How to Build a Mobile Application: Ultimate Guide (2024)

In accordance with Statista, there were 230 bn global mobile application downloads in 2020. Statistics published by Intersog state that global revenues generated by the industry will make 100 bn by 2024, making mobile software development one of the most profitable industries.

In recent years, there’s been a trend toward creating applications for smartphones. Business leaders who keep their fingers on the pulse constantly understand that mobile traffic should not be underestimated. In today’s fast-paced world, software development for Android and iOS is more about marketing and investing in your future profit, not providing a service. Smart leaders who want to grow their business do not stop after creating a company’s website and profiles on social media platforms.

But what’s the most important thing to remember when creating an app for smartphones? What resources have to be allocated in order to get the maximum benefit from your mobile project in the near future?

In this detailed article, you’ll find everything you need to know about application development for Android and iOS. Keep reading.

Table of Contents

Create a Mobile App From Scratch: Important Factors to Consider

The first thing to think about is the type of mobile product to be further created by your development team. Do not rush to start the development process without considering every detail. Maybe you are planning on building an innovative corporate solution. Maybe you have a promising idea for a start-up company that will bring something new to the industry. Formulate your idea clearly. Then start thinking about the functionality.

The second thing to think about is the specifics of your niche. Please don’t try to copy the success story of a financial institution if you are working in construction. Of course, controversial decisions sometimes attract a lot of attention and, by extension, revenue, but this is rather an exception to the rule in the world of business.

Think through the script down to the details. If you have chosen in-house development to bring your idea to life, make sure the internal business analyst, usability specialist, and programmer are involved. The programmer will tell you what is needed to create the product from the technical side of view, and the usability specialist will ensure the consumers will be happy with the product. After the development process is finished, release the QA engineer – later, you’ll thank yourself for hiring such a meticulous person.

But what about the development itself? Is it worth creating an internal development team, or is it smarter to delegate the project to professionals in order to save your time and money?

Build a Mobile App: How to Hire the Right Developer

While looking for candidates, business owners and their HR managers have to go through endless interviews. That’s the only way to find the most suitable employee who can deal with the responsibilities associated with the project.

How to Build a Mobile Application: Ultimate Guide (1)

Here are some tips on finding a specialist for your IT team:

  • Decide on the requirements for your future project. Make sure you have every detail written down on paper before starting the development process. Search specialists based on technical skills, applied tools, and the work experience required to make the development process run smoothly.
  • Ask yourself if you are ready to allocate your resources for the headhunting process. You may be much more comfortable using an alternative model of cooperation. Consider contacting a reliable augmentation agency or outsourcing some processes.
  • Take advantage of popular hunting platforms like Fiverr, Toptal, Guru, and UpWork. There are many services to make your life much easier. These services allow companies to post open vacancies and communicate with candidates.
  • Prepare for resume reviews and interviews. Reviewing resumes and subsequent technical interviews are a capacious process. Prepare for the fact that you’ll have to devote time and energy to find the candidate you need.

Create a Mobile App With the Help of External Performers

In business, there are many important things to focus on. It cannot be done if too much time is devoted to the most minor processes.

In today’s fast-paced world, there are many models of cooperation from which to choose. These include staff augmentation and outsourcing.

Build an App by Contacting an Augmentation Agency

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Recruitment companies are intermediaries who deal with hunting suitable candidates. They take on all the work associated with headhunting. Trained managers search for potential employees, check resumes for the necessary experience and qualifications and then present the selected resumes so that the client can choose the candidates for subsequent technical interviews. After hiring, recruitment agents even accompany the company during all legal nuances.

Create an App by Outsourcing the Development Process

Delegation of specific processes is the new black in the business world. Delegating work isn’t a new approach but has only recently become popular. The point is to transfer tasks or even whole projects to contractors from locations like Ukraine in order to save money and time significantly. This model of cooperation allows the client company to focus on important operational processes while contractors are dealing with development, testing, and design.

Application Creation Explained Step-By-Step

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In other words:

  • Preparatory stage: Idea, analysis, target audience assessment, etc.
  • Software development and design
  • Quality assurance
  • Product promotion

How to Make an App In-House: Preparatory Stage

During the preparatory phase, you need to look at the future application from the user’s point of view. After all, the only thing that truly matters is whether the user will install your software.

Find answers to the following questions:

  • What is the purpose of the estimated project?
  • Why would the customer consider using your app?
  • What functionality must be built in to please the needs of the potential user?
  • What platforms should the future application work on, Android, iOS, or Windows?
  • What is the budget for the estimated project?
  • How will the product be maintained after launch?

How to Develop an App Users Will Love: Software Development

Software development is the experimental phase of developing a new digital product. After a thorough analysis, you should have a clear idea of ​​the required features and characteristics.

It is the stage when you have to decide on the approach to implementing. You can use various virtual constructors or create the product from scratch. Virtual constructors allow you to build the software relatively cheap and fast. But a custom product is undoubtedly a better decision when talking about quality and competitiveness.

