A Step-by-Step Guide On Mobile App Development Process
Still in a dilemma about how to go on with app development for your business? Know how Appinventiv has made its mark in the app development process.
With the advancing technology, the mobile app industry has also evolved. What started with as simple as the Flappy Bird app, the development has now moved on to a time where it is answering all the human needs.
While users’ demands and businesses’ innovativeness have together transformed the mobile application; the process of development remains the same with just a minor change to it, be it add-ons or removal of the process.
In this article we will be looking into the answer to ‘How to Build an App’ process followed by app development companies for giving the world innovative and superior quality apps and ones that are settled, we will give you a bird eye view of how we develop an app in-house at Appinventiv.
Today we will reveal the process that got us from five apps to a 700+ apps portfolio in a matter of three Years.
This article will tell you the exact mobile app development phases that we followed when we launched apps that got a million dollar funding to their businesses, giving you an answer to ‘How to Develop a Mobile App’.
Can’t wait to find out?
Well, we can’t wait to reveal it all.
Let’s start.
Wait. Since all good things come with a little patience, let’s take a quick go through of what all comes to your mind when planning to develop a mobile app through this mobile app development guide, first.
The Typical Mobile App Development Process Steps
The Mobile App Development industry, although very vast in terms of the players, follow more or less the same process when it comes to application development.
Here’s what a typical mobile app development step looks like –
As you saw in the infographic on mobile application development life cycle, the steps for effective software product development are made up of three parts – Preparatory Elements, Actual Mobile App Development Strategy/Process, and the Post Launch Maintenance Tips for Effective Software Product Development Process, which is fairly a standard process when developing mobile apps. Since each app is different, thus our methodologies evolve according to the requirement. These development steps have further processes that typically include idea, strategy, mobile app design process, development, deployment, and post-launch phases.
Preparatory process a.k.a research stage
As the name suggests this is the stage where businesses indulge in research. The aim at this stage is to establish the viability of an app idea. To achieve that, businesses gather an in-depth understanding of the issue that is seeking to solve the user demographics and understanding of the competitors that offer similar or a part of the solution that the app is going to propose.
After establishing the ideas, there is actually the need to strategize on the process like how to do it, from where to start, and what things are required.
[Read: Some Proven Tips to Find the Best Mobile App Development Company]
The Mobile App Development Process
Once the app development is finalized, the actual process starts – Development.
When we talk about mobile application development, there are two parts to the process – Front and Backend.
Frontend development
This process is followed to develop what would be shown to the app users. There are a lot of things that a mobile app developer will have to take care of when designing and developing the frontend. This also includes MVP0020of the product. The MVP helps you to understand and know what your product requires right now from the customer’s point of view. The required things are prioritized according to the development and requirement. You can note down all the changes that can be made later-on on the app. This process lets you have a clear vision and goal, and make sure to successfully develop the app’s core functionality.
The aim is to offer a simple experience with a very less learnability curve. Also, it should be perfectly in sync with the backend to handle the to and fro of information easily.
Backend development
This is the most crucial part of one of the whole steps to develop an app. The more robust your backend is, the more powerful your app would be. The backend should be designed and developed in a way that supports scalability and easy management of the app even after it’s launched.
In the backend, the server is as much responsible for your app’s performance and scalability as the design and UI/UX of the app. Backend mostly involves writing code which must be done taking into account the language, database, wireframe, APIs, and so on.
After fully discussing, understanding and knowing the processes, comes the real development phase where the team begins implementing styles and functionality of the application. The designer creates the actual screens used in your mobile app. After the development is complete, then comes the testing phase.
[ Read: {Quick Guide} Mobile App Backend Development for Robust Apps]
Post-launch support and maintenance
Post app launch maintenance is an activity that calls for equal time and effort as the actual development process.
That’s why testing takes time. Running a code review process through a whole quality assurance (QA) testing during the development phase helps in making the app secure, stable, and usable and ensures that no major bugs are left for the team to solve. For a comprehensive QA testing of the app, you are first required to plan test cases that addresses all facets of app testing. Once the QA is complete thoroughly, then comes the launching process.
There are two methods to deploy the app. The first involves launching your web server (API) into a scalable production environment. The second includes app launch into the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
The process doesn’t end here, there is still maintenance and upgrade of the application as per the convenience and need of the users.
As businesses, you will have to ensure that your app has been accepted and is loved by millions of the users on the application stores. And that only be guaranteed when you keep a lookout on how users are reacting to it – if they are asking for updates or bug fixes etc.
Now that you have got the answer to ‘How to Make an App’ by seeing what a typical mobile app development steps looks like, let us now concentrate on the bird eye view of our Appinventiv Mobile Application Development Process.
[Also Read: Mobile App Development Best Practices]
Mobile App Development Process Steps That We Follow Here At Appinventiv
Our days at Appinventiv are spent interacting with tens of prospects who leave their request to discuss the project query, on our different platforms, and with us finding a sync with at least one to two of them.
Being the leading mobile app development company, globally (Yes, we have the proof to validate the position), we are frequently asked how it all starts – How the process of Mobile App Development flows from App Ideation to App Maintenance.
And since we are in a mood to make Revelations today, let’s tell you what you have been asking. Here’s the Appinventiv version of the answer to ‘How to Create an App’ –
[Also Read: Effective Way of Mobile App Development]
It all starts with the requirements that the prospects come with, which we make the center of our mobile app development stages.
