How Mobile App Development Services Work? — A Step-by-Step Process

So you wake up one morning with a brilliant idea for a mobile app– you can explain it, you know it's the most amazing idea ever, and you know your app idea has the potential to amaze many people– what next? The good news is that it's a start in the right direction. The bad news is that very few apps are truly successful. So how do mobile app development services work? What are the requirements for developing an app? What separates the good from the bad—a stroke of luck? Yes, and many correct steps. While you can earn luck, we'll walk you through the steps to building your app. If you're thinking about creating a mobile app, check out our comprehensive guide to the mobile app development process. We have broken down the entire guide to the mobile app development process into 6 key steps to make it easier for you to understand.  

Mobile App Development Services

Mobile app development services include everything from business analysis and UI/UX design to mobile app testing and deployment. At Mobirevo, we cover all stages of mobile app development and provide them as stand-alone services as well as part of our full-cycle mobile app development.

• Want to build an iOS Mobile Application ?

  Our experienced team will help you stand out with a bespoke, flexible, and scalable software application for your business.

  Get a Quote

  

  Mobile Development Consulting

We offer professional mobile app development consulting and business analysis services to analyze your needs and elicit requirements, define and prioritize features, plan out the solution architecture, and conduct usability testing.

• Recomended Reading: How We Can Help You Build an ERP System from Scratch Introduction

  Mobile App Design & Development

Our mobile UI/UX designers create a conversion-focused mobile user experience that boosts conversion and user retention. From website-to-app conversion to original concept realization, from refactoring existing code to developing a blank-slate app, Mobirevo welcomes all types of mobile app implementation. We provide native iOS and Android mobile development, as well as cross-platform/hybrid development using Cordova/PhoneGap, Xamarin, and React Native. Our business analysts will assist you in determining which platforms to target and selecting an appropriate development framework.

• Backend Development

Our team of 200+ backend developers builds strong, secure backends and integrates them with an app (or apps) or any third-party system of your choice.

• Recomended Reading: How to Hire a Blockchain Development Company for your Project

  Mobile App Support & Evolution

To ensure the high quality of your mobile solution, our 45 mobile testing experts perform all types of mobile testing and debugging. Mobirevo is always eager to assist your app's growth by fine-tuning it, expanding its functionality in accordance with your roadmap, and introducing cutting-edge mobile experiences to keep your users engaged.

• Want to build a Bespoke Software ?

  Our experienced team of will help you stand out with a bespoke, flexible and scalable software application for your business.

  Get a Quote

  

  Quality Assurance & Optimization

We integrate new products into your business and digital infrastructure, ensure quality, and use performance insights to optimize future operations.  

What is Mobile App Development

Mobile application development refers to the processes of developing software for small, wireless computing devices like smartphones and other handheld devices. Mobile application development, like web application development, has its origins in traditional software development. Mobile apps, on the other hand, are frequently written specifically to take advantage of the unique features of a particular mobile device. For example, a gaming app could make use of the iPhone's accelerometer, and a mobile health app could make use of a smartwatch's temperature sensor. Apple's iOS and Google's Android are the two most popular mobile platforms today. Essential apps, such as a full web browser and access to the Apple App Store, come preloaded on Apple phones and tablets. Android devices come preloaded with similar apps, and you can download more from the Google Play Store.  

Stages of Our Mobile App Development Process

1. Strategy

The first step in the mobile app development process is to define your strategy for turning your idea into a successful app. You could incorporate a larger portion of this into your overall enterprise mobility strategy. Although the goals of one app may differ from those of another, each app has its impact on the mobility strategy, which must be considered during the development process. During this stage, you will:

• Determine the app's users.
• Investigate the competition.
• Set the app's goals and objectives.
• Choose a mobile platform for your application.

Mobile apps typically cost between $150,000 and $200,000 and can take four to six months to develop. Your strategy assists in focusing your vision on a clear picture of your app concept. With this in mind, you can progress to the next stage of the mobile app development process.

2. Analysis and Planning

At this point, your app concept begins to take shape and develops into a full-fledged project. The process of analysis and planning begins with the definition of use cases and the capture of detailed functional requirements. Prepare a product roadmap after you've identified the requirements for your app. This includes prioritizing the requirements for the mobile app and categorizing them into delivery milestones.  If time, resources, or money are an issue, define your minimum viable product (MVP) and prioritize it for the initial launch. The planning phase includes determining the skills required for your app development project. The iOS and Android mobile platforms, for example, use different development technology stacks. Your mobile development team should include both iOS and Android developers if you want to create a mobile app for both platforms. Have you chosen a name for your mobile app yet? Mobile app names, like domain names, must be distinct within each app store. Check each app store to make sure the name of your app isn't already taken!

