The Mobile App Development Process: From Idea to Launch

When we think of our dream app, we start wondering about the result, like beautiful UI, seamless navigation, X number of downloads, and whatnot!

It sounds exciting, though, there’s a lot more involved in the mobile app development process. 

Be it a fashion, health, eCommerce, or food delivery app, you should know the nitty-gritty of the development aspect to make the process a breeze. 

Remember that the global mobile application market size is expected to grow at a rate of more than 14% in 2030.

Considering such an astonishing fact, it’s not wise to take any risk.

Well, that’s the reason, this post came to the rescue to help you understand the in-depth mobile app development process from idea to launch. 

Let’s get started!

1. Begin With an “Idea” 

Well, everything starts with an idea. If you have a great idea, then only it can turn into a reality. Whether you are considering an iOS app or an Android app, your idea must resonate with your target audience. 

Note: Your app idea must solve the real problem of your customers. 

Once you've identified this problem and are confident in your ability to address it, the next step is to envision how your app can tangibly benefit its intended users. This is where visual representation becomes paramount.

By creating rough sketches of your app's interface, you can bring your concept to life and start visualizing how users will interact with your solution. Once you've fleshed out the visual aspects of your app, it's time to delve into analytics and research.

2. Research, Research, & Research 

Once you have validated your app idea, it’s time to conduct extensive market research to know “What your customers want”!

Market research plays a vital role in the validation of your app idea and in gaining a deep understanding of the competitive landscape. By analyzing similar apps already present in the market, you can identify their strengths and weaknesses, which serves as a blueprint for refining your own app's features and user experience to offer a superior solution.

Studying user reviews and feedback on existing apps provides invaluable insights into user expectations and pain points. This information is essential for understanding what resonates with users and what needs improvement. 

Step 3: Move on to Designing Aspect 

It is no secret that a mobile app that is intuitive, user-friendly, and works fast is always more likely to resonate with users.

When you are looking to build a robust and scalable mobile app, always focus on core designing aspects, including 

1. Touch Gestures 
2. Colours
3. App Layout
4. UI design

During this stage of mobile app development, you consolidate your ideas and features to construct a mobile app prototype or wireframe. This prototype serves as a blueprint, guiding the app development process. By assembling your concepts into a tangible representation, you gain clarity on the app's structure, layout, and functionalities.

The prototype allows you to visualize how users will interact with your app and ensures that the design aligns with your objectives and user expectations. It serves as a reference point for stakeholders, developers, and designers, facilitating communication and collaboration throughout the project.

Step 4: Its Development Time 

In the pursuit of building a successful mobile application, the development team aims not only to create a functional product but also to ensure it is pixel-perfect and engaging to users. When it comes to development approaches, there are primarily three options to consider:

Native Apps

Built using platform-specific programming languages (Swift or Objective-C for iOS, Java or Kotlin for Android), these are developed for a specific operating system either iOS or Android. 

Cross-Platform Apps

Cross-platform apps are designed to run on multiple device platforms, such as iOS, Android, and Windows, using a single codebase. These apps are developed using frameworks and tools that allow for code sharing across different platforms, such as React Native, Flutter, Xamarin, or Ionic.

Hybrid Apps

They are essentially web applications packaged within a native container, allowing them to be distributed through app stores and accessed like native apps. Usually, web technologies like HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript are used to create hybrid apps, which are then wrapped in frameworks like Ionic or Apache Cordova.

Step 5: Create a Prototype

Developing a working prototype before building and launching the actual app is a crucial step in the development process. This prototype serves as a more refined version of the initial wireframe or concept, providing a closer representation of the final product in terms of layout and functionalities.

1. Pitching to Investors and Buyers: A working prototype allows you to demonstrate the core features and functionalities of your app to potential investors, buyers, or stakeholders. 
2. Getting Licenses: If your app relies on third-party services, APIs, or technologies that require licensing agreements, having a working prototype can help facilitate negotiations with providers. 
3. Defining APIs and Databases: Developing a working prototype enables you to identify and define the required APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) and databases needed to support your app's functionality. 
4. Storage Needs: By testing the functionality of your app in a prototype environment, you can assess the storage requirements for storing user data, media assets, and other content. 

Step 6: Testing

After the development of the prototype, thorough testing is essential to ensure that the app meets the desired standards and functions effectively. Several types of testing should be conducted before proceeding to the final launch:

1. Functional Testing: This type of testing focuses on verifying that all features and functionalities of the app work correctly according to the specified requirements. 
2. Performance Testing: Performance testing evaluates the app's speed, responsiveness, and stability under various conditions and loads. 
3. Security Testing: Security testing is crucial for identifying and mitigating potential vulnerabilities and threats to the app and its data. 
4. User Acceptance Testing (UAT): UAT involves testing the app with actual end-users to ensure it is user-friendly, intuitive, and meets their expectations.

Step 7: Deployment

Once we get the go-ahead, it's time to debut the application in the digital marketplace. If you haven't already set up a developer account, you'll need to create one as the app owner. Our method follows established protocols, which include tasks such as integrating screenshots, crafting informative descriptions, and more. Assuming smooth progress and swift approval from the platform, the entire process should wrap up within a matter of days.

Step 8: Post-Launch Support and Maintenance

The journey of app development doesn't reach its conclusion upon launch; rather, it requires continuous support and maintenance to uphold its success. Maintenance activities involve a range of tasks, including resolving bugs, attending to user feedback and concerns, fine-tuning performance, and ensuring compatibility with the latest operating system updates and device configurations. Consistent support is crucial not only for enhancing the app's reliability but also for enriching the user experience, ultimately contributing to higher user retention rates.

How Much Time Is Taken to Develop a Mobile App?

The timeline for mobile app development is variable and depends on several factors. These factors include the complexity of the app, the platform (iOS, Android, or both), the design requirements, the size and expertise of the development team, available resources, testing procedures, and app store approval. Rushing through development and testing is not advisable, but neither is spending an excessive amount of time on the project.

Here are some of the key factors that influence the time it takes to develop a mobile app:

Complexity: The complexity of the app, including its features, functionalities, and integration with external systems or APIs, significantly impacts development time.

Platform: Developing for multiple platforms (iOS, Android, or both) will require additional time and resources compared to focusing on a single platform.

Design: Designing a user-friendly and visually appealing interface takes time, especially if there are custom animations, graphics, or complex interactions involved.

Size and Expertise of the Team: The size and expertise of the development team can affect the speed and efficiency of development. 

Available Resources: Access to resources such as development tools, libraries, and third-party services can impact development speed. 

Testing: Thorough testing is essential for ensuring the quality and reliability of the app. Testing procedures, including functional testing, performance testing, and user acceptance testing, can add to the overall development timeline.

App Store Approval: The time it takes to obtain approval from app stores, such as the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, varies and can impact the launch timeline.

Final Thoughts 

Mobile app development may initially appear daunting to newcomers, but with the appropriate training and tools, mastering this skill is well within reach. Mobile apps serve as a digital extension of a brand to provide customers with an engaging and convenient means to access products and services.

Looking for professional mobile app development agency assistance? Get in touch with EitBiz today.