Don’t Create Mobile Apps Without Having a Vision Regarding Promotion

The competition between companies in the IT industry is enormous. No matter whether we’re talking about websites, marketplaces, computer games, or applications for smartphones, – every company is focused on being the best in its specific niche.

A product without marketing isn’t going to be a success in the modern world. It is all about memorable campaigns and social media appearances these days. Do not even start your project if you aren’t going to invest in marketing. If thought-out, smart campaigns and distinctive, interesting content will help your product to get quickly noticed by your target audience.

Best Services to Use if You Want to Create Your Own App

There are about 2 million apps for Apple smartphone users available for download today. Impressive, right? Here’s another interesting statistic: The average smartphone owner uses 10 applications every day and about 30 apps each month. That’s the new normal.

If you really want to keep up with the times, maybe it is time for you to create an application. But do not worry if you don’t have enough resources for that. Today, there are easy-to-use digital services that help with the development process. To use such services, you do not even need to be skilled in programming.

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Appery.io

Appery.io is a cloud-based application constructor that can be used to create mobile software for Android and iOS. It includes Apache Cordova (Phone Gap), Ionic, and jQuery Mobile with access to their built-in components.

Appery.io is, as we mentioned before, completely cloud-based, so there’s no need to download or install anything on your computer, so it’s pretty easy to start. It offers an editor that uses drag-and-drop components to create user interfaces. Appery.io automatically generates code for any new components. It is also possible to connect to any REST API and use it in your app.

TheAppBuilder

TheAppBuilder offers a suite of apps for employees, clients, events, and brochures. There are two options from which to choose. There is a platform you can work with if you are developing an application as an intranet for a company. If you are developing an application for Android and iOS, you can use a digital toolkit to fill it with personalized content and set its structure.

TheAppBuilder allows you to provide users with a multi-application window that you can easily customize yourself to match your brand. In addition, it is possible to protect both public and private applications.

Mobile Roadie

Mobile Roadie is an app builder that allows users to create and manage mobile software for Android and iOS. It’s noteworthy that the development process takes place in a visual format, so it’s pretty easy. The platform supports all media types. It automatically imports RSS, Twitter, or keywords from Google News.

Mobile Roadie allows you to see precisely how the application will look from the user’s device. The service helps you to go through the App Store review process and check the quality as well as the relevance of content.

Appy Pie

Appy Pie is a cloud-based tool for creating mobile applications. It allows users without programming skills to create mobile applications for almost any platform, including Android and iOS. There’s no need to install anything. Just drag and drop software components to create your mobile app.

Once the creation process is complete, you’ll have an HTML5-based hybrid app that works across all popular platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows, etc. You can see changes appearing in real-time with the additional function to send push notifications, monetize content, and view live analytics.

AppMachine

AppMachine is a popular, easy-to-use platform for creating mobile apps for Android and iOS. Using the drag-and-drop interface, you can match several building blocks. In addition, the platform allows you to link the app with Facebook, Twitter, or online stores. You can create a unique design by choosing navigation paths, colors, fonts, and icons.

Check your professional app as it is created and check its progress on your personal computer, tablet, or mobile phone. Once the native app is tested and ready to go, you can publish and promote it.

BiznessApps

BiznessApps is a platform that makes it easy to create mobile apps for rather small businesses. It provides different features, including checkout, shopping cart, testimonials, messages, dynamic content, easy 3rd party integrations, push notifications, live analytics, and more.

A professional, easy-to-use content management system allows you to create your application in minutes. There’s also an instant preview option. You can instantly update your application and make changes inside. There are also free weekly webinars on building mobile apps using the BiznessApps platform.

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Important Functionality Worth Integrating

There is individual functionality every service should have—for example, the ability to make online purchases if we’re talking about online stores. But there is a mandatory functionality that shouldn’t be ignored. These features are an integral part of any successful product.

Let us briefly review the most important things worth integrating into applications:

  • Information about the company. The users need to know who they are interacting with. This way, you can increase your brand awareness and make the users trust you.
  • FAQ section. Your users will need help using the application. And since their questions will often be repeated, it would be logical to make a block with answers to frequently asked questions.
  • Synchronization with the main website of the company. Firstly, it will be much easier using your resources. Secondly, you will give your users the opportunity to visit the website if they need to.
  • Media gallery. Photo and video content notably increase user engagement and trust. Create a media gallery to show photos and videos of your products and services, employees, and satisfied customers.
  • Customer feedback. User feedback is a great ground for improvement. User feedback doesn’t have to consist of reviews of products and services. You can receive messages regarding the mobile application, for example. This way, you can provide much better customer service.
  • Integration with social networks. It will give users the opportunity to register and log in to the system much faster. They will more likely share content with friends and invite them to sign up, which is also suitable for you.