3. UI/UX Design

The goal of app design is to create a polished user experience that is seamless and effortless. The success of a mobile app is determined by how well users adopt and utilize all of its features. The goal of UI/UX design for mobile apps is to create excellent user experiences that make your app interactive, intuitive, and simple to use. While a well-designed user interface will help with early adoption, your app must also provide intuitive user experiences to keep users interested. The goal of app design is to provide a seamless and effortless user experience. 

• Information Architecture & Workflows

The first step in your mobile app design process is to decide what data your app will collect and display to users, how users will interact with the finished product, and navigate within the app. Enterprise mobile solutions for businesses have users with different roles and privileges, and it is critical to include these rules as part of your app's information architecture. Workflow diagrams help identify every possible interaction a user has with the app, as well as the navigation structure.

• Wireframes

For mobile app designers, rough sketches on paper are a common starting point. Wireframes are a type of digital sketch. Wireframes, also known as low-fidelity mockups, are conceptual layouts that give visual structure to your app's functional requirements. The emphasis with wireframes is on aesthetics and user experience rather than color schemes and styles.  Creating wireframes is a quick and low-cost method for designing app layouts and iterating through them during the design review process. When creating wireframes, keep the device-specific design in mind. As a result, your app provides intuitive and device-specific user experiences regardless of whether it is used on an iPhone, iPad, or Android phone or tablet.

• Style Guide

Style guides are "living documents" that document an app's design standards, from your company's branding rules to the navigation icons. Style guides include the following:

1. What type of font will your app's text use?
2. What color scheme will be used?
3. How will the app design reflect your company's brand?

Style guides contribute to the design strategy of an app. Creating a style guide early in the mobile app development process boosts your app developers' productivity. Simultaneously, adhering to a style guide will help keep your app's look and feel consistent. Google and Apple App design guidelines should be considered as part of your app design for iOS apps and Android apps respectively.

• Mockups

Mockups, also known as high-fidelity designs, are the final visual renderings of your app. The style guide is slapped onto the app wireframes to create mockups. As the design of your app nears completion, expect more changes to its information architecture, workflow, and aesthetics. Adobe Photoshop is the most widely used software for creating high-fidelity mockups. 

• Prototype

Mockups, which use static designs to demonstrate the functionality of your mobile app, can be transformed into click-through prototypes using tools such as Invision and Figma. Prototypes are extremely useful for simulating the user experience and app workflows that will be delivered in the final product. While prototyping takes time, it is well worth the effort because it allows you to test the design and functionality of your app at an early stage. Prototypes frequently aid in the identification of changes to the app's proposed functionality. When the functional requirements of an app are not well thought out, some companies prefer to create prototypes during the wireframing stage. Alternatively, a focus group may be required to review the app's proposed functionality.

4. Mobile App Development

The planning stage of the mobile app development process is still crucial. You must define the technical architecture, choose a technology stack, and set development milestones before you begin actual development/programming efforts. A typical mobile app project includes back-end/server technology, API(s), and the mobile app front-end.

• Back-End/Server Technology

This section contains the database and server-side objects required for the supporting functions of your mobile app. To support the desired mobile functionality, you may need to make some changes to an existing back-end platform.

• API

An Application Programming Interface (API) is a method for a web/mobile app to communicate with a server or database on the back end.

• Mobile App Front-End

The native mobile app that an end-user will use is the front-end. Most mobile apps are interactive user experiences that use an API and a back-end to manage data. When an app needs to allow users to work without internet access in some cases, the app may use local data storage. For the backend, you can use almost any web programming language and database. You must select a technology stack required by each mobile OS platform when developing native mobile apps.  Objective-C or Swift programming languages can be used to create iOS apps, while Android apps are written in Java or Kotlin. There is more than one programming language and technology stack for developing mobile apps; the key is to select the technology stack that is best suited for your mobile app. With new versions of mobile platforms, mobile technologies advance much faster. Furthermore, every few months, new mobile devices are released.  With platforms and devices rapidly changing, agility is critical for developing mobile apps on time and within budget. Use an agile development approach if time-to-market is a top priority. This method allows for frequent software releases with complete functionality. Defining development milestones as part of an agile development plan facilitates the iterative development of your mobile application. Each development milestone is completed and sent to the app testing team for validation. There is more than one programming language and technology stack for developing mobile apps; the key is to select the technology stack that is best suited for your mobile app.

