Introduction:
There are thousands of mobile applications that get published to the Google Play and Apple App Stores every day. Some are games apps, others are social networks, and others are eCommerce apps. When professionally built, all these apps follow a similar mobile app development process.
At Mobcoder, we have built numerous web and mobile apps by following an appropriate app development process. In this blog, we will outline the strategy, design, and development processes we follow for your overview.
Each app is distinctive and its methodologies are constantly evolving with time, but this is quite a standard process while building an app. While understanding the in-depth mobile app development process. , you will come across a variety of questions like:
- What to know before developing a mobile app?
- What is the mobile app development lifecycle?
- What are the steps in developing an app?
- How to develop a mobile app from scratch?
- How long does it take for app development?
- Which app development software to use?
- How to streamline the mobile app development process?
In fact, we often come across such questions. So, let us help you understand the details of the iOS and Android mobile app development process and its methodologies. While businesses are putting extra effort to benefit from this trend, many still do not know how to develop an app successfully to stay ahead of the competition.
Related Reading – Click here to know the 22 best ways to launch an app
An effective app development process involves 9 stages which we will study in detail for in-depth knowledge. It is recommended to follow these steps to make your app development initiative a success regardless of the size and scope of your development project.
6 Stages of App Development Process:
Let’s get started with the step-by-step detail of each stage of the mobile app development process to make your app idea more viable:
Stage 1: Strategy
This is the initial stage of the app development process where we define the strategy to evolve your app idea into a successful project. As app goals may differ from business to business, there is a need to address the strategic part of the development process.
In this stage, you will
- Identify the targeted app users
- Determine the competition and check if anyone is using such apps
- Establish app goals as per the business needs
- Choose the ideal mobile platform for app
Stage 2: Analysis and Planning
This is the second stage of the app development process where the app takes the actual shape. Analysis and Planning start with analyzing the detailed functional needs of the app that include a grouping of these requirements into delivery milestones.
The planning includes the identification of the skills required to build the app. Let’s take an example – both iOS and Android platforms use different technology stacks to build a mobile app. So, if you are planning a mobile app development for both iOS and Android platforms, you must reach iOS and Android developers.
Also, choose the name of your app wisely. Research each app store to cross-check if your app name is already in use.
Stage 3: UI / UX Design
The main goal of an app is to provide a seamless and great user experience with an ultimate look and feel. The victory of mobile app development depends on how effortlessly users are able to adapt and benefit from the app features.
If you are wondering how to design an app, you need to understand that the purpose of mobile app UI / UX design is to deliver phenomenal user experiences making your app highly interactive and user-friendly.
a) Information Architecture & Workflows
The first step of your mobile app development process is to identify the data or information that will be displayed to the app users, collected from the user and user journey within the app.
Companies that have several user roles and privileges are required to incorporate these rules as part of your app’s information architecture.
b) Wireframes
The app design often begins with sketches on paper. Wireframes are the digital form of sketches. They are also known as low-fidelity mockups because they offer visual structure to the mobile app requirements.
If you need any changes, it is suggested to make changes here later as it costs less to erase marks than rewriting the code later. Wireframing focuses on the aesthetics of an app and the user experience.
c) Style Guide
Style guides are “living documents” where an app’s design standards are documented to the navigation icons.
These include:
- What font family will your app’s text use?
- What will the color scheme be?
- How will your company brand be highlighted?
Style guides are a part of the app’s design strategy that simultaneously improves the productivity of mobile app developers.
d) Mockups
Mockups are also referred to as high-fidelity designs and are the final deliveries of your app’s visual structure. These are formed by applying your style guide to the app wireframes.
As you get closer to finalizing your app’s design, be prepared for further modifications to its information architecture, workflow, and aesthetics.
Adobe Photoshop is the most famous tool to create mockups.
e) Prototype
Prototypes are just like mockups, but they go beyond. You can create click-thru prototypes using tools such as Invision and Figma. These tools can help you turn mockups into click-thru prototypes.
