To develop an app, you’ll need to go through several critical stages of the mobile app development process. Each step has its challenges and provides opportunities to make adjustments and course corrections before moving on to the next stage in the process.
Critical Stages of the Mobile App Development Process in 2022 from the Business Analysis
Stage 1 – Product discovery
Before you begin development, identify your goal and create an audience persona. After all, if you don’t know what problem your app is solving, how will you understand when it is successful? Write out the following:
- What problem(s) your app solves.
- Why would someone want to use it?
- What will they do with it?
- How much time will they spend on it?
- How many times will they use it per week/month/year?
Once you have clear solutions to these questions, you can easily determine what type of mobile app development process will be right for them.
For example, if your target audience spends 30 minutes on their phones and uses ten apps per week, it might make sense to build an entertainment app that helps users kill time between meetings or appointments.
If your audience spends 20 hours per week on their phones and uses 20 apps per month, building a productivity app that helps users get more done during their workday might make sense.
However, If you’re not sure who your target audience is or how they use their phone(s), conduct some market research using Google Trends or SurveyMonkey Audience (both accessible).
Look at how frequently people search for specific keywords related to your industry or business idea and consider whether those searches are growing, shrinking, or remaining stagnant over time.
Stage 2 – Choose the Right Development Partner
Business owners and software project managers usually tend to choose outsourcing companies because they are cheaper. After many years, I’ve seen how these companies will not just work on your app but will be responsible for all of your future apps if you give them even more opportunities.
A freelancer is much less likely to take care of your following few projects. It means you may have greater control over the product quality at all stages of the mobile app development process. After all, the budget is not unlimited. So ask yourself what kind of project you need: quick and dirty or high-quality.
Choose wisely! Remember that it takes both time and money.
When choosing a mobile app development company in India or freelancer, you should consider not only their price but also their portfolio. If they have experience developing mobile apps, it will be easier for them to build yours.
Additionally, look for reviews and feedback on Clutch to analyze how well they are doing. It will give you an idea of how much time it takes them to complete projects, their kind of clients, etc. Also, check their location if you need someone close enough to easily communicate with them.
Stage – 3 – UX/UI Design
UX/UI design is one of the most critical stages of the mobile app development process. This stage determines how your app will work and look. You must choose an experienced designer who has already worked on similar projects before.
Don’t forget about User Interface! A good interface makes your users stay longer in your app and use it more often. Make sure they know all possible available features for iOS and Android platforms.
A dedicated designer uses popular Wireframing tools to make sketches of your app. They can show you how your app will look and what features it will have.
Note: Designing is a critical stage because if you want to make changes to your app later, it’s much easier if you have all designs and screens ready at hand. So, don’t skimp on the design!
Popular wireframing tools used worldwide include Balsamiq, Moqups, UXPin, Omnigraffle, and many others.Â
Stage 4 – Front-end & Back-end Development
Source: Statista- Top Testing Tools
Building your app involves two significant steps: frontend development and backend development.
- Front-end refers to how your app will appear, including designing its layout, text, and graphics.
- Back-end development covers how it works. It includes all programming languages like Java or Objective C, server infrastructure, security features (2-factor authentications), Software Development Kit, etc.
Besides product management, the app design stage takes more time and effort than any other stage in the mobile application industry. Follow Agile methodology, which balances business needs with technology implementations to provide quality software applications on time and budget.
So the developer’s team will have two significant roles: frontend & backend development. A good app developer should be able to perform both these roles to provide you with high-quality products.
The front end usually takes HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript/ JQuery / AngularJS and PHP as technology platforms. Getting quality results from your development team requires engaging them right at the beginning of the app development process. The complete process takes anywhere between 2 to 3 weeks.
On the other hand, the backend development process involves Java and Objective C as programming languages. Getting your app up and running on Apple or Android platform takes 4-6 weeks.
Stage – 5: Testing PhaseÂ
The mobile app development process team may perform tests manually or through automated testing tools. Automated tools will include static analysis and test coverage tools. It helps find bugs that could be difficult for human testers to find.
Common types of automated testing may include unit testing, regression testing, path coverage, code coverage, and acceptance testing. If these tests are not done, then the software may fail during QA, causing rework due to regression bug fixes when they were considered completed by QA and moved into production release.
Bugs in software can lead to additional costs if they are found late in development or if customers see them as quality problems, resulting in low sales of your product or a return from dissatisfied customers once purchased, which affects reputation.
Note: Testing gets done by testers who are not developers but have expertise in testing software for bugs. Testers should be involved in development from the early stages as they can provide valuable feedback on how software may fail and what test cases need to be written.
Testers often use automation tools such as Selenium or Watir, which allows them to automate tasks that would otherwise require human intervention. It leads to more efficient testing and better coverage of code paths within an application or website.
Automated tests are run by build servers as part of continuous integration builds. These tests can also be run manually by testers or developers if they wish to verify that changes made have not broken existing functionality within an application or website.
Stage- 6: Launch the App
As part of the launch process, utilizing release note software can streamline the documentation of new features and fixes, ensuring that all stakeholders and users are well-informed about the latest updates and functionalities of the app.
After some final adjustments, your app is ready for market! You can start by uploading it to an app store like Apple or Google, then watch as new customers download and pay for your product. Testing different marketing channels might help you spread awareness of your app, leading to more downloads!
Launching a mobile app doesn’t have to be stressful. But there are some critical steps that every successful entrepreneur needs to take. It includes starting with a clear vision of who you want to serve (your target customer) and what you want them to do once they have your product (the critical action).
As simple as those two things sound, getting them right at the beginning will save you time and resources along every step of your mobile journey.
Note: Deploying the app over the Google Play Store takes anywhere between 2-and seven days. Whereas Apple’s process is much faster and easier, taking less than two days.
The two most important things you need to do before launching your mobile app are:
- Create an online presence where people can find you and
- Start building your email list of potential customers.
Both steps will help you get more downloads once your product is live. Your website should be designed to create trust among visitors by showing who you are, what value you provide, and why they should buy from you instead of your competitors.
Stage 7 – Maintenance and Improvement
After you’ve released your app, you won’t be done. To improve user experience and keep customers interested in your app, you’ll need to roll out regular updates and new features.
With some companies spending as much as 15% of the revenue on just one update, it’s clear that consistent maintenance is crucial for every developer looking to expand their customer base.
By choosing an experienced partner from stage 2 and following our advice to ensure a smooth-running process, you should be able to make sure that your app users are always satisfied with their software experience.
While creating new updates, focus on the user feedback and analyze what they need. It is why it’s essential to develop an app with a straightforward interface that solves one problem well. If you do so, you’ll be able to build more features around your app to make it even better for your users.
Over to You
From a business POV, the above are the top 7 stages of the mobile app development process in 2022. In addition, you can also do some other activities like:
- App promotion,
- Marketing and PR etc.
These activities attract more users to the developed app.
However, if you want to develop a practical mobile application that provides excellent profits, you need to understand all these stages properly. Also, follow them strictly to avoid any problems or delays in the future.
Additionally, keep our budget flexible so that the custom mobile app development company can make changes if there is any problem or delay during any product development stages.
