idea is worth investing in.
4. Wireframe and mockups
Deemed as a skeleton of the app, Wireframe is more organized, palatable and presentable version to the original sketch you have prepared in step 2.
It is a sharp storyboard that brings your sketches to life and reflects your clear design ideas along with functional points.What makes wireframes and mockups a crucial step is its importance for the app development process.
You will find many options online for wire-framing tools with handy functionality such as:
5. Shape and strategize the Backend
The storyboard developed from step 4 will drive you straight to working on functionality of your app and quintessential components such as APIs, hosting servers, data architecture diagram.
A few readymade do-it-yourself tools may help you with preparing for the backend system. However, in case you struggle to comprehend their technical gobbledygook, its always a sensible decision to partner with professional server and data hosting services.
Its imperative in any case that you create clear and convincing diagrams of backend components regardless of app development methods since they are will direct and guide everyone working on the project.
You can revise and adjust your mockup content depending on the change of circumstances and future technical challenges.
Read Also: Reasons Why Enterprise Needs a Mobile App
6. Test the Raw Model
Engage your friends, colleagues and dear ones in the process and ask them to check the app demo and share their honest opinions. Tell them to be brutally honest and critical as they express their views and critique about the raw app model you have in your hand.
They will tell you how they felt as they navigate and interact with basic layout. Collect all of their views and deduce if there is a need to revise and improve existing design layouts or navigation paths.
The real goal for this step is to keep users in your central focus, adopt their thinking and come up with a final functional brain structure of the app before the design is prepared. Thus, Step 6 helps keep frustration at bay in the later stage.
7. Start Building it
You have the foundation of the app ready so you can just start erecting the entire building. Your team of developers will apply themselves to implementing database, servers and APIs.
While you work on the feedback you got from the early testing process and modify the app elements to include the changes, you should also sign up for online app stores.
Create an account with Play Store and App Store so that, when the app is completely ready, you can launch it in the market in time. This is done because the process itself takes a few days.
Procrastination especially needs to be avoided in case of iOS apps due to their stringent approval process.
8. Design the Look
After the backend system is implanted, it is time to execute the UI creation strategy. Designers should know how important it is to create a flawless, intuitive and responsive user interface because this is what users will see about your mobile application and interact with.
They will judge your app based on how easy it is to navigate, select and shuffle between different UI elements.
Consider the feedback from the testers and make sure the final product is something users highly expect and love. Skilled graphic designers are best solution when it comes to opting for high-resolution skins or visually aesthetic screens.
To save the hassle of making confounding choices about editors, templates and layout, it is better to hire a professional app development company with a bunch of seasoned designers.
9. Test Your App for UI Performance
In this round of testing, you will test your app more sincerely since you have a much polished version and interface in place now. At this point, your app must look aesthetically pleasing with uncompromised functioning.
Check all the functioning screens of your app for its visual appeal and examine what it feels like to be inside it.
A range of UI tests are to run on your app to ensure your app has the look and the feel that meets your expectations. Either you go for online UI testing platforms or assign the entire project down to a mobile app development specialist. They will help you with the final touch, interactions and UX design of your app.
10. Finally, the Beta Testing
You have put your app through various critical funnels to prove you have built a smooth, user-friendly app. But you still need to examine the app’s performance in a live environment.
While Android testing is simple, iOS environment has a more controlled approach. For Android app, upload your app file in an android device and test it in a live environment. You can then monitor its progress from your Android device.
iOS wants you to use a platform called TestFlight for beta-testing your app. The Beta test platform usage is governed by Apple’s strict directions and instructions. But to your advantage, you can have other testers review your app before actually taking it live.
11. Finish line: The Release
Post fruition, it is the time for climax: sharing the creation with the entire world. Hopefully your app will either solve the problem or change and simplify lives.
When it comes to distributing and marketing apps, both iOS and Android are different with Android being a little easier when compared to iOS. You can simply make it live in Google Play store without review concerns.
iOS on the contrary reviews your app before making it live and there is no guaranteed time frame for the process. One way to escape this is to publish it in Pre-Apps where people take a maiden look at new upcoming apps and review them.
Final words
Completing these 11 easy but pivotal steps to create a successful mobile application is a journey you must take as an entrepreneur. Hopefully you will find the suitable app development partner to accompany and guide you on the journey to accomplishment.
