The world moves so fast. Parallely, the use of mobile devices increases at a rapid phase. Hence, it is surprising that we don’t use a mobile application at least once a day. Owing to this simple reason, the number of mobile applications that the world requires also increases day by day. Thus, the field of mobile application development has become one of the most trending out of the other sectors in the IT industry.
And of course, there is no difference when it comes to the Sri Lankan IT industry as well. Starting from teenagers to IT professionals, many who are interested in this field, design and develop various kinds of mobile applications even in Sri Lanka. Hence, we thought of dedicating this read to mobile application development. Continue reading for a full overview!
What is Mobile Application Development?
Mobile application development is developing a software application that the users can install and run on a mobile device such as a smartphone. The Mobile applications provide users with access to different content and functions. Usually, they use an internet connection to work with remote computing resources.
Besides, mobile applications are useful for a variety of purposes like business, entertainment, communication, and information access. Currently, most businesses are using mobile applications for their internal and external business processes, and for marketing purposes. Hence, the demand for mobile applications is never any less at present.
However, in order to be successful in the modern industry, creating a new mobile application requires in-depth studying, creation of the strategy, analyzing the current mobile environment, proper designing, development, deployment, and maintenance. So, through this read, you will surely get a good overview with regard!
Mobile Application Development Frameworks
A mobile app development framework is a platform that includes tools and software, compilers, debugging tools, and programming interfaces for mobile application development. It acts as the structure to build scalable mobile applications.
Mainly, Android and iOS provide various app development frameworks. So, let us have a look at some of the frameworks that are useful for creating mobile applications.
1. React Native
The Facebook company created React Native, and the apps that used this framework include Facebook and Instagram. It is Open-source, based on JavaScript, and works on both Android and iOS.
Some of the advantages of this framework are as follows.
- Being Cost-effective
- Facilitating code reusability
- Ensuring faster time to market
The disadvantages include:
- Being slow
- Requiring more storage space
- Challenging nature of debugging and testing
2. Flutter
Google Company created Flutter and Google Ads are using this. It is Open-source, uses a single codebase, and is written in C, and C++.
The advantages of using this framework include:
- Enabling fast app development
- Supporting flexible UI
- Availability of a Hot reload option
The disadvantages of Flutter include:
- Lacking integration of advanced features
- Requiring more time to download the app
3. Ionic
Drifty Co. introduced Ionic, and apps that use this framework are Instant Pot and MarketWatch. It’s written in JavaScript and helps develop cross-platform, hybrid, and PWA apps.
The advantages of using this framework include:
- Low cost to develop
- Allows faster prototype development
The disadvantages of using Ionic include:
- Performance lag on heavy applications
4. Xamarian
The Microsoft Company designed Xamarian. Examples of apps that use this framework are Azure and Alaska Airlines. It is an open-source framework based on .Net and c#. Xamarian is useful to develop applications for Android and iOS.
The advantages of Xamarian are:
- Providing multiple library support
- Hassle-free API integration
- Working well for offline apps
The disadvantages of Xamarian are:
- Compatibility issues with third-party libraries and tools
- Limited access to open-source libraries
- Large app size
5. Apache Cordova
Adobe developed this framework, and Wikipedia and HealthTap use it. It is open source and written in C#, C++, CSS, HTML, Java, JavaScript, and Objective-C.
Advantages of Apache Cordova
- Supports offline apps
- Allows access to native device APIs
Disadvantages of Apache Cordova
- Not suitable for hardware-reliant appS
- Plugins might not perform as expected
By now, you have a clear idea about what mobile application development is, and about the frameworks that are useful. So, next, let us get to know how this mobile application development takes place.
Steps of Mobile Application Development
The mobile app development process involves building software, implementing backend services, and testing the application on target mobile devices. The process mainly consists of seven steps. They are:
- Development of the Strategy
- Analysis and Planning
- UI/UX Design
- App Development
- Application Testing
- Deployment
- Support and Performance Monitoring
Let us have a look at what exactly happens during each of these phases!
1. Development of the Strategy
In the strategy development stage, the following steps take place.
- Identifying the main objectives by analyzing the problem that the application addresses
- Identifying the target users of the application
- Deciding on the results to be achieved by the app
- Figuring out the existing or potential competitors
- Identifying whether there are any apps on the market that serve the same purpose, how they are performing, and whether they have positive reviews
These are just a few main steps that an app development team performs during this stage. However, steps as such help to overcome the existing mistakes and weaknesses in the industry. Meanwhile, it also helps the team to get an idea about existing technologies and how to differentiate them from competitors.
