Business apps are becoming commonplace in enterprises with more tech-savvy employees and customers with high expectations demanding faster, more convenient services. These apps simplify work, enhance performance, and increase workplace efficiency.
But while business apps have become a critical component of every digital transformation initiative, CIOs are still struggling to get it right.
The idea is to ditch the traditional development methodologies and adopt modern development methods with low-code/no-code platforms that offer a visual interface, reusability, robust functionality, and cross-platform integration.
Regardless of platform-specificity, basic app development follows a series of steps similar to both mobile and web apps.
Here we outline the basics of app development to get you started with successful development.
What is application development basics?
Basics of application development is defined as the process of building a web or mobile application. Both individuals and businesses use a specific set of technologies to create apps for diverse purposes. Unlike mobile apps, web apps don't need downloading; they use a browser interface and are delivered over the Internet for specific business functions.
What are the basics of app development ?
These 5 steps make up the basics of app development includes:
- Generate an idea
- Research the market
- Work on the design
- Start the development
- Test the application
1. Generate an idea
This is the most challenging part of the app development process for some people. But an idea may come from an issue you or someone else is facing, observing the people and world around you, attending hackathons, or an app you're trying to improve. Alternatively, find out what investors are funding from their websites or startup shows like Shark Tank.
Defining the problem is the first step to solving it. You already have a market if you articulate the pain point and generate the app idea to solve it. You can also combine and vary the most valuable features of existing ideas of apps to create a new app. This step also involves clarifying the app's purpose and end goals.
2. Research the market
Market research offers insight into your competition, ideal user, and the app's technical direction. It helps clarify if there's a need for the app, the feasibility of your idea, and if there are other apps already solving the problem you're addressing. The market research also raises your confidence in your app's marketability by determining if people are willing to use and pay for the app.
The market research also helps you understand how well existing apps address the same pain point. It helps you identify your app's unique value proposition and where to concentrate initial development efforts to create a working prototype. Market research helps you avoid resource wastage and build a valuable app.
3. Work on the design
The app's design determines how intuitive and easy it is to use. The best place to start is to imagine yourself using the app. App design visually brings it to life by helping you conceive precisely how the app will look like. The design should be primarily driven by usability, accessibility, and functionality to offer users a delightful and beneficial experience.
Your app design should include visual elements like color, images, graphics, shapes, and any effects representing the final product look. The idea is to create a working prototype without writing code. Also include processes such as user sign-up, login sequence, app navigation, settings adjustment, and logging out. Customizing pre-built templates makes designing your app more accessible.
4. Start the development
Application development basics are incomplete without actually creating the app. Use traditional app development or low-code/no-code app builders to bring it to life. The development stage involves making more important decisions about what technologies will support your app. For the traditional approach, use the feedback received from the wireframes on functionality, design, and user experience to write the code for the app’s “final” version.
Low-code/no-code app development provides an integrated development environment (IDE) to build apps with minimal coding or code-free. Depending on your tech-savviness and programming knowledge, select templates and make adjustments to suit the app. Low-code/no-code platforms help users quickly create prototypes and launch and modify them.
5. Test the Application
Application testing ensures your app works smoothly. It covers usability, functionality, performance, compatibility, and security. Applications often have extensive information prone to mistakes, so the testing process needs to be thorough.
Application testing is an ongoing process that typically happens during and after the development phase to ensure each app iteration is bug-free. But continuous testing is a significant challenge for about 17.7 percent of development teams. So integrate testing into the development process to catch any major bugs or oversights early and reduce maintenance costs.
