Mobile App Development Services: A Nine-Point Checklist To Follow

With the number of mobile applications soaring high since the invention of smartphones, there are chances that your app might just go unnoticed. Developing an app is not just about getting coding and designing done, it’s about doing justice to the idea. In this highly competitive world, you should get an application that delivers a great user experience, is safe for the users and matches the changing market requirements.

In fact, DataReportal says that in 2021, 92% of mobile phone time will be spent using mobile apps. Research conducted by Smart Insights seconds this fact as well, with 90 % of mobile time dedicated to using mobile apps. Clearly, the number and popularity of mobile apps both continue to sky-rocket. The immense scope of reaching out to a broader audience is what motivates several emerging businesses to hire a mobile app development service. If the app is developed right, it can indeed transform the business into a successful and growing enterprise.

In 2020, the COVID pandemic boosted the gross consumer mobile app spending to $143 billion. This is because people across the world switched to digital platforms instead of obtaining the services, products and information offline. The change in trends has further boosted the popularity of mobile app development service amongst businesses and enterprises alike.

This makes it the most in-demand job as of now. However, it is necessary to ensure various steps and points throughout the app development process. Through well-worked and effective coordination on this checklist, a robust and user-friendly app can be developed and succeed at the forefront of the surge in mobile apps.

Checklist to follow in mobile app development service

It is highly recommended for a business to not turn a blind eye to the app development process after hiring the necessary team. Even when consulting the top iOS app development company around, it is crucial to ensure the necessary delivery of each and every step in the app development process. Doing so ensures the highest mobile app development service quality going into developing the specific mobile app.

#1- Business objective

It is vital to establish the cause and purposes of hiring a mobile app development service. A proper way of doing so is to establish business goals and identify relevant competitors in the industry that target the same audience.

Creating a product roadmap after conducting thorough research about the industry helps to give foresight about the things required out of the mobile app. By working on these requirements, it can be ensured that the developers deliver a mobile app that fulfills needs of the target audience effectively and efficiently.

#2- Discovery phase

The discovery phase involves finding out the problems faced by the target audience. The more questions are there, the better the existing problems are going to be tackled and resolved.

Analyzing the target market is equally important, and developers will assess the solutions provided by competitor apps and the popular reviews on the said apps. In this way, they will be able to provide even better solutions in the mobile app development service.

#3- Essential features and functionalities

An app needs to cater to various needs and requirements through the features incorporated while attaining the mobile app development service. These include the core features that perform the vital tasks that the app is meant for, as well as additional features that help it stay ahead of the game.

The team of developers must also be aware of the various security features that are required in the mobile app. In fact, the importance of security features often persuades businesses to consult a reputed or top iOS app development company to develop their mobile app.

#4- Develop a project budget

It is crucial to undertake careful planning and consideration of various factors before jumping into the app development and hiring a team or company of app developers. This is because mobile app development service requires huge spendings, so it is important that the investment goes into the appropriate and needed criteria. In fact, a recent survey by Clutch concluded that consulting mobile app development service can cost anywhere between $30,000 and $700,000. However, the medium expenditure when hiring an a development company was calculated to be $171,450.

Setting up a budget upfront will help the team of developers to deliver the best mobile app that caters to all needs and requirements in a well-balanced manner. For example, the importance of setting up a project budget is what motivates every top iOS app development company to assess all the criteria for spending beforehand. This enables its team of developers to employ resources and skills in a well-balanced manner for producing the best iOS app.

#5- Technology requirements

There is a broad range of technologies that can be used in any mobile app development service. The choice of technologies used depends on the app brand, its target audience and the features included in the app.

For example, determining the target audience and platform will help establish whether an Android app is needed or an iOS app. In case both platforms need to be targeted, consulting a hybrid app development company is definitely the ideal option.

The pricing strategy is essentially the most important factor for the developers in deciding which technology to use in developing the required app. Every top iOS app development company will also try to understand if there is a need to build a Cloud-based infrastructure or not.

● New technologies in mobile app development service

Mobile app development is progressing with leaps and bounds. New technologies are emerging on a consistent basis. As a result, newer trends are forming for the type of technologies that app development companies employ in developing a mobile app. Some of these technologies are listed below.
● Minimal coding: Gartner says that the future of mobile app development service lies in developing codeless apps or apps with minimal code.
● Progressive Web Apps (PWAs): Gartner predicts that PWAs will replace 50% of consumer-facing apps. This is the reason why every hybrid app development company is now starting to enter the market of PWAs.
● Native apps: Native apps are written to perform optimally on a specific device. Developers achieve this by using a specific programming language for devices having a specific OS. For example, app developers build code native Android apps using Java. On the other hand, Swift and Objective-C are often the programming languages of choice at every top iOS app development company. Using one of these programming languages enables a top iOS app development company to develop apps that have access to various phone features like camera, gallery and contacts.
● Hybrid apps: A hybrid app development company can develop apps that function like “native” code. However, at the same time, the app from such a hybrid app development company will be able to function across a range of devices, while providing the “native” experience on each. Hybrid apps are built using HTML 5, JavaScript and CSS, wrapped in a “native” container. This “native” container loads maximum information on the page when the user is navigating in the app. In this manner, consulting a hybrid app development company not only leads to better performance of the app but also saves costs on hiring multiple teams.