So, after studying the above factors, the team decides on the platform on which they will build the application. It can be an Android, iOS, or cross-platform application.
However, if the team is delivering a consumer application, it is important to decide on the right monetization method as well during this stage. In fact, the app can either make direct money from the investment or they can use different options such as in-app advertising, in-app purchases, subscriptions, and affiliate marketing.
So, making all these decisions at this stage assists an app development team to get the proper head-start with the project.
2. Analysis and Planning
During this stage, the identification of functional and non-functional requirements takes place. Here, the team has to specify the actions that they want their mobile app to perform. Accordingly, it helps to define the specific requirements, set the right goals, and proceed ahead with the documentation.
Functional requirements are the requirements that the software has to perform. It includes the actions the users take and the operations performed by the system such as data input and output, calculations, and business flows.
Non-functional requirements are the requirements of the system that impact the user experience such as security, system requirements, user-friendliness, etc. They relate to the quality of the system.
Identifying both these requirements types are crucial during this stage, as they define whether the client expectations meet with the application that is in the making.
Apart from that, the team defines the roadmap to the completion of the project during this stage. This helps them to make a good plan of how to reach each goal. Product roadmap creation is necessary to avoid any potential failures when releasing the minimum viable product. Another main task in the analysis and planning stage is the identification of the skill requirements to proceed ahead with the project.
Upon identifying these things, the team will move on to the next phase!
3. UI/UX Design
In a successful app, UI/UX (User-Interface, User-Experience) design has to be user-friendly, engaging, and offer a smooth experience to the user. In order to give the best user experience, the team needs to pay high attention to the UI/UX design. So, UI/UX design is the process of planning the design of the interface of the app and the experience a person has when they interact with the app.
When developing rules as part of the app’s information, the team should decide what data will be present within the app, how to display the necessary components, and how the users will interact with the data. In order to proceed ahead with this, the team has to create workflow diagrams. They can be very helpful in keeping track of user interactions and the app’s navigation.
The app development teams use digital sketches called wireframes as conceptual layouts that provide a visual structure of the functionality of the app. They increase the user experience and app aesthetics in order to ensure that the finished application is intuitive and smooth.
Another part of UI/UX Design is creating Style guides. Style guides contain design aspects of the app such as color scheme, fonts, spacing and positioning, buttons, and widgets. They are important in app design strategy as they help to maintain the consistency and harmony of the end product.
Aftward, in this stage, the team creates mockups by applying the style guide to the wireframes. These are the final renderings of the app visuals.
The team develops prototypes as the next step of the UI/UX design process. The user experience and the workflow of the app are simulated here and thus, it helps the team to have an idea of how the app will work upon completion.
4. App Development
The app development process consists of two main parts namely backend development and frontend development.
Backend Development: It is the process of designing, developing, deploying, and maintaining the code of the application on the server side of a mobile app. In fact, the backend of the app is responsible for data verification, authentication, data storage, security, and processing business logic. Further, it involves creating databases and server-side objects that are responsible for the performance of the app. Selecting appropriate programming languages, server-side scripting, selection of database engines and a hosting environment, and load balancing are the main steps of this stage.
Frontend Development: It is the look and feel of the app that a user experiences. And yes, it is what the user will interact with most. Hence, a frontend developer focuses on the user interaction with the app, icons, and animation used and the permitted actions. Besides, there are three main approaches to front-end development. They are platform-specific, cross-platform, and hybrid.
Platform-specific apps are created exclusively for one mobile platform. In these, the code cannot be reused between two types of platforms. This approach is more costly but there is a high speed and responsiveness.
Cross-platform solutions can run on different platforms with a single codebase. They are compatible with various operating systems. They come with benefits such as cost-effectiveness and code reusability.
Hybrid solutions contain features of both platform-specific apps and web applications. Their application code is written with standard web technologies and executed within a native shell. Teams use this approach when there is a need of running the app on multiple platforms but a cross-platform solution is time-consuming.
5. Mobile App Testing
An app development team proceeds ahead with testing, once they complete the development phase. It is done to ensure that the developed system has stability, and security, and is free of bugs.