Unlike mockups which simply show how something looks, prototypes actually show how it behaves. When you build a prototype, you’re not just focusing on static design, you’re sharing a piece of software that anyone can download and explore.
In this crazy connected world we live in, we’ve found that focus groups and usability testing are the best ways to get honest, raw feedback about what people think of an app.
Related Reading – Click here to understand Why UX is not UI?
Stage 4: App Development
In this project phase of the mobile app development process, you have to define the technical architecture of your mobile app. This is a broad requirement, as it includes two main parts: back-end development and front-end development.
In order to define the technical architecture for your app, it has to be decomposed into front-end and back-end/server components.
a) Back-End/Server Technology
The Backend Server includes Database and Server-Side objects as well as any libraries necessary as a part of the app development process. In the world of back-end platforms, you will encounter a variety of challenges.
In the case that you’re using an existing platform, modifying existing components may be required. It is also possible that your chosen platform may require its own long-term customization or improvement.
b) API
The API is an application interface that allows your app to communicate with a third-party source. It is the interface that your app uses to get data from a third-party source. This allows you to create more apps by simplifying the app development process of integrating sources.
c) Mobile App Front-End
The mobile front-end is a user experience that uses a back-end for managing data. If you find it critical to be connected, but still want an application that works even without an internet connection, consider the Frontend server.
This cloud application gives you the ability to work both with and without the internet. If internet connectivity is lost, users can continue to work with access to the local data storage of the app.
You have to select a technology stack required by each mobile OS platform if you want to develop an app. Mobile development with external API access is supported on both Android and iOS platforms by the native interface programming language, i.e., Java for Android, Objective-c, or Swift for iOS.
5. Testing
To effectively ensure the quality of a mobile app, you should prepare testing cases that focus on all aspects of app testing, including code, design, user experience (UX), and security. A good QA process with test cases creates stable, usable, and secure operating systems for you and your customers.
You’ve heard it before: Testing is one of the most critical among all development process steps. Test cases must cover all aspects of testing — functional, performance, and security.
But how exactly do you test mobile apps? There are various ways to approach this, but you’ll need to prepare the right type of test case to make sure your app works in all scenarios:
- User Experience Testing
- Functional Testing
- Performance Testing
- Security Testing
- Device and Platform Testing
Mobile apps offer an alluring set of features not available before. However, for your business, to deliver a quality product, you have to put just as much consideration into the testing phase. By utilizing the right strategies to test your mobile apps in the app development process, you will effectively minimize or avoid issues & risks that can negatively affect your brand reputation.
6. Deployment and Support
The process of getting your app published on the App Store is called deployment, and it involves giving Apple all of the details about your app.
The process of releasing a native mobile app involves several steps—preparing the code, creating an account for the store, compiling the code into an app package, and finally uploading to either Google Play (for Android) or Apple App Store (for iOS).
Preparing and entering metadata can take time and money. An app’s release in the app store requires the following:
- Your app’s title
- Description
- Category
- Keywords
- Launch icon
- App Store screenshots
Once you’ve carefully reviewed your app’s quality and performance, it’s time to submit your app for review. After this, it may take a few days depending on app quality and how it stands up to the iOS development guidelines.
To make sure everything is in place at submit time, you’ll need to create some test accounts for your app as a part of the mobile app development process.
However, Android apps are published almost immediately after you’ve submitted them. Ensure your app works on these platforms before submission. This is highly important in the app development process.
Final Words:
The App development process is an ongoing trend and will continue after the initial launch as you receive user feedback and build additional functionality. Mobcoder’s portfolio of App development services allows businesses to expand their reach and supply data-driven customer engagement.
Over the years, Mobcoder has served various industries with an innovative approach and maintained a successful launch of mobile apps. Our team of experts will help you take your next app from development to launch in no time.
To summarize, creating an app has never been this easier with Mobcoder! We can help you take your vision to the next level with a seamless and efficient experience, allowing you to accomplish more than you ever thought possible.
We can assist you in any of the above-mentioned six stages of the Mobile app development process.
