How Does The Mobile Application Development Process Work?

How-Does-The-Mobile-Application-Development-Process-Work

Today, almost every business wants to develop mobile applications to capitalize on the vast market and gain the trust of customers. However, newcomers are often inexperienced in mobile app development and they don’t know how the mobile application development process actually works. It is better for them to consult a mobile app development company to develop their application. 

Developing Apps on Their Own 

Developing the application on your own could be a very challenging task. You might have an idea about the cost and team required to build a fully functional mobile application. However, additional technical expertise might be required to solve critical challenges in the mobile application development process. 

Gathering the Team

Before you even start the ideation and development process of your mobile application, you need to hire the following talent; 

  • Mobile App Developers: They are the core software engineers responsible for developing the software from scratch 
  • Business Analysts or Project Managers:  They have to manage the operations in the development process to ensure timely delivery of the final product
  • UI/UX Designers: These creative minds design the overall look and feel of the mobile application  
  • Solution Architects: These professionals have to work on the overall architecture of the application 
  • Quality Assurance Engineer: They have to test the integrity and performance of the application by identifying bugs. 

Let’s Understand the Mobile Application Development Process 

The Ideation Process

Before you start working with any development tool, you have to define the purpose of your application idea. Run competitors analysis, understand consumer persona, and scope of the application. 

  • Understand the Needs of the Market: The business has to find new opportunities in the market to understand what could suffice the needs of consumers. 
  • Understanding the Customers: This helps you to develop a mobile application according to your customers’ demands and preferences. 
  • Capitalize: Start analyzing the worth of your idea and how much value it will provide to the consumers. The application should resolve a major problem that no one else solves. 

Time Required in the Ideation Process: 40-80 hours 

Working on The Technical Infrastructure

Creating documentation to define the technical infrastructure is important to jump to the design and development process. Furthermore, it would help you to determine the cost to hire mobile app developers.  

  • App Complexity: You have to determine the complexity of your app to finalize the technical infrastructure. A mobile app development company can help you add an admin panel, deployment architecture model, third-party integrations, use hardware capabilities of devices, and more. 
  • App Category: You have to define the category of your application before the design and development process. A mobile app development company can help you understand the difference between independent, social media, on-demand, and enterprise mobile applications. 

There are a lot of other factors that might change the total mobile app development cost. Some of these factors are functionalities, security protocols, number of users, etc. A mobile app development company can assist you throughout this process. 
Also Read: Why JavaScript The Best Frame Work For App Development

UI/UX Designing Process 

The design process is a very important stage in mobile app development. You have to create the best perfect UI and UX to satisfy the needs of the consumers. Various stages in UI/UX designing; 

  • Wireframes: It helps you to define the exact user experience map and features for the application. Tools like MARVEL, Photoshop, or Balsamiq are often used for wireframing. Finalize the flow and design of the application with the help of wireframes. 
  • UI Design: You can either use templates for the UI design or design a fully customized UI for your application. Developing applications for both iOS and Android will increase the time and cost of UI/UX design. 

Time Required in the Design Process: 150 to 400 hours 

App Development Process

There are so many platforms to choose from if you are developing a mobile application. These platforms and development approaches could also define the cost of developing the application. 

  • Native Applications: These applications are dedicated to a particular platform and provide a more authentic user experience. However, it takes more time and resources to develop native applications. 
  • Web Applications: Progress Web Apps could be the right approach if you are on a tight development budget. They are considered more cost-effective, but won’t provide the same experience as native applications. 
  • Cross-Platform Applications: It is an ideal solution to develop an application for iOS and Android together. A mobile app development company use the same code base to reduce the efforts and cost in the mobile app development process. 
  • Hybrid Applications: These apps give the best of native and web applications by behaving just like native apps. The main components of the app actually run on a server instead of the device. 
  • Blockchain-Powered Applications: These applications run on a different technology that works with decentralized servers. It takes higher technical expertise and time to develop such applications. NFT marketplaces are some best examples of blockchain-powered applications.

Time Required in the Development Process: 200 to 400 hours 

Application Testing Process 

A mobile application with bugs and glitches can completely ruin the user experience and create a bad reputation for the business. Thus, a mobile app development company often hires software testers to rigorously test the developed application and discover any potential issues before the product launches into the market. 

They have the option to conduct manual testing or automated testing to check the integrity of the application. Any discovered issues are then reported back to the development team. These strong quality measures help businesses to ensure a quality-focused product.

Time Required in the Testing Process: 48 to 120 hours 

Application Deployment Process 

The mobile application development process isn’t complete without the deployment stage. In this process, the developers have to abide by the rules and guidelines of Google PlayStore and Apple AppStore to successfully deploy the application to their respective stores. Hiring a team would need you to know the cost to hire mobile app developers. They will help you to create a checklist in the development process for successful mobile app deployment. 

Time Required in the Deployment Process: 100 to 200 hours 

Final Words, 

The mobile app development process is a challenging and time-consuming process. It isn’t a DIY process in the age of stiff competition and high-quality mobile applications. Thus, you might need to hire the right mobile app development company for the job to develop a successful mobile application. This would save money and time significantly and improve your chances of success in the market. 

Author Bio,

Erma Winter is a professional mobile app developer at MobileCoderz, a leading mobile app development company. Over the years, she and her team have developed countless mobile applications for both iOS and Android platforms. Apart from her professional life, she takes a keen interest in surfing on the beaches and playing with dogs. 

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