5. Testing

Thorough quality assurance (QA) testing during the mobile app development process ensures that the applications are stable, usable, and secure. To ensure thorough QA testing of your app, you must first prepare test cases that cover all aspects of app testing. Test cases drive mobile app testing in the same way that use cases drive the development process. Test cases are used to carry out test steps, record testing results for software quality evaluation, and track fixes for retesting.  Involving your QA team in the Analysis and Design stages is a best practice approach. Knowing the functional requirements and objectives of your app will help you create accurate test cases. To provide a high-quality mobility solution, your app should go through the following testing procedures. Thorough quality assurance (QA) testing during the mobile app development process ensures that the applications are stable, usable, and secure.

• User Experience Testing

The final implementation must match the user experience created by the app design team, which is a critical step in mobile app testing. End-users will get a first-hand impression of your app based on its visuals, workflow, and interactivity. Make sure your app's fonts, color schemes, styling, icon design, data padding, and navigation are all consistent. Ensure that your app follows the original design guidelines to increase user adoption.

• Functional Testing

The precision with which your mobile app functions is critical to its success. Predicting every end user's behavior and usage scenario is difficult. To cover as many potential testing conditions as possible, your app's functionality should be tested by as many users as possible. When two different users test the same feature but get different results, you may be surprised to find bugs. For example, both users can fill out the same form, but they may enter different data, which may lead to the discovery of a flaw. The goal of functional testing is to ensure that your app's features and functionality are usable by users without any problems. It is further subdivided into system testing (how the app works as a whole) and unit testing (individual functions of the app operating correctly). If you're creating a mobile app for both iOS and Android, your functional testing should include a feature comparison between the two versions.

• Performance Testing

Numerous quantitative criteria can be used to assess the performance of your app.

1. How responsive is your app to user input?
2. How quickly do the app's screens load?
3. Is your app causing memory leaks or draining the phone's battery?
4. Is your app effectively utilizing network bandwidth?
5. Is your app consuming more memory than it should?

Even if your app meets the basic performance criteria, simulate the maximum number of concurrent users to test the app, API, and backend for the load. Even when usage spikes, your app should be able to handle the load and perform well.

• Security Testing

For enterprise mobile apps, security is of the utmost importance. Any potential flaw can lead to a hack. Many businesses hire third-party firms to perform extensive security testing on their applications. A few simple steps can be taken by your QA and development teams to secure your app. If your app requires users to log in, login sessions should be tracked on both the device and the backend. When a user has been inactive for an extended period, the system should terminate the session (typically ten mins or less on a mobile app).  If your app saves user credentials on the device to make it easier for them to re-login, you must ensure that you are using a trusted service. For example, the iOS app development platform includes the Keychain feature, which can be used to store a user's account information for a specific app. Data entry forms in your mobile app should be tested to ensure no data leakage occurs.

• Device and Platform Testing

Every 12 months, new mobile devices with new hardware, firmware, and design enter the market. Every few months, mobile operating systems are updated. The Android platform is used by several mobile device manufacturers, including LG, HTC, Samsung, and Motorola, but they customize it for their devices (since Android is open source). The devices are available in a variety of sizes and shapes. Compare that to Apple, which has a much more controlled environment because they control both the hardware and the operating system. However, there are numerous iPhone and iPad (Apple iOS) devices available on the market. This is where testing during the mobile app development process differs significantly from testing during the web app development process. You can get away with only testing your web app in a Windows environment using the Chrome browser.  However, your mobile app must be tested on a variety of mobile devices or device simulators to ensure that it works properly for all users. The complexity of testing mobile apps on all mobile devices, ongoing support costs, and stress of mobile device management are some of the reasons why businesses tend to build enterprise mobile apps for a single mobile platform — and often provide mobile devices to their users.  Most businesses, in our experience, develop their enterprise mobile app first for Apple's iOS platform, then for the Android platform only when necessary. Testing is critical to an app's future success; it accounts for a significant portion of our overall mobile app development process. A comprehensive mobile testing strategy is required for delivering a high-quality mobile app. There are numerous methods for distributing your app development builds to testers during the testing phase. Testflight is the most common method for iOS apps, while email or Over The Air (OTA) installs are used for Android apps.