Different Requirements of The Clients
Full stack
Most of the clients who approach us, come seeking full stack app development services. They are generally looking for a brand that would have a team that is specialized to handle all the elements of mobile application development life cycle starting from ideation and actual development to app launch and maintenance.
A-la-carte stages
Every once in a while we get a few clients who need our help with a specific part of the project. Like recently, we got approached by Dominos to help redesign their mobile app. While the occurrence of this is a lot lower than the full stack development requirements, we do get clients asking for a-la-carte services as well.
Seeking resources
Another query that we receive is for hiring dedicated resources of our mobile app development agency. Businesses, mostly of more than 1K team strength and a working team of mobile app development experts, reach out to us seeking mobile app developers to help expand into a new technology.
General Ideas Presented By Clients
Our clients generally come to us with the idea of the kind of app they want to get developed, the users, who the app will be competing with, etc. With the base study already done, the project gets a kickstart.
Let us look into the information that prospects come prepared with, in more lines.
Who are the app users
They know who will be using the app both at a superficial stakeholder level and at the researched user demographics level. They generally do their user demographics study in terms of which geographical area the users belong to, what is their age group, how they use their mobile devices, etc.
[Also Read: Mobile Analytics Necessary for Building a Successful App]
Basic level of idea viability
They usually come after validating that their app idea will be a success and will offer real value to their clients.
The idea of the Features the app would have – Our clients know of the features that will be included in the app.
Have an initial budget
While our clients might be preparing for seed funding, they have the initial budget to start with the mobile app idea and development stage.
Know who their competitors are
Our clients know who is the app’s competitors. They reach out to us after doing a preliminary study of the brands their app would be competing with.
We have curated a piece that highlights the steps a business should take in the pre stages of mobile app development, read it here – 79 Steps to Successful Pre-Planned Mobile App Development.
Process We Follow
The mobile application development process flow that a typical mobile application development company follows can be divided in three parts – Planning, Development, and Maintenance.
Let us see them at a more intricate level.
[Also Read: In-Depth Study on Methods to Accelerate Mobile App Development]
Let us see them at a more intricate level.
1. The first call
It all starts with a call. After the prospect leave a query on our Contact Us Form with a basic idea of their app, we schedule a call.
In the call, we include our pre sales team’s head, who is skilled in the technology that the app will be made on and we include people from the business development team with an understanding of the technology. The two definite people whom you will be introduced to are – Prateek Saxena, M.D Appinventiv and Shrikant Srivastava, Vice President of Appinventiv Technology Domain.
In the introductory call, our aim is generally to understand the business idea of our client and judge the complexity of their mobile app.
2. NDA
What follows the call is an NDA. We sign and send non disclosure agreement to our prospects ensuring that their idea will not be used or shared by us as a suggestion to other business.
3. Scoping
Once the prospect becomes our client, we create a scope of work. The scope of work consists of a document that consists of the detail of the app project – The idea, Technology Stack, and Time it would take to complete the development process. The tech-stack that we mention in the Scope of Work is what ultimately the whole mobile app architecture depends on.
The document is near complete idea of what elements would the development process would constitute of. It also consist of the cost estimate of the whole app development.
To know how we estimate cost, head on here – How Much Does an App Development Cost.
4. Agile sprint
Once the Scope of Work gets a go ahead from the clients’ side, we move on the development process.
For development, we follow Agile Methodology. We have also written a guide to Agile Scrum Methodology in Mobile App Development
There are a number of reasons why we trust Agile as our app development process –
Since the success of the Agile methodology lies in the active involvement of all the parties who are involved in the mobile app maintenance, we include our designers, mobile app developers, QA team, and clients throughout the process and the linked iterations.
We handle multiple processes related to app development in every sprint –
4.1. Design – We follow Google Material Design and iOS Human Interface Guidelines for making our mobile app intuitive and to incite the intended emotions in the users.
4.2. Development – Next, we bring together a mix of technology stacks that are equipped to handle complex mobile application development life cycles that support scalability.
4.3. Testing – Mobile app testing plays an inherent part in the Agile sprint. Every part of the app that is developed in a sprint is tested there itself.
5. MVP
What follows a sprint is an MVP. Following the Agile development process we create a minimum viable product that is now ready to be launched. We then float the MVP among a subset of prospective users and get their feedback.
MVP is the one concept that we swear upon. It makes testing an app in the actual ground a lot easier – both in terms of effort and cost. We love the MVP idea so much, that we wrote a guide on it too – The Digestible Guide to Minimum Viable Products (MVP).
6. Agile again
Upon collecting their feedback, we make the necessary changes in the app using the same Agile process as done at the time of MVP development.
7. App is launched in the stores
After ensuring that the working model of the app is ready according to the exact needs of the client and their end users, we go ahead with the publishing of it on the stores.
To make this smooth, we have written an App Store Submissions checklist around it.
8. Post launch app maintenance
The last but continued part of our process is App Maintenance. We stick around until we have ensured that the app has been accepted by the millions of users that it was intended to reach in the first place.
[Also Read: Frequently Asked Questions on Mobile Application Development]
Have an App Idea? Contact Us Form is Where it All Starts At. Head on there through here.
Parting Words
From choosing a partner, and Product Discovery, to app release, and its maintenance, as the technology evolves the app development will be an ongoing process. Also it is important to note that app development is not a one-time process. As said before the app needs continuous improvisation of the features and functionality post the release and according to the market trends.
Another imperative step before you start the development of the app is to hire a professional mobile app development company. For example you can look for mobile app development company USA, like Appinventiv where our expert team will help you with your query and requirements.
The Contact Us form is where it all starts. Head on there through here.
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