Mobile app development is increasing in 2022. Technological advances, consumer demand, and many other factors directly impact mobile app development trends. Keeping abreast of the latest trends is perhaps the most crucial aspect of success in this field.
Basic tips and guidance for planning a mobile app development
Planning and Evaluation
The first question that interests the client is: “How much will it cost?”. Following it: “When will the mobile application be ready?”. The performer evaluates and draws up a work plan to answer both questions. At this stage, the project manager coordinates the team’s work and communicates with the customer.
At this stage is studied the technical documentation and calculated how much time it will take for development and testing.
The assessment can be expressed or detailed. Fast evaluation continues from several hours to one day and gives an approximate idea of labor costs. A precise estimation can take a few days to a week, but it allows you to determine precisely how, when and what application you will receive. Suppose a business analyst is connected to the project during the evaluation phase. In that case, it is easier for the client and developers to get a single view of the application and calculate everything accurately.
Sometimes it happens that customers add new features right in the course of the project. The list of tasks has grown and a re-evaluated is necessary. As a result, the budget races.
Analytics
Clients independently perform a business analysis of the application or come with a ready-made list of requirements. But those applications that have passed this stage with the developer company win – analytics helps businesses and developers achieve a shared vision. Based on this, re-evaluate the required work and get a detailed project budget.
Application Design
Sometimes clients come with a ready-made design. If the customer does not have a plan, it is created UI / UX from scratch. When the analyst hands the designer the basis of the graphical interface, the wireframes, it comes to the visual design. A screen map, graphic elements, and a detailed prototype are drawn, taking into account various usage scenarios.
At this stage, the UI/UX designer creates static prototypes and interactive app prototypes at the client’s request. Considering the planned characteristics, it is seen how the application will look and what behavior to expect from it. It all depends on the specific tasks and wishes of the client.
During the rendering of the design, the application takes on its future appearance. Critical is the feedback from the business analyst and the client so that the creation of the mobile application fully meets the requirements.
Development
Hardcore begins when there is a detailed TOR and assessment, the design is ready, and the mobile application prototype is approved. The development team writes the code to implement the application’s intended behavior and to connect the application logic to the back-end if any. And also, the finished design is embodied in the code determining all the styles and UI elements with which the application user interacts.
As soon as a part of the functionality is developed, it is tested and begins the work on the rest of the functions.
When the design is laid out, the designer will check how well the developers have implemented the application screenshots: whether all the styles match the selected ones, whether the color is selected, what is the aspect ratio, and how the corners are rounded, etc.
Testing and Bug Fixing
QA engineers join the project at the start and test as often as possible. This guarantees a high level of quality and helps the client not to inflate the budget.
At the evaluation stage, the TOR is tested. In parallel with development is written test documentation. Testing begins when the functionality is partially ready. All bugs are reported and fixed. Then a check is done that the bugs have been fixed, which did not affect the rest of the functionality. Before the application’s release, acceptance testing is done to ensure that the application behavior complies with the test documentation and the client’s requirements.
Release
When a series of tests and improvements of the application is completed, it is added to the application store requested by the client.
The client can contact the developers for help in the release, or he can prepare and upload the application to the store independently.
Support and Development
After publishing a mobile application, if the client finds bugs, the producers fix them. If the first months of the application’s life show where and what needs to be finished or redone, there are two options: conclude a maintenance contract or launch a new development phase, considering new variables.
How to estimate the cost of mobile app development
The most popular question any mobile app developer hears is “, How much will it cost to create an app?”. It is impossible to give an exact answer without a detailed description of the project and its expected functionality. The maximum that a developer can do without this information is to name an approximate price range. However, be prepared that the actual cost of the work will be several times higher.
We will consider some of the factors that affect the cost of mobile app development:
Functionality
Various factors affect the development cost, ranging from the number of screens to data security. The more complex and functional the application, the more expensive it is.
Application Size
The number of screens and application states directly affects the development cost. The more of them, the more expensive the application will be because each new screen requires additional hours of development, subsequent testing, and design.
Individual design and detailing of design solutions
A mobile application can reach its full potential only if it is user-friendly, intuitive, and pleasing to the eye. Intelligent design plays a vital role in this.
In the development of mobile applications, design can be divided into three levels:
- rough – used when creating prototypes, when you need to check the functionality of the product and its logic;
- standard – made based on user scenarios and UI elements offered by the platform;
- Unique – the most expensive design in development, its creation requires detailed business intelligence and an experienced UI / UX designer. It can be animated design for apps or original game design. Most applications do not require this level of innovation.
Registration and authorization of users
Adding an accounting system to your app can be a great way to improve user loyalty and retention. But it is important to remember that this does not always make sense and significantly increases the cost of development compared to the “anonymous” use of the product. You will need to pay for cloud storage, the implementation and subsequent testing of a mechanism for recovering forgotten passwords, and the safety of personal data. Separate expenses will require the creation of an individual user account.
Content generation in the application and social functionality
Unique content is a significant plus for any product. You can create content yourself or use data from different sources. An information or news application in which all information is taken from one or more sources (added by the administrator or downloaded from the company’s website) requires less development time and, accordingly, financial costs than an application in which users will create content (a good example of such an application – Instagram and other social networks).