6. Deployment & Support

To release a native mobile app, you must first submit it to the app stores, which are the Apple App Store for iOS apps and Google Play for Android apps. Before launching your mobile app, you must first create a developer account with the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. The release of an app in the app store necessitates the preparation of metadata, which includes:

• Your app’s title
• Description
• Category
• Keywords
• Launch icon
• App Store screenshots

Once submitted to the Apple App Store, iOS apps undergo a review process that can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks.  The duration depends on how well your app is made and how closely it follows Apple's iOS development guidelines. If your app requires users to log in, as part of the release process, you must provide Apple with a test user account. Android apps do not go through a review process, and they are available in the app store within a few hours of being submitted. After your app is available in app stores, track its usage using mobile analytics platforms and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to determine its success. Check crash reports and other user-reported issues regularly. Encourage users to provide feedback and suggestions for your app to your company. Prompt support for end-users, as well as frequent app updates with improvements, will be critical to keeping users engaged.  Unlike web apps, where patch releases are instantly available to app users, mobile app updates must go through the same submission and review process as the initial submission. Furthermore, with native mobile apps, you must constantly stay on top of technological advancements and update your app regularly for new mobile devices and OS platforms.  

Technologies Used By Mobile App Development Service Providers

We are always up-to-date on the latest trends in the world of mobile development and welcome mobile projects involving the following mobile app development technologies; Smart TVs, Internet of Things, Wearables, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), image recognition, eCommerce, Mobile business intelligence (BI), and Blockchain. To delight your users with expressive and feature-rich native iOS/Android, cross-platform, or Progressive Web Apps, you can leverage our extensive experience working with all major technologies.

1. iOS App Development

We have all the knowledge and experience required to create full-fledged, stable, and scalable mobile applications, including:

• iPhone App Development
• iPad App Development
• Apple Watch App Development
• Apple TV App Development
• App Clips Development

We use the following technologies to deliver exceptional results; Swift, Objective-C, SwiftUI, CocoaPods, RxSwift, SwiftLint, XCTest, CircleCI.

2. Android App Development

Using cutting-edge technology, we assist businesses in establishing a presence on any modern device and platform, including:

• Android Mobile App Development
• Android TV App Development
• Android Tablet App Development
• Android Wear App Development

We use the following technologies to deliver exceptional results; Kotlin, Java, Graddle, Dagger2, JetPack, Coroutines, Fastlane.

3. Cross-platform App Development

Get high-quality mobile apps that run on multiple platforms for a low price, all while giving your users an app that is compatible with their operating system. Use this option to cut costs and shorten time-to-market while reaching a larger audience without sacrificing quality, such as:

• Hybrid Mobile App Development
• Hybrid Tablet App Development
• Hybrid TV App Development

We use the following technologies to deliver exceptional results; React Native, Flutter, Native Script, Javascript, TypeScript.

4. Progressive Web App Development

We create Progressive Web Apps that combine the best technical solutions used in mobile and web applications, which are beneficial in terms of ease of development and distribution, as well as a variety of other business benefits. You can speak with one of our experts about;

• Cross-browser Web App Development
• Responsive Web App Development
• Offline Web App Development

We use the following technologies to deliver exceptional results; React, Angular,  Redux, Polymer, Workbox, Lighthouse.  

How to Choose a Mobile App Development Service Provider

It can be difficult to find the right app development team. Sorting through all the good options can be difficult. The goal of finding the right partner, on the other hand, will be to find a company that understands exactly what you want and can work with it. The following criteria will assist you in determining how to select the best mobile app development company:

1. The Company’s Portfolio

You'll want to know that the company is aware of your project and what you're working on. Check out some of their previous work to get a better idea of what they're capable of. Knowing their track record will help you determine whether the company is a good fit for you. Inquire about their portfolio and some of the apps they've previously created. It will be especially helpful if you can find apps that are similar to what you want to build. Examine the app's interface, ease of use, and some available reviews.

2. Take Note Of The Company’s Expertise

You should also be able to see that the company you chose is capable of handling the job. They should understand the critical features of the app you want to build and have a clear vision of how to collaborate with them. The developers must also be able to explain how to implement the features they propose and recommend appropriate frameworks. Check to see if their software can integrate with any of your other workflows or systems.

3. Cost of Development

Price negotiations are also an important consideration when selecting a development company. Finally, you must save money on your processes. As a result, it's understandable that you'd want to look for ways to save money. It's not a good idea to go with the cheapest option when developing an app. Allowing price to dictate your decision will only lead to poor choices. Remember that you must create a fantastic product, not the cheapest one available.  With a team of knowledgeable specialists, you can strike a balance between price and quality. Maintain a budget and stick to it, and let the quality of their work determine whether they fit into your plans. At the same time, before you sign, make sure your budget is clear and flexible enough. You can inquire about the development firm's processes and milestones, as well as how they charge — whether time and material or fixed-price. Be wary of companies that provide you with quick fixed-price estimates. Software development is complex, with many variables that are difficult to predict. Instead, go with a company that charges by the hour and is open about its reporting.

