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These are mobile apps built for one operation system, Android or iOS. Android apps will be published on Google Play while the other on App Store. In Q3, 2020, global app downloads from Google Play and App Store was 28.3 billion and 8.2 billion respectively. This number corresponds with the user ratio of two platforms, which is 3 to 1.
These apps are designed for multiple operation systems. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone, as you design one application for both Android and iOS users.
Step 1
Customer Request
The customer will send official requests to the agency for a mobile application development service. The agency will address early questions the customer may have about general information and recommendations. Also, customer expectations, projected budgets and requirements should be made clear.
Step 2
Technical Analysis
Based on customer requirements, the agency will conduct relevant research and provide consultancy on optimal design, mobile application interface, features and working mechanisms, and the development process.
Step 3
Customer Content
The customer will provide the agency with necessary content and documents. If the request is for m-commerce mobile app development, content used for the eCommerce site of the company is a great source.
In case the customer hasn't created relevant content, a request for content consultation and creation should be made.
Step 4
Contract Execution
After all requirements and expectations are clear, the agency and the customer will sign a contract for a mobile app development service. A detailed implementation plan and quotation will also be included.
Step 5
Design Formulation
The agency’s design and front-end team will start designing the look and feel. Proposed ideas will then be sent to the customer for comments and approval.
Step 6
Design Implementation
The agency’s developers will start programming to build the interface approved by the customer.
Step 7
QA & Testing
Testing will be carried out on several factors, including look and feel, features and performance of the application. Cross-device compatibility testing is also included.
Step 8
Optimization
After trying the developed application, the customer will provide comments and additional requests (if any). The agency will get their developers to work on these for the final optimized product.
Step 9
Launching
After the customer is satisfied with the final version, all sources and application management authority will be transferred to them. The agency will help publishing to Google Play or App Store and provide technical support.
When a user opens an application, they are less likely to be disrupted by irrelevant content (and those from competitors). Thus they can enjoy an immersive experience from their favorite brand.
Official brand communications can reach their target audience more easily too. Notifications about time-limited promotions, e.g. flash sales, and other sales events pushed through apps also stimulate the impulse of buying.
Consequently, (potential) customers can easily focus on making their choices and listening to relevant advices from their trusted community.
Common and necessary actions related to customer buying experience are also enhanced and optimized in a mobile app, such as ordering, checking orders and asking for support.
Now, data collected via the application will be used for analytics from which valuable insights come out. You will learn a lot about your target audience with much less effort and cost.
Besides, companies with mobile apps are perceived more favorably as they provide an easier way to serve the customers. And younger generations are known to prefer tech-savvy brands.
Moreover, one way to future proof your brand is to keep your current customers happy and return often. And customer loyalty grows over time when the users interact with others and the brand within a unique ecosystem built for them. Also, if the application provides unique services for their users, your data on customer loyalty is even harder to stoop.
How to know if a mobile app is successful after development?
There are three key elements that decide the success of any application. To keep consumers coming back to your mobile app, the secret is to ensure user-friendliness and convenience in all elements, and follow the best practices in each of them:
Any type of content used in your application must be easy to understand, focused and compelling. Exclusive content also increases your chance to retain users.
Also, remember to align your mobile app content with content posted on other official channels. As your application needs to publish new content regularly, make sure it’s consistent with the overall content marketing strategy.
This requires cooperation between the design team and front-end team to organize all design elements to create a truly seamless and pleasant user experience.
All the functions should work smoothly with a touch and the user journey should be made intuitive.
Stunning display and insightful content will not save your application from its doomed fate if it’s full of bugs and delays in operation.
In summary, to create the best apps for your users, try to understand them first. What are the best content, design and functions for them? Review your buyer persona and do your research before kicking off the development process.
What are key criteria in the development of an effective mobile app?
When your company decides on a mobile app as the next strategy, consider the following factors to ensure the success of your application, whether it’s in-house development or outsourcing services.
The type of apps you want can help you answer this question. As hybrid and native application development vary, just as how an Android and iOS app are different, deciding on the type of the application should be one of your first steps.
If you’re still unsure, seek out a trusted mobile application development agency and their expert team will consult you on the most suitable service.
