The Development Phases Of Mobile App

Regardless of its purpose, if you are committed to developing a mobile app, it is convenient to know the development phases of a mobile application. Businesses are opening up to the digital age, and with the increase in the use of mobile devices and their applications, this sector can be exploited considerably. 

When thinking about creating a new mobile application, you have to tread carefully both in terms of concept and in terms of development and this is where the numbers rise. Depending on the complexity that they entail, a mobile app takes at least a few months to develop. It is not enough to apply what has been learned in the traditional web development when considering the creation of a multiplatform application. It is more recommended to stop thinking about one type of screen and adapt to all the possible forms of visualization available. 

The development phases of a mobile application range from the budget and conception of the idea, to the maintenance of the app. Today, we are going to pay attention to each of the parts of its development process and we will discuss the following stages: 

• Budget  
• App idea 
• Choosing the development agency 
• Requirements analysis 
• Planning 
• UX and app design 
• App development 
• Testing 
• Launch 
• Maintenance 

Budget 

Before thinking about the type of application you want, you have to analyze the resources that will be allocated to the project. Starting from the budget, it is possible to develop a larger mobile application with multiple functionalities or a simpler one. Once established, it is time to determine the idea that you want to carry out. 

App idea 

In the second of the development phases of a mobile application, the exact dimension that is desired for the app is established. The needs of the users or the problems to be solved must be considered. Based on these characteristics, a specific concept and the added value it can provide will be defined. 

Choose the development agency 

When selecting the provider and the technology of the app, we always recommend working with app development companies that transmit trust from the first moment, with whom you feel comfortable and that has experience in technological developments. In addition, there are additional benefits to consider, such as if you make partial deliveries of the app or provide the source code at the end of development. We can assist you with the development of excellent mobile apps. 

Requirements analysis 

After an analysis of the sector and the competition, it is time to define the scope of the project. In a team work together with the developers, each functionality of the app is specified and all use cases are analyzed. With well-defined functionalities, the development phase will be more fluid, there will be a realistic periodic delivery schedule and surprises will be avoided in the middle of the schedule. 

Planning 

Any project requires a planning phase in which the guidelines will be established. A work calendar that specifies the list of actions to be carried out until the project is closed: the development time, the marketing campaigns, the upload to the stores or the launch of the app. It is convenient to notify the developer about the desired launch date, to coordinate the date of upload to the stores. 

UX and graphic design of the application 

In this development phase of a mobile application, the content and interactions of the app will be defined according to the user experience. The visual proposal of the screens is elaborated, following the brand image and the trends in the design of apps, always thinking about offering the best experience for users. These designs will be created using wireframes and prototypes, which will be the basis for the developer. 

App development 

App developers begin to develop the mobile application with the programming language and technology indicated in the analysis phase. As we have mentioned, we recommend the existence of partial and periodic deliveries so that the evolution of the product can be seen. Thanks to this, faults that arise can be corrected in time as development progresses. 

Improve the details: Testing or review of the app 

At this stage, a series of tests are carried out to ensure the quality of the platform. QA (Quality Assurance) is a process of evolution and continuous improvement where actions are carried out to verify that all the actions that a user can do within the app work correctly on all devices. 

Launch phase in the development of a mobile application 

Once the quality is guaranteed, it is time to offer the app to users. It can be uploaded in application stores such as App Store and Google Play. It is recommended to consider the publication and approval time of both for the launch date of the app. It can also be made known through marketing actions, with landing pages, banners and advertising or by improving the ASO positioning in the stores for its popularization. 

Long term maintenance 

The app should be updated since there are constant changes to the operating system, store policies change or higher versions of smartphone models are sold. Therefore, it is necessary to have a provider that continues to optimize and maintain the mobile application in the long term. 

To carry out any project, having a good team that advises you in all the phases of the development of a mobile application is vital to guarantee its quality and success. In addition, it is convenient to carry out analytical monitoring of the results and the reception of the users to make subsequent improvements or optimize the platform with updates or even new versions that offer more benefits to the users.