Integration with payment systems
From users’ point of view, the ability to pay for their order in the application in different ways is very convenient. For the developer, each payment option means additional time for implementation and testing; for the customer – longer waiting time for the finished product and its increasing cost. If you do not plan to enter the international market, only two payment options are available: bank card and cash.
Application Security Level
When ordering the development of a mobile application, keep in mind that the data it will operate on may interest third parties, so you should consider protecting information. This is especially important for applications that affect financial and banking operations, storage, and processing of personal data. The more valuable the data and the greater the need or desire to protect it, the higher the cost of developing an application.
Where to find resources for mobile app development
“Where can I get money to develop a mobile application?” is the central question that app developers ask themselves. After all, even if the allocated budget is enough for the technical part, no fewer funds will be needed to attract and retain users.
There are several proven options where you can take money to develop a mobile application:
Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is a way to raise funds with the help of people who want to support a specific project or a specific developer on certain platforms. Advantages of crowdfunding: the ability to raise the required amount of money for the project.
But if you plan to create something more serious, you should consider other fundraising options.
Accelerator
Where else can you get money to develop a mobile game if you are a developer? A good option: accelerators. The accelerator is an intensive startup development program. Startups are provided with all the opportunities for growth: experienced mentors, resources of the organizing company, and constant tracking of project progress. Pros of accelerators: assistance from well-known companies in the development and promotion of mobile applications, minus (although it can also be interpreted as an advantage): developers do not necessarily receive funds in cash, part of the funding can be paid in the form of services.
Publisher
The third option that you can use if you are going to develop a mobile application that will undoubtedly become a hit on mobile stores is the help of a publisher. A publisher is a company that supplies the traffic of its media buying or partners. The work of the publisher directly determines the success of the application in the stores since the more high-quality traffic, the more downloads of the mobile application, and therefore the higher the earnings of developers, regardless of whether they work on a premium model or freemium. The publisher can finance your application at the development stage if it sees potential in it. Pros of a publisher: he will take over, if not all, then most of the work with marketing. Cons of cooperation with the publisher: you have to give him a percentage of the proceeds.
Venture fund
Sometimes mobile application developers resort to the help of venture funds – investment companies that invest the funds of the fund’s founders and their partners in obviously risky projects. Venture funds invest in many startups at once because they know that out of 10 projects, only 1-2 will be successful. As a rule, venture funds take a share in a project in exchange for financing and expertise, which can be considered one of the main disadvantages. In addition, a ready-made prototype will be needed to raise funds.
Trends in mobile app development
There are different new trends in mobile app development. We will consider some of them.
Super apps
One of the most recent trends gradually sweeping the world is the development of multi-purpose, multi-tasking smartphone applications. Previously, applications were created each to solve a specific problem – only communication, logistics, a particular type of service, etc.
Currently, software products of the “super” class are gaining popularity. Such a super application alone can perform a range of versatile tasks simultaneously. The popularity of multi-purpose applications is due to the desire to create an environment that covers the user’s needs as much as possible. For example, what will a person choose – one program that solves ten diverse tasks or ten applications for each job? Of course, having a multifunctional product at hand is more convenient.
Artificial intelligence
AI in mobile devices is still linked to personal assistants: artificial intelligence learns our habits within various applications, revealing preferences. Thanks to AI solutions, app developers and marketers are now closer to understanding user behavior through studying actions, preferences, purchases, etc. Deep learning is a science that involves the ability to “teach” machines to recognize these actions and then apply this “knowledge” to solve various complex queries. This approach also allows you to study user behavior patterns, making interaction with him personalized and smooth.
Application of 3D graphics for mobile applications
3D graphic elements will no longer surprise anyone; this technology has long been used in various areas of design. The new trend assigns a slightly different role to 3D graphics – not decorative but functional. Creating such “useful” pictures will soon become possible directly with the help of smartphones and tablets, opening up a vast field for activity and creating complex graphic objects.
Now, 3D graphics are designed to improve functionality and increase efficiency, and only in the background – to please the eye and attract visually.
From a commercial and promotional point of view, 3D graphics will also add benefits, as this tool can provide a complete picture of the product from all sides, which is a winning approach in online shopping.
Virtual reality
Virtual or augmented reality is getting closer. If, at the moment, it is mainly used by the gaming sphere, science, and medicine, then shortly, this promising direction will cover other areas of human activity. The creation and modernization of AR glasses have captured the minds of many developers worldwide, so this direction will continue to develop steadily and actively.
Useful visualization
Visualization is always associated with some visual representation and exciting and colorful visual effects. But the goal of handy visualization is not high decorativeness but the best way to convey information flows. With the right approach, even the driest and most boring information can be made rich, lively, and engaging. The most important thing that visualization gives is an emotional response, the formation of one’s ideas in the brain. The visual presentation of data excites the imagination and evokes emotions that allow you to recognize better, understand and master the amount of information presented.
Conclusion
The world of mobile app development is changing rapidly. But these trends will not lose their strength due to the global growth of mobile technologies and devices and most likely will continue in the coming years.
