Mobile App Development Process, Introduction
App development process is a simple to understand step by step software programming process that starts from idea generation and goes to the app launch and then the cycle repeats if you need more enhancements, though it gets tricky at times when more than one components are involved like backend, admin panel, multiple platforms and then it needs more formal professional approach. An App idea, when goes into production moves through various steps of feasibility, refinement, fine tuning, R&D and what not before it comes to life as a quality app.
The success of your app depends upon how good your app is in terms of performance, user convenience, security, reliability, and other user-centric factors, and these factors don’t come on their own. The teams involved in the design & App development process should first of all have a great “clarity” on what is to be done and then a professional approach in breaking down that “what is to be done’ into meaningful chunks of user-stories, and then putting those user stories into development, starting with raw mockups to polished design, and then real app that works great.
In case of startups having new ideas, we recommend taking a Rapid MVP approach first, so that you can quickly (and in low cost) develop the core and most compelling functionality of your app and launch it for the end users, and do an aggressive marketing and generate early response as well as feedback, you can always add more side-features later on. The development time is fast, the cost is less, so as the risk and scope of enhancing with real experience is more.
In case of existing apps that need enhancements or introduction of more features, we recommend dividing the new features into smaller chunks (that we can user as job cards) and implementing those in weekly sprints, and going live every weekend or fortnight. This way the work keeps ongoing, and at the same time app is being updated for end users frequently, without waiting for months. You keep them engagement, and that is most important. Giants like Facebook, Google, or dropbox follow this approach and we offer the same facility to our clients.
Now, for the uninitiated, following is the Mobile App Development Process, well defined:-
1. First Contact:-
You contact us via web, phone, personal email or social media and share just a brief about your idea. We then interview you and get information about the features you need in your app, your business strategy, your marketing plans and overall expectations of services from us. While we gather the requirements, we also welcome you to ask us as many questions as you want (Please read- Questions to ask before hiring an app development agency). We suggest you the betterment where it is needed, propose you with a commercial quote, and development approach, and then we sign the contract. The project is divided into several milestones (on an average 4), and each milestone is connected with a progressive build and corresponding payment percentage.
It is recommended to read “how to write app specs” post of ours, and learn writing great app specs yourself. You can also use our app development cost calculator to answer some simple questions and know the overall cost range of your app idea.
2. Wireframes:-
The next stage in our mobile application development process is designing wireframes of your app, wireframes are the blueprint of the how the actual app would work. With the help of wireframes, we explain how the end product will function, we jointly discuss and do iterations on the wireframes and once all looks fine, we move on to the next step of the mobile App development process.
3. Database, Design & Architecture, Polished designs
Once mockups are finalized, it is time to put the seasoned brains at work. We design the overall architecture of the system, consider various current and future factors, security considerations, scalability, and business vision and at the same time our designers work on creating polished UI & UX, and share with you running PoC for your review and feedback. We understand the fact that nor all audience have same taste neither all apps are same, so we consider design and subjective and pick a design approach strictly on the basis of target audience, product type, and latest trends. This blend has always worked good so far.
4. Coding, Implementation, and Unit Testing:-
And when all things planned, it is time to get your hands into it, and do the coding! Our passionate App developers use latest technologies and tools to start converting these designs into real app. While writing the code, our developers ensure that the code is highly cohesive and loosely couple which makes the app faster and more responsive. Data and user identity security is our utmost priority; we follow mobile app security best practices to build secure apps right from the client side to the server side. To keep you updated on the progress of the project, we facilitate weekly Skype sessions with developers and also share a fully functional build of your app after unit, functional, and UAT testing.
The work happens in weekly or bi-weekly sprints, and you get an interim release of the app for your own review and testing at every sprint and gets an OK-tested label only after all parties are satisfied.
5. Final Testing and Store Launch:-
After development, and ongoing testing, we put the App for final User Acceptance Testing and also stress testing and go live only when all things work absolutely fine. We work with you in writing compelling marketing copies, and also assist you in on page App Store optimization and then also make the apps live on your behalf, using your iTunes developer or Google play developer accounts only.
6. Post Launch Support & Warranty:-
Our job isn’t over yet, We stay beside you and help you out if the app faces any issues or bugs. Yup! You got it right, customer satisfaction is our main business policy and doing repeat business is what we always strive for. For any project, small or big, we offer a minimum of “free 3 months bug-fixing” warranty program. We fix any problem or issue found during this time for absolutely no Fee, meaning FREE. And even when warranty time is over, we’ve highly cost effective yearly maintenance packages that you can always opt in and keep focusing on increasing the business, while we take care of all things tech.
Nothing ends even now, therefore we also offer initial and regular boost to your app promotion by sharing it on our decently followed social media profiles and personal network circles. In some cases, we can even help you to develop your app marketing strategy to promote it and even get it reviewed on app review websites.
We have fine tuned this simple looking process as most-productive one over years, and still do so everyday because there is never a day when you don’t learn anything new, so what is better than improving for good? No matter how early-stage or mature your app idea is, you can share that with us not only for a quote always but also for discussion. An idea grows when shared, so drop us a note at [email protected], and get the ball, well, bouncing for heights!