If a new user opens your application and doesn’t know where to begin right away, the next button they touch is likely to be “uninstall” instead of “help”.
As users become more impatient and demanding, applications must prove their worth as the easiest and most convenient one-stop service.
To reach that end, the application must be able to auto-adjust their interface to different screen sizes.
On the other hand, the UX focuses on the user journey, essential features and optimally organized processes for a quick, intuitive experience.
Collect data and analyze to understand the optimal user journey – one of the pillars in your development process.
As frequently updated apps have a better reputation in general, try to think longer-term: Which utilities do you think should be added to provide a better experience for your users? And can your application integrate them with ease?
In terms of size, there are 3 times more Android users than iOS users, with Asia as the most Android-favored market. Meanwhile, iPhone rules in the U.S. and Japan.
In terms of traits, Android users are known to enjoy more customization and flexibility, as opposed to the more affluent and security-focused iOS users.
App development for iOS usually takes less time than Android. One reason is because iOS provides more standardization while Android is an open source platform. Also, with more types of devices, Android mobile app development is more complicated than iOS.
However, it will take longer and harder to get your iOS application published due to stricter App Store’s requirements.
Choosing mobile app development for Android will allow you more customization than iOS, with the trade-off of lowered security. This is also a reason why iOS wins in the enterprise market.
Besides, if you highly value performance/processing speed, iOS is the go-to choice. With less software fragmentation and higher standards, iOS apps ensure a more pleasant user experience in general.
Both Android and iOS applications use 3 main monetization models - in-app purchases, paid application and ad-based, but their priorities vary.
Android users perform more in-app purchases but the average value of each purchase is lower. Besides, there are more paid apps in the App Store while Android applications make more money from ads.
Some sources consider iOS apps to have a higher ROI, but it also takes longer to be published.
An offshore development center means a huge global talent pool with higher expertise. It’s hard to hire and build an in-house developer team that can run productively on any project.
Different countries have their own ranges of development costs. You just need to do a quick research online about offshore development companies.
When outsourcing application development to a specialized company, you don’t need to micromanage each step of the process as they are the expert of the job. You will have more time to focus on other key projects.
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Are you looking for a native or hybrid application? Custom or clone? On which platform, iOS or Android?
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The more features you want, the longer it takes to develop. The same applies for complexity of features and if you want it to link with 3rd party services.
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Have you readied all relevant content for your app? It’s not recommended to create content and develop your application simultaneously as the action of going back and forth will waste resources.
To avoid dragging on your development process, follow these best practices:
- Agree on a detailed plan with clear process and timeline
- Give feedback on time and on each step
- Outsource the whole process to an experienced and reliable agency
- If you’re the pioneer in your sector, focus on making an MVP (minimum viable product) first. Then use the feedback of users to create the final version.
What are some important features to consider in mobile app development?
Apart from intuitive design and thoughtful content, a successful application must include essential features. Though these may vary with industries, users and purposes, there are some general features for any business to consider:
- Search
- Multi-device synchronization
- Security such as multi factor authentication.
- Support functions such as customer service direct chat feature and how-to screens.
- User engagement
- In-app purchase
- Location-based services
- Device features
This type of feature is for authorization, networking and notification settings. For example, a user can store their passwords, ask for password recovery, log in via their social media account, post comments and share content they like. Note that these functions usually require integration with 3rd party libraries and frameworks.
This is a must-have feature in the process of eCommerce mobile app development for your company. This requires linking to various payment methods, such as e-wallets, bank accounts, credit cards and other platforms like PayPal.
This feature uses location data (from GPS and the like) to identify relevant places and suggest to users, including nearby stores, services, etc.
It means the application can utilize available device functions such as making phone calls, using camera or GPS. You need to satisfy certain requirements to enable this, such as a platform-specific APIs.
This does not only include product information such as images, video and descriptions, but also other official communication and related documents.
Review your brand guidelines to have a general idea of your future app’s look and feel. A stroll around the market also helps you form more realistic and practical expectations.
List out in advance what you want your apps to do. Then, think about the requirements of your desired functions.
Or draw your ideal user journey first and imagine how you want your users to use your application. Then identify which features are must-haves and nice-to-haves to ready your priority list. Don’t throw it away after your application is launched as future updates are integral to its growth.