A team may use various types of testing methods in this phase. Accordingly, an app should undergo functionality tests, performance tests, security tests, platform and device tests, and an extended review to make sure that the app is of high quality.
- Functionality Test: Tests the features of the app to make sure that it is working well.
- Performance Testing: Tests the app’s responsiveness and how it handles the requests of the users.
- Security Test: Checks the security of the app and data protection. This is essential in some enterprise solutions such as banking and insurance apps and healthcare apps.
- Platform and Device Test: Checks whether the app is compatible with different devices and operating systems. This is essential in the modern days because new devices and updates are released regularly to the market, and the app should be compatible with them.
- Extended Review: Tests the app with its actual final users before proceeding to deployment. Feedback can be collected on the application by arranging a focus group or by doing a beta launch.
6. Deployment
After testing the app, it will be ready for deployment. Then, the team will get the mobile application to go through different distribution models depending on the platform for which app development was done.
The applications can be submitted to Apple’s App Store or Google Play Store to have the app on those stores, and some mobile apps can go through private distribution as well.
7. Support and Performance Monitoring
A mobile application development project won’t end just because it went live. Monitoring its performance and supporting its run is also a part of it. Hence, there is a set of key performance indicators that a development team looks into during this stage. They are as follows.
- App downloads
- Active users
- Average visit time
- Retention
- Ratings
- Reviews
- Conversions
- Customer lifetime value
Apart from that, it is important that the team regularly checks for crashes, bugs, and customer requests for the app. Moreover, releasing updates also belongs to this phase, and during this process, it is important to maintain the review guidelines and performance standards.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Mobile Applications
Each and everything comes with good and bad. So, do the mobile applications. Therefore, it is important that we get to know about the advantages and disadvantages of mobile application development as well. Scroll down to know about them!
Advantages
- Access to a mobile app is easier than accessing a website
- Apps help to capture data about use, activity, and buying habits
- Apps help in increasing customer engagement and loyalty for businesses, by providing personalized services
- Mobile apps can improve employee experiences by letting them access information in real-time from any location
- They support adapting to new technologies and allowing innovation
- Apps create opportunities for businesses to provide new products and services to existing customers by using the apps as marketing tools
- The productivity of a business will increase because communications with staff and outside contractors are easier with mobile apps
- Brand Recognition is higher when using an app
Disadvantages
- The initial cost of developing an app is higher
- Developing a mobile app is a complicated task
- Mobile apps require regular updates to keep up with the platform providers such as Apple and Google
Key Trends to Consider While Developing a Mobile Application
It is important to consider the following key trends when developing a mobile application.
- Application Security – It is the process of safeguarding mobile applications and keeping the digital identity of users safe from fraudulent attacks, malware, hacking, and criminal manipulation.
- Augmented Reality – This technology enables apps to fetch the user’s location and share personalized ads and messages accordingly to attract potential customers. Beacons and other location-based Wi-Fi services are used by users and enterprises for this purpose.
- Digital Mobile Payment – Mobile payments are useful to purchase goods and services in person or online. The growing nature of mobile payment methods is a key trend to consider when developing mobile apps. That is simply because these methods can be incorporated to increase the functionality and quality of the applications.
- Wearables and IoT – IoT devices and wearables are connected to the internet and they communicate with each other. This connectivity will create more opportunities in mobile application development. With IoT, mobile apps can interact with physical objects and wearables.
- Cloud Computing – Cloud Computing offers reliability, scalability, high data storage, processing capability, and a lot of benefits for mobile applications. This also provides development platforms that benefit developers.
- Enterprise Applications – Individual organizations create enterprise applications to carry out the functions and to match the requirements of the organization. In the modern business world many organizations are developing enterprise applications and a lot of them are generating substantial profits. This increases the opportunities for app developers to work for an enterprise.
The Bottom Line
Throughout the article, we have discussed what mobile app development is, the frameworks commonly used, the steps of mobile app development, the advantages and disadvantages of mobile app development, and finally the key trends to consider when developing apps. After all, the knowledge of mobile app development is important because it is an evolving area and it is growing along a vast scope day by day with modern technologies.
Even in Sri Lanka, there are many companies that are experienced in mobile application development. So, if you or your organization needs to develop mobile applications, and if you feel like you don’t have that expertise, simply contact an entity like LakMobile Technologies. They will surely help you create the mobile application that you really wanted!