4. Effective Communication

Without effective communication, no project can progress. If you and the team will be working closely together, you must maintain open communication lines and make it easy to exchange ideas and suggestions. Communication also allows you to share ideas and go over project details in greater depth. The ideal app development team should be available to discuss project details at least once a week. Keep an eye on the team and how they respond to your messages and phone calls. They should offer their thoughts, just as you do yours. You should also keep an eye on the team's ideation process. Examine whether they appear to be genuinely interested in the project. If the developers aren't communicating during this process, it's a pretty good indication that they aren't all that interested in the job in the first place. Choose a company that is eager to establish a relationship with you. Everyone should be able to contribute ideas and opinions toward the common goal of creating the best app possible.

5. The Company’s Preferred Platforms 

You should also be aware of the platforms on which the development team is most at ease. Can they create apps for multiple platforms, or do they specialize in a few? If you want to create an app that works across multiple platforms, be clear about it and choose a company that can help you bring it to life. As a result, keep an eye out for cross-platform services. The ideal company will understand each platform's guidelines and work within the appropriate parameters.

6. Your Level of Involvement

No matter how talented the company's developers are, they will be unable to create your app without your input. Inquire about how much involvement they will require from you and how you can work together to move forward.

7. The Projects Timelines 

Inquire with them about project timelines as well. Above all, inquire about their availability. Many app development teams work on multiple projects concurrently. You need to know that these guys are here to help you and are willing to put in the effort. Inquire about the number of projects they are currently working on, their ability to deliver your project on time, and the protocols in place to accommodate your needs if a delay occurs. It is critical to note that dedicated resources are available to handle your project.  This way, you can be confident in the company's ability to respond quickly to suggestions and changes – or any other unforeseen project challenges. For instance, while brainstorming with our client for the Wiconn app, we outlined all the project objectives that were expected. This helped us create a detailed timeline for each deliverable and product feature.

8. Understand The Company’s Design Scheme

As you may already be aware, developing an app entails more than just coding. In addition, a proper design and a stable user experience are required. As a result, you must ensure that the app is designed in accordance with the most recent user experience principles. So, be sure to inquire about the company's approach to design and what they look for most in terms of user experience.  It would also be beneficial if you could view the team's previous work to judge for yourself and confirm that they are the right fit for the job. To ensure that the company understands what you want, you will need to create a clear, detailed explanation of the project. Inquire about their understanding of the project and what they believe is the best approach. Product discovery workshops are held by good software houses to ensure that the scope of work is clear and that everyone is on the same page from the start. Request app mockups, design sketches, and other materials to test their understanding of what you require. You may need to make some adjustments to align their work with your vision, but they should have a good idea of where you're going.

9. Release Procedures

You should also inquire about the company's release policy. They should have policies in place regarding app submissions and how they handle releases. A good company will, ideally, either submit the app for you or guide you through the submission process. You need partners who will stick with you throughout the submission process and the app lifecycle, not those who will abandon you once the app is live and move on to the next client.

10. The App Maintenance Procedures

Even after the app is up and running, there's a good chance you'll need to make some changes to it. When it comes to apps, fixes, bug patches, and new features are commonplace. As a result, the app development company should have a strict policy in place in such cases. For example, inquire whether the company charges maintenance on an hourly or monthly basis. In general, check to see what policies are in place for the following:

• The cost of each app that is released
• Their procedure for dealing with bug fixes
• They provide post-launch assistance.
• Their procedure for introducing new features

 

Conclusion

App development is an ongoing process that will continue as you receive user feedback and add new features after the initial launch.  We hope that the information in this article will help you find a reliable Mobile App Development Company. If you have any urgent questions about Mobile App Development, you can get in touch with the Mobirevo team. Mobirevo is a leading mobile app development company in Nigeria. We have provided mobile app development services to companies in finance, healthcare, construction, retail, consumer products, logistics, industrial engineering, and entertainment over the years. Let’s talk about making your Mobile app ideas a reality! We follow a certified enterprise mobile app development process steps to ensure the success of your app's launch. Our skilled mobile app developers are here to assist you with your digital transformation. You can contact us today to get a free quote. Our team at Mobirevo strives to provide unrivaled services to all of our valued clients. You can also check out our case study page to see our client’s portfolio and get a better understanding of the quality of products we deliver. Also, contact us if you have any questions about our services, and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Want to receive more content like this? You can sign up for our newsletter, which features curated opinions, and Mobile app development tools for building remarkable digital assets. If you sign up for our weekly newsletter, you will be the first to know when we publish awesome content like this. You can also visit our blog to see other content created with love by our amazing team.

[ultimate-faqs include_category=' How Mobile App Development Services Work']