Mobile app development is the procedure of building software applications that run on mobile devices. Writing code, creating a user interface, and testing the app are all components in addition to being able to deploy it on iOS or Android.
The Rise of Mobile Apps
Mobile apps have changed the way we use technology altogether. Apps have
entered our lives from social networking to online shopping. This brings in a
convenience, and hence the accessibility which has resulted the mobile
development to be one of te most thriving career profiles across technology
industry.
Types of Mobile Apps
Native Apps
A native app is built on a
platform ( Examples: iOS or Android) and in their platform-specific programming
languages. Native: Offers highest performance and user experience but
necessitates separate code for each platform
Web Apps
Web apps are pretty much built
using web technologies which look and feel like mobile or native apps. They are
web-based apps built with HTML, CSS & JS. As they can get developed faster,
the performance level and features are not on par with native apps.
Hybrid Apps
Hybrid apps allow the same native components to work on mobile platforms well as web-based controls. They are built with web technologies but are installed, just like a native app and designed to work on too many platforms using one codebase. This makes them more affordable and simpler to take care of.
Crucial Platforms used for Mobile App Development
iOS
What do you know about
ios?Well, widely used by iphones and ipad, its IOS is a mobile operating system
managed by Apple Inc. This means that it is secure, reliable and of a much
higher quality user-experience wise.
Android
The most popular mobile
operating system today is Android, which has been developed by Google. It
creates a less walled garden than iOS, but provides the flexibility and probably
bigger user base for developers.
Windows
Although it is not as popular
as iOS and Android, Windows Mobile OS too has its own share of the market when
you count in some niches. This support for Microsoft services and products
(Microsoft Tern) makes it the best choice on enterprise applications.
The Process of Mobile App Development
Idea and Research
It all starts with an idea;
every great app begins from a mere thought. You need to research the market,
analyze your target audience and check out who are your competitors.
Planning and Wireframing
To do this, plan out what
features and functions you want the app to have. Wireframing: Wireframes serve
the blueprint of an app, allowing for mockups of how it will look and more
importantly flow.
Design
Phase I: Design Phase Create
visually attractive, intuitive user interface. This ranges from choosing color
palettes, typography and designing icons to buttons.
Development
App development is what makes
the app creating process. Building the backend and frontend of an app Writing
code with APIs
Testing
This is important as it allows
the bugs to be identified by testing, if any,and facilitates smooth functioning
on various devices and operating systems. Unit testing, integration testing and
user acceptance test part of it
Deployment
Upon completion of the app
development and testing, it is then to be deployed on respective App stores.
This includes getting your app ready for submission, ensuring you follow the
rules/guidelines of the platform and finally checking how well did it actually
fair out during its initial release.
Maintenance
Then, after the launch of your app, you will need to do regular updates to fix bugs and give new possibilities or at least upgrade it so that runs without problem on latest devices in terms of hardware and OS.
Mobile App Development Programming Languages
Kotlin
Android KTX Extensions Better Kotlin
Support Hence it is the preferable language for Android Development. It is
fully inter operable with Java and provides a less verbose form of syntax
JavaScript
JavaScript including React
Native, Node etc. js is a popular cross-platform development. It provides
developers with the ability to code once and run across different platforms.
Hybrid Mobile Application Development Frameworks
React Native
React Native is a platform that
allows developer to build cross-platform apps with JavaScript. They provide a
plethora of components, and active community.
Flutter
A Google-developed app
development framework that uses Dart language and is a one codebase over both
iOS and Android. It is well know for rapid development cycles and rich UI
components.
Xamarin
Xamarin (now a part of
Microsoft) is an open-source framework that lets developers utilize C# to write
native applications on different platforms. It has proactive integration with
platform API s & services.
Ionic
Hybrid apps can easily build
through Ionic framework. Built with HTML, CSS and JavaScript; react provides a
library of pre-made components.
UX and UI Design
Importance of UX/UI
The abso-fucking-lutely
required factor for a mobile app to be successful is an immaculate UX/UI. It
thus guarantees their pleasure and smooth experience, which eventually results
in higher levels of engagement or retention.
There are certain options for best practices of UI Design:
- A user-friendly interface keeping it simple
- UI design: Maintains similar interface patterns
- Speed and performance is key
- Incorporating user feedback
4 Monetization Tactics For Mobile Applications
In-App Purchases
In-app purchases are items or
features that you can buy within an app. Frequently used in gaming and content
based applications.
Subscription Models
In a subscription model, users
are regularly charged to get access to premium features or contents. This
helped them to create a recurring revenue model.
Ads
Free apps especially often
monetize through ads. The app can earn money by showing adds in the App
Paid Apps
We pay before downloading a
paid app. It is a good model for services that provide unique value or fulfill
niche needs and generally makes apple to offer free access.
What to Keep in Mind for the Mobile App Developer
Continuous Learning
Tech is fast pushing forward,
and we have to jump in with the lesser tools of today if that's all there is.
Continuing education is also a great option, online courses, workshops and
conferences too.
Building a Portfolio
You must have a good portfolio
where you can show what projects and skills you possess. Have Different
Projects: Your portfolio should be a testament to your experience on various
undertaking that different aspect of app development right from UI/UX designing
backend integration, performance optimization.
Joining Developer Communities
Online and offline Developer
communities can give you strong network of similar intellectual peoples for
networking, sharing knowledge or getting help. For example, GitHub and Stack
Overflow are both very helpful platform.
Mobile App Development Resources
Online Courses
Complete courses on mobile app
development are available through platforms such as Udemy, Coursera or edX.
These are the most popular fields from basic programming to advanced
frameworks.
Books
Great resources for these are
books like iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide and Android Programming
the Big Nerd Ranch Guide.
Blogs and Forums
Engaging with the blog world and forum could be a good way to stay current in what is happening in your industry. Websites like Medium, Dev. start for this is to, and Reddit.