How We Can Help

In today’s modern world, about 85% of users prefer applications for smartphones to websites. Well-worked applications are direct communication channels for loyal customers. To maintain this connection and retain loyal customers, you must implement essential functions and provide users with relevant content. It isn’t a tough challenge with the right team.

Main benefits of a mobile application for businesses:

  • Increases sales by attracting and retaining the target audience. Mobile applications are the most accessible advertisem*nt today.
  • Competitive advantage. Most companies do not create custom mobile applications; they use company websites, mailing lists, social media, and advertisem*nts.
  • Creates a positive brand image and strengthens customer confidence. When customers get used to receiving useful and relevant content, loyalty increases.
  • Build a link between the mobile application and the main website. It contributes to your business’ success.

Are you planning on building your custom software for Android or iOS to grow your business? Are you having trouble finding a reliable provider to help you bring your ideas to life and attract potential customers? Feel free to contact our team for a detailed consultation on possible cooperation options. Our team’s expertise includes web and mobile development, product and UX/UI design, and more.

Let us help you with creating outstanding products!

How to Build a Mobile Application: Ultimate Guide (5)

AboutKosta Mitrofanskiy

I have 25 years of hands-on experience in the IT and software development industry. During this period, I helped 50+ companies to gain a technological edge across different industries. I can help you with dedicated teams, hiring stand-alone developers, developing a product design and MVP for your healthcare, logistics, or IoT projects. If you have questions concerning our cooperation or need an NDA to sign, contact info@intellisoftware.net.

How to Build a Mobile Application: Ultimate Guide (2024)

FAQs

How do I make an app complete guide? ›

10+ tips on creating a successful app
  1. Identify a unique value proposition. ...
  2. Create a minimum viable product (MVP). ...
  3. Understand your target audience. ...
  4. Focus on user experience (UX). ...
  5. Ensure high performance and reliability. ...
  6. Implement responsive design. ...
  7. Maintain regular updates and improvements.

What are the 3 most important things you would consider when developing a mobile app? ›

7 Things to Consider While Building A New App
  • Identify your target audience. ...
  • Determine if it's for Android or Apple. ...
  • Choose the correct app store platform. ...
  • Research your competitors. ...
  • Decide how to build your new app. ...
  • Test your app before releasing it. ...
  • Pay attention to your marketing strategy.
Mar 14, 2023

What are the 5 steps of app development? ›

Usually, there are 5 application development stages: preplanning, UI/UX design, development, testing, and release.

Can I build a mobile app by myself? ›

Who you need to create an app depends on your technical expertise. If you're a programmer or you can code, you can create mobile applications independently, using online resources to upskill yourself. If you can't code, you can use a no-code app maker, an app development company or Builder.ai.

What are the 4 steps to create an app? ›

Mobile App Development Process: Ultimate Guide to Build an App
  • 7 Key Steps of Mobile App Development Process.
  • Step 1: Strategy Development.
  • Step 2: Analysis and Planning.
  • Step 3: UI/UX Design.
  • Step 4: App Development.
  • Step 5: Mobile App Testing.
  • Step 6: Deployment.
  • Step 7: Support and Performance Monitoring.

What are the main four components of a mobile app? ›

What are the 4 different components of Android app architecture? The four main components of Android app architecture are Activities, Services, Broadcast Receivers, and Content Providers.

What are the three 3 types of mobile application? ›

From a developmental perspective, apps can be divided into three types: native, hybrid, and web apps. Building each type involves utilizing different skills and methodologies, and there are pros and cons associated with them.

What should be the first step to designing a mobile application? ›

How many steps are in the mobile design process?
  1. Setting clear goals for your project.
  2. Writing a plan of action to steer the development in the right direction.
  3. Researching your niche and competitors.
  4. Performing thorough user research.
  5. Analyzing and documenting the findings.
  6. Establishing application structure.
Jun 27, 2023

What is the basic structure of an app? ›

The typical structure includes: Presentation Layer - the user interface and related functionality. Business Logic Layer - core processing and rules of the application. Data Access Layer - interactions with databases or other storage systems.

Can you build a mobile app for free? ›

One way to create an app for free is through Google AppSheet. AppSheet is a Google-owned platform that uses AI to generate code automatically, making app development accessible to non-programmers. With AppSheet, you can create custom apps for your business without writing a single line of code.

How much does it cost to start a mobile app? ›

Simple apps cost between $10,000 and $60,000, average complexity apps fall between $60,000 and $150,000, and highly advanced apps start at around $300,000. The final price varies depending on the app's complexity and the development team's location.

How to code an app for beginners? ›

How to code an app: Step-by-step guide
  1. Step One: Plan.
  2. Step Two: Design.
  3. Step Three: Set up your development environment.
  4. Step Four: Write unit tests.
  5. Step Five: Code the mobile app.
  6. Step Six: Test.
  7. Step Seven: Publish.
Sep 26, 2023

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