#6- User interface details

Gartner says that the future of app development is multi-experience.

This reflects how the importance and value of a better-designed UI and UX are clearly dominating the trends.

In fact, Apple has strict guidelines for the UI and UX for approval on the App Store. This is why every top iOS app development company tries to achieve the best user interface of an iOS app. However, on the other hand, a hybrid app development company will need to design different user interfaces for the Android version and the iOS version of the app. This enables the app to function in a more robust and efficient manner on the operating system it is being run on.

● How the UI is designed?

For businesses looking to hire a mobile app development service for developing their mobile apps, designing the wireframe is the first step before proceeding with developing code. Designing the wireframe means determining the elements and functions as per how they will be appearing within the different pages inside the app. Considering the priorities of various features and functionalities in the mobile app development service is important to designing the wireframe effectively. The wireframe design also depends on the interactivity built into the UX of the app.

The mobile app company that a business chooses should have high-quality UI/UX designers who will ensure the best wireframe design. After the wireframe has been finalized, a clickable prototype is built to get an idea about the exact user interface of the app. The designers will also determine the orientation within the app interface and a smooth transition back and forth between landscape and portrait.

#7- Development process

It is crucial for app development companies to have developers capable of working on the back-end, API and front-end of the mobile app. Basically, the job of developers is to implement the designs and the wireframe through high-quality code. For this reason, the developers should be adept at writing code that is high-performance, reusable and reliable. This ensures the best possible performance, quality and responsiveness of the final mobile app. The developers are also responsible for identifying and correcting bottlenecks and fixing bugs that arise during the mobile app development service.

● How does the team of developers work?

The team of developers is responsible for maintaining the quality of the code, ensuring organization within the app’s architecture and automating various procedures. An effective team of developers will help bring forth high levels of efficiency in the mobile app development service. Often, there need to be multiple teams of developers that work on various different aspects of mobile app development.

Android developers will make use of Java or C++ to program and develop the mobile app. On the other hand, Swift and Objective-C are the two popular choices typically used for programming at every top iOS app development company. There needs to be effective coordination between the teams if they wish to create one common app for different platforms. This is, in fact, the most important goal at every hybrid app development company that aims to create such apps. Therefore, the developers at such a hybrid app development company are required to be skilled in a broad range of aspects of mobile app development service.

#8- Checklist for testing

It is important to test the final product to ensure that it functions correctly as per the initial designs, plans and intentions. In addition, the QA engineers are tasked with making sure that the mobile app development service is free from any sort of errors or bugs. The QA team achieves this by planning, creating and managing the overall Quality Checking Strategy on its part.

● How testing helps in other ways?

Overseeing continuous improvement projects in the app development process also enables the code testers to collect quality data. This data can be further used to hone and improve the quality of the mobile app development service provided to the client. In this manner, by improving the quality of the final app, it will be possible to achieve higher customer satisfaction.

Proper testing also involves identifying any deficiencies in the final mobile app development service. Identification of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) by the testing team will also help produce a more efficient, high-quality and result-oriented app. Thereafter, solutions can be suggested to work on the problems or recommendations identified during testing, to improve the final product. By identifying bottlenecks in the quality assurance process, it is possible to suggest even further actions for improvements in the mobile app development service.

#9- Deployment and support

Releasing a native mobile app requires the mobile app company to submit the “native” code to the respective platform. This platform is Google Play Store for Android apps and Apple’s App Store for iOS apps. A hybrid app development company will submit two different proposals as per the requirements of each of these two different platforms. In addition, a top iOS app development company will always pay attention to keeping Apple’s strict guidelines in consideration, for the successful approval of the iOS app.

After the release of the developed app and once it becomes available to users, it is important to monitor its usage through various mobile analytics platforms. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) can be tracked to measure the extent of the success of the mobile app development service. Any lacking or deficient can be improved upon in the form of an update to the app. Mobile app development companies are also expected to offer support services for any issues arising after the launch of the app.

How an app development company boosts business growth?

It is important the high quality app development service to ensure the delivery of a successful app. Such a successful app should have a robust and user-friendly interface in the mobile app, along with effective functionality. In this manner, it will help in achieving greater satisfaction amongst the users. As a result, the mobile app’s retention rate will increase and the business will be able to expand its outreach and penetration into the market. In fact, the extent of the impact on business growth is motivating several emerging businesses to hire a top iOS app development company.

It is crucial to ensure that the complete checklist of necessary steps is followed in the mobile app development service. Doing so makes the overall process of developing the app much more efficient. As a result, the final product from the mobile app development service will successfully cater to all needs and requirements of the target audience. The app will make use of features and functionalities of top quality to cater to all of these needs.

It is important to note that a hybrid app development company often possesses all the necessary skills to develop an app that fulfills all requirements. However, it is the proper implementation of the nine-point checklist that helps provide a mobile app that truly outshines its competitors. In this manner, such an app is able to motivate the target audience for choosing it for the product, service or information it provides.