Roadmap for Mobile App Development
Complete Beginner’s Guide for Both Android and iOS
The idea of this content is to help you begin with the basics of mobile app development. An essential skill for mobile app developers is software development but don’t worry if you don’t know a word about software development, this article will help you to begin and create and publish an app.
Direct link to official documentation is mentioned at the end of this article.
So let’s start
Basically, there are three types of mobile applications
- Hybrid — also known as cross-platform applications which can run the same piece of code on multiple environments.
- Native — It is meant to run on a single operating system
- Web-based — developed using web technologies and accessed through a mobile browser. These apps are platform-independent and can be accessed from any device with a web browser. However, they may not be able to access all device features, and their performance may be limited by the capabilities of the mobile browser.
So let’s find out the high-level overview of mobile app development.
High-Level Overview
Before we start, what is your first step in developing an app? The answer is Ideation.
Ideation: This is the first stage of mobile app development, where you come up with an app idea that solves a problem or fulfils a need. In this stage, you should define the target audience, understand their needs, and analyse the competition. Once you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve, you can move on to the next stage.
Development: The development stage involves writing code and creating the app’s functionality. You’ll choose a programming language, such as Java or Swift, and develop the app’s logic, data storage, and integration with external services. During this stage, you’ll also create the app’s backend infrastructure, including servers and APIs.
Testing: The testing stage is where you ensure that your app is stable, functional, and bug-free. There are several types of testing, including unit testing, integration testing, and user acceptance testing. During this stage, you’ll also collect user feedback to make improvements.
Deployment & Maintenance: The final stage is deployment, where you publish your app on app stores such as Google Play Store or Apple App Store. You’ll also need to create marketing materials to promote your app and attract users.
So let’s assume you are ready with ideation and want to create an app. Starting with our high-level overview, let’s go into detail.
Detailed Overview
Learn a Programming Language
To become a mobile app developer, you must have a strong foundation in programming concepts and techniques. Start by learning a programming language like
Python — It enables developers to use a variety of programming styles including reflecting, functional, etc. In addition to all of this, Python is considered to be one of the easiest and most marketable programming languages to learn.
JavaScript — To create dynamic web elements such as animated graphics, interactive maps, etc., there cannot be a better programming language to rely on than JavaScript.
Golang (Go) — Go, as known to many, is a cloud programming language developed by Google. Its ability to handle multicore and networked systems and massive codebases is the very reason for its growing popularity.
Java — An object-oriented structure that is owned by Oracle Corporation. Though this is a little complex programming language, it is extensively used.
R — It is used for processing statistics, including linear and nonlinear modelling, calculation, testing, visualization, and analysis. If you are good at mathematics.
Kotlin — It is that one open-source programming language, that companies such as Netflix, Pinterest, and Amazon Web Services rely on heavily because it supports lambda functions, smart casts, null safety, and operator overloading.
Swift — Swift is a powerful and intuitive programming language for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. Writing Swift code is interactive and fun, the syntax is concise yet expressive, and Swift includes modern features developers love. Swift code is safe by design and produces software that runs lightning-fast.
Choose a platform
Next, you need to choose a platform for your app development. The two most popular platforms are iOS and Android. It’s important to consider your target audience and the device they are using when selecting the platform.
For iOS app development — start with Xcode to build an app.
For Android app development — start with Android Studio.
Learn the platform-specific tools and technologies
Well, you’ll find lots of functionality and features in both software applications. So to start with app development you need to have some basic understanding of these two platforms — Xcode (iOS) and Android Studio (Android).
For eg — different components, tools and features of Xcode and Android Studio.
Build an app (development + testing)
UI/UX Design — For users to get the best experience, a lot of attention has to be paid to an app’s design. If it turns out messy or faulty, users will immediately flock to competitors and abandon the tool you’ve worked so hard on. So, your UI/UX design has to be intuitive, user-friendly, engaging, and offer a seamless experience. Let’s keep that in mind while looking at each of the design areas more closely.
- Information Architecture and Workflows
- Wireframes
- Style Guides
- Mockups
- Prototypes
Backend — The backend stage of app development involves creating databases and server-side objects that are responsible for your app performance.
Frontend — A mobile app’s front end is what the end-user will interact with most. There are three main approaches to building it.
Platform-specific — These apps are created exclusively for each mobile platform.
- Cross-platform — Solutions that are built in this manner can run on different platforms with one single codebase.
- Hybrid. These solutions contain elements of both — platform-specific apps and web applications.
Version Control Systems — It records your changes to the codebase and allows you to recall specific versions later. Ex — Git, Bitbucket, Gitlab
Testing — Testing is the process of executing a program to find errors. To make our software perform well it should be error-free.
- Unit Testing
- Integration Testing
- System Testing
- Functional Testing
- Acceptance Testing
- Smoke Testing
- Regression Testing
- Performance Testing
- Security Testing
- User Acceptance Testing
I would suggest if you are a beginner you can start with these frameworks:-
Flutter is an open-source mobile application development framework created by Google. It allows developers to use a single codebase to create applications for both Android and iOS platforms. Flutter relies on the Dart programming language and is known for its fast development cycles and flexible designs.
React Native is another popular open-source mobile application development framework. It is based on JavaScript and allows developers to create applications for both Android and iOS platforms using a single codebase. React Native is known for its robust performance and ease of use.
Deployment
- Create a developer account with the app store that you want to publish your app.
- Prepare your app for deployment by ensuring that it meets the app store’s guidelines and requirements.
- Generate and upload your app’s binary file, metadata, and screenshots to the app store.
- Submit your app for review and wait for approval from the app store.
- Once your app is approved, it will be published on the app store, and users can download and use it.
Maintenance and Updation
To maintain and update your app after it is launched, you should consider the following practices:
- Collect and analyze user feedback to identify and prioritize improvements and new features.
- Monitor and analyze app performance and usage metrics to identify and fix issues and improve user experience.
- Stay updated with the latest technologies and trends in mobile app development and implement them in your app.
- Release regular updates and bug
I have mentioned some official links and resources which will be important in your mobile app development journey. As this Youtube video is in the local language (Hindi) but don’t worry you will get all links in the description box. You can hit a like button if you like the resources as this will also help me in growing my Youtube channel.
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Akash Shukla
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