There’s an app for everything. There are millions of apps in the app store. Every day the count is increasing. Thus, there is a lot of competition. So one should not compromise on any stage of the Mobile App Development Lifecycle. It is very important to get it right for the first time. A not-so-good app can be a disaster for your business.
There are stages in developing a mobile application which a developer should follow to make a winning app. This one step at a time approach is called Mobile App Development Lifecycle. Follow the below steps to develop a successful mobile app.
Phases Of Mobile App Development Life Cycle
Research
The first phase of the mobile app development lifecycle is the most important phase because in this phase you lay down the necessary groundwork for what is to follow next. You need to decide the aim for your mobile app, your target audience, whether your app is going to be free or paid, etc.
This step would help you to know the time it would take to develop the application. You need to analyze and find out what the competitors are offering through their app.
Mental Prototyping
Once you have completed the research and laid down the costs, you need to prepare a detailed scope of work. In this step, you need to do mental prototyping. Draw your ideas in the form of a sketch on the whiteboard. This will be the first visual representation of the app.
Take feedbacks from the relevant people regarding your idea and figure out the changes required in the prototype. Taking feedbacks would allow you to find loopholes in your idea.
Technical Feasibility Assessment
Having a visual representation is not enough. You also need to analyze whether the back-end system will support the functionality of the app or not. To analyze your idea and make sure if it is technically feasible, you need to access the public data and source the public APIs. It depends on the platform (iOS, Android) and the device (mobile, tablet) for which you are going to develop your app.
Building a Prototype
You cannot define the touch experience until you touch the app and see how it works and flows. You can build a prototype and experience the functionality of your app. This stage of the mobile app development lifecycle will help you to find out if you are going in the right direction. If you already have an established business, take the feedback of your customers. The perspective of the users will help to improve the application and take it to a higher level.
Designing and Development of the App
This is the stage of the mobile app development lifecycle where the real work starts. This is the step to be completed before coding. The User Experience (UX) designer will design the interaction architecture for the design elements and the User Interface (UI) designer can design the look and feel of your app. This is a multi-step process and the end results in the visual directions and blueprints which envision your final product.
Building An App Using Agile Methodologies
Once the designing part of your app is ready, it’s time for you to build the app. The Agile application development approach is the best practice to develop an app as it allows to add features, make new changes, and evolve with the changing trends. One should always use this methodology to develop mobile applications.
Testing
Once you develop the app, it is time for you to test your app by allowing your target audience to use it. This step is called User Acceptance Testing (UAT). Once your application passes the UAT test, you now know that the solution works.
Make your app available for beta trial and allow open participation of the people to test it. Their feedback will help you to know whether or not the app is functioning properly in real-time.
The Launch
Once your test is complete, it is time for you to submit your app to the App Stores for approval. Though this is not the final step in the lifecycle. Your app would need continuous updates and changes. So you’ll again have to start from the first step of the Lifecycle of Mobile App Development.
Conclusion:
In order to make the mobile app development process efficient and smooth, the developers should follow the steps in the Lifecycle of Mobile App Development thoroughly. The apps that are developed efficiently have fewer chances of reduction from the app stores.