In the era of digitalization, smartphones have become an inseparable part of life. It has become a very vital component of everyday function.
Catering to this, mobile applications have turned out to be a fruitful and effective way to enhance communication between users and organizations.
Mobile app development services play an important role in improving your market reach, enhancing user experience, and streamlining a process. These apps can have multiple use cases such as gaming, music, educational and business purposes.
In this blog, we will learn what mobile app development services include. We will also go through some of the greatest possibilities and how the industry is growing constantly.
What is Mobile App Development?
The process of creating software, specifically to run on mobile phones, is known as Mobile App Development or app development. These apps can run on smartphones or tablets.
They provide an array of functionality to the users which serves different purposes.
It is used in all the sectors ranging from entertainment & social network to business building & e-commerce.
The applications are crafted specially to make the most out of the capabilities possessed by these devices. There are a lot of companies that will provide you with their mobile app development services, and we will learn about them later.
First let’s understand the different types of mobile apps.
Types of Mobile Apps
There are three types of mobile apps primarily:
- Native
- Web
- Hybrid
Let’s learn about them, one at a time.
Native Apps
Native apps are developed only for specific operating systems such as Android or iOS. It uses platform specific programming language to create an application that can run smoothly on the designated platform.
They provide the best performance and access to some device specific features, but they need to be developed separately for each platform.
Web Apps
These are applications, or we can say websites that are designed to function smoothly on mobile devices. They can be accessed via any browser and do not require a separate installation from the app store.
These web apps are platform independent but there may be limited access to device features.
Hybrid Apps
As suggested by the name, hybrid apps are a mixture of native and web apps. They are made using web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
These are then wrapped in a native container which allows them to be installed on multiple platforms.
The major key feature of a hybrid app is that they provide a balance between cross-platform compatibility and access to device features.
Choose the Right Platform
Whenever an app development company starts creating an application, they first decide the platforms they need to target. The two major platforms include iOS and Android.
iOS vs Android
IOS and Android are the most dominant mobile operating systems which have their own user base and ecosystem.
The choice is heavily dependent on factors such as target audience, budget, and application complexity.
Based on the needs, application development on both these platforms is required for reaching out to the wide market. It will be more sensible and productive if the application can work on both the platforms.
Cross-Platform Development
There are a variety of cross-platform tools like React Native, Flutter, and Xamarin which allows you to write a single piece of code and run it on different platforms.
It is more appealing and easier as it can save lots of time and resources. However, there might be a compromise in terms of native performance and access to some platform specific features.
Development Process of Applications
The development phase is a very vital part of any application. It requires meticulous care along with factoring in all the aspects which includes the following.
● App Architecture
Architecture plays a vital role in the development of application. It includes defining the structure of the app, choosing the database and deciding the technology stack.
There should be utter care and consideration for the architecture, and it should support scalability for future enhancements.
● Designing the User Interface (UI)
User interface plays a key role in user satisfaction. There are two important factors for designing a good User Interface which are User Experience Design and Visual Design.
User experience design helps create an intuitive and user-friendly interface which can guide users through the application’s functionalities.
Visual Designs adds eye-pleasing elements such as icons, colour schemes, and layouts to create an easy to use and attractive application.
● Backend Development
This phase includes the development of server-side components and databases which are important for the application to function.
While doing so, ensuring data security and optimal performance is also important for the application’s sustainability and smooth functioning in the long run.
● Frontend Development
Just like all the other aspects, the front end is equally important for an application. Make sure that the application’s user interface uses the decided development framework and programming languages.
● Integrate Third-Party APIs
Integrating third party API is essential for accessing external services like payment gateways, social media platforms and maps.
● Testing & Quality Check
This process is not directly linked with the development process but is an important factor. Subsequent testing is important to identify and rectify bugs and issues. It comprises of three parts.
Unit Testing: Testing every component and functions to ensure they are working smoothly.
Functional Testing: Checking the apps functionality as a whole and ensuring it meets the specified requirements.
UAT: User Acceptance Testing invites real users to test the application and provide actual feedback about the application.
Why Choosing the Right Platform Matters?
There are various platforms over which applications can be developed. Before creating the application, any app development company must ensure the platform it will run on.
There are some key factors like cost of development, targeted audience, present technologies, business model and time the application will take to develop.
The two major platforms over which applications should work are iOS and Android.
iOS is the operating system built specifically for iPhones and android runs on mobile devices manufactured by different OEMs such as Google, Samsung etc.
Android is a major shareholder in the smartphone industry as iOS devices are a bit costly and there are a lot of restrictions from Apple about what the users can do.
Android applications can be easily found on Google Play with much less restrictions and better flexibility.
One might feel that android applications are a better source of revenue for any mobile development company, but that is not the case.
Due to the restrictive features of iOS, it is more secure, and people cannot easily break into the system.
This keeps customer retention high and enhances ROI for the organization.
How to Choose the Best App Development Company?
In the era of digitalization, the race to become the best app development company is continuously growing. However, companies that have experience in the industry can create much better software and understand your requirements clearly.
Unify Wizards is one such organization with expertise in mobile app development.
They have talented professionals who are so proficient in app development that they cater to an array of niches.
The trick to finding the best digital marketing agency is to understand if the agency has the potential to fully customize software for your organization. They must provide comprehensive support if there is any problem with the software.
However, always keep in mind that your vision matters the most. What you want the application to do, how it should look to the users, what functionalities you want, all this should be clear to you before you go to an application development agency.
