The life of a modern person is difficult to imagine without devices such as a smartphone or a tablet. Moreover, the use of these technologies is even more important for a successful business. For this reason, the mobile application plays an important role in communicating with customers and promoting services and products. Access to the functions of the mobile application remains even in the absence of an Internet connection. In this article, we will consider why your business needs to order a full cycle of app development to increase its performance.
A complex process of mobile app development
The process of designing and developing apps for a smartphone is quite complex, it takes place in several stages. The customer, as a rule, has an idea for an application and a vision of what functions it contains, what tasks it solves and who will need it. However, this is not enough to get started; a comprehensive analysis of the potential of the product is needed, followed by a systematization of the data.
Determination of the target market
At the stage of determining the target market, the customer needs to decide on the purpose of developing a mobile application, and the role that is assigned to the platform for establishing communication with the target audience. The main points you need to know before ordering the design and development of the application:
- features of the target audience, the possibility of its replenishment;
- goals to be achieved by building your own application;
- whether goods and services will be sold within the mobile application;
- market competitiveness in this business area;
- product creation budget: design, development, and promotion.
Additionally, it is worth determining the applications used by the target audience – both yours and competitors. It is important to find out if they are ready to make a choice in favor of the developed application and abandon analogs.
Analytics
The work on designing and creating a new mobile application starts with an idea. The customer tells the performer what tasks the application is designed to solve. The contractor, in turn, collects analytics and analyzes the market, competitors, existing solutions, and behavioral models of buyers.
This is necessary to analyze how users will use the application and what the most useful functions to integrate into the product. Only a convenient and functional application can be useful for business. Analytical work allows all project participants to get an idea of the design and functionality of the future application.
Terms of reference
Terms of Reference (TOR) include a description of the desired functionality and design of the product. At this stage, developers determine how users will interact with the application (User Story, Customer Journey Map), and a list of technical requirements is formed.
The result of creating a TOR:
- list of service functions;
- software requirements: interface, performance, security;
- description of ways to implement the requirements;
- project budget.
User Story is a description of human behavior when using the service:
- authorization;
- catalog browsing;
- purchase processing.
Thus, the User Story describes exactly how the buyer uses the application in order to solve their problem and get a benefit. Its development makes it possible to identify the requirements that determine the convenience and functionality of the future mobile platform for the user.
The Customer Journey Map shows how a person uses the mobile app. The map displays movements from one screen to another and clicks on buttons. Thanks to the map, it is possible to understand how to implement the functionality of the utility for the phone
Design
Design, or UX design, involves the interaction between the component parts of the application. At this stage, you can see how the mobile service will work with different user scenarios:
- registration (authorization) procedure;
- view of the initial screen and personal account;
- procedure for placing and paying for an order.
At the design stage, the logic of the developed application is checked. If necessary, adjustments are made to the planned model at this stage. Design is of particular importance for startups, as these projects have a high level of uncertainty.
Prototyping
Mobile app prototypes are created by designers. There are static and interactive prototypes. Interactive models include diagrams of possible user transitions and control buttons. The expert who is responsible for prototyping forms the layout of the application functions and the algorithm of user actions in it.
Application design
User interface design allows project participants to evaluate the appearance of the application being developed. The designer is responsible for the color scheme, and also works with the product interface. At this stage, it is important for the development team to get feedback from the client in order to make adjustments if necessary.
Creating an app for Android and iOS
Writing code is one of the most important stages in project development. Programming includes the following steps:
- frontend;
- backend.
The first stage involves the design and development of the client part of the product – the interface, and business logic. The second stage involves the formation of the server part of the application, which is responsible for data transfer.
Testing, bug fixing
Testing involves looking for bugs in the written code. Product testing should be carried out at all stages of product development. Testers check the comfort level of user interaction with the interface, the level of security, as well as the speed of all processes. Testing allows you to find and fix bugs in a timely manner, as a result of which the client will receive a high-quality and safe product.
Release, post-release support
The final stage in the development of a mobile service is adding it to a special application store: App Store or Google Play. However, post-release support is also important. You need to make sure that the server can handle the load, errors are quickly fixed, and there is enough free disk space. It is recommended to take care of improving the application: study customer reviews and refine them based on them: release updates, expand the functionality
Final thoughts
The most important thing in the development of a mobile application for business is to determine the goals, correctly prescribe audience behavior scenarios, choose technology and find a team of competent developers. If you are looking for a reliable company that will perform a full cycle of mobile demolition with high quality, pay attention to Perpetio. The company offers a professional development team, cutting-edge development technologies, and an agile approach to building a superior mobile solution for your industry.
