Native mobile application development has become a major area of interest for more than just app developers and web developers.
With new app development frameworks that allow anyone to build native mobile apps, the number of businesses that are now trying to reach their potential audience via mobile devices is growing exponentially every year.
The challenge facing app developers now, however, is the ability to deliver a native experience that is as good as, or even better than, the native experience for desktop browsers.
That’s where Binary informatics can help.
With native app development services, we can help mobile app developers build apps that are up to 10 times faster, which means they can build apps that are more responsive, engaging, secure, and most importantly, more profitable.
Native apps have no other “competition” than web apps — they are, by design, “as good as it gets” for the users of these devices.
In other cases, the benefits of having a web app are greater than having a good, fast, native-feeling app.
In some cases, you need to build an app that is native, but not for the reason you may think.
So where do you start?
Here are a few tips to help you get a good head start in this space.
1. Know what you want.
As you begin thinking about how you want your app to behave and look, it’s important to first understand what you want. If you don’t know what you want or have trouble getting a clear picture of what you want, it’s going to be hard to design an app to do it.
At the very least, you need to understand the basic flow of your app, how users should interact with it, and what it should do for the user. These are fundamental to having a successful app — if you’re not sure what you’re designing an app for, or if you’re not sure what the app does, there’s no reason to even start.
Once you have a general understanding of your app, it’s important to write your product ideas down. Do this in as much detail as possible. What are the screens you want to be on? What user flows are you thinking about? How are you going to use that app? When will you use it? How does it make money?
This is a good way to keep things organized and make sure that what you’re thinking about all the way through is actually a real product.
Read Also: Top 7 Reasons why A Native App is Best for Your Business
2. Understand what mobile devices can’t do.
At this point, you should be really clear about what you want to do. That’s great! Now you have a roadmap for the things your app should be able to do.
This is the point at which it’s important to understand that native apps are not necessarily better, but rather different.
As such, they often have features that aren’t available to websites.
For example, what happens if the screen goes off while your app is open? Or, what happens if there’s no internet connection? What happens if the device crashes?
These things and many more are things that web apps don’t have to worry about. Native apps are forced to support them. And when your app isn’t responsive to these issues, your app’s success will likely be reduced.
3. Understand the different components that make up the mobile experience.
The mobile experience is comprised of multiple components — a number of design elements that users see and interact with.
Your app has to be able to do something that web apps are not.
For example, the app must be able to support a wide variety of screen sizes and use one format to communicate across all of them. It also has to be able to use the accelerometer and touch interface to provide a better user experience on mobile devices.
Similarly, your app must be able to do more than web apps. For example, some apps are more concerned with collecting location information than web apps are. You should be thinking about things like geofencing, proximity, push notifications, and other things that only a native app can offer.
4. Understand the advantages of native app development.
With web development, you’re limited to using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. You can use whatever technology you want, but it’s almost always a matter of choice. You also have a fairly static and predictable experience.
You can design pages in whatever way you like, but what happens when users load your page is dictated by how the page is designed. And as you design your page, it will look the same on all mobile devices and all desktop browsers.
Native mobile apps are much more dynamic.
You can design your app as best you like, but users see your pages and how they are designed differently on their devices. For example, if you build your app with PhoneGap, it’s a matter of choosing a specific set of CSS and JavaScript files.
Your UI design is not limited to any one style. You can design things any way you want, and then the app looks great.
Finally, native apps don’t have to run the same on all devices. You can design your app to run on a variety of devices, but then, on that device, the UI and all the design decisions are different.
You can build a great app, but if you can’t take advantage of all the new technology native development provides, you’ll have a hard time getting as many people to use your app.
5. Make a plan.
You should have everything in order before you start. Know what you want, understand how it works, know what you can and can’t do, and make a plan.
At this point, you should have a clear understanding of your goals and your capabilities. Knowing that you don’t have all the pieces ready, and that it’s going to take time to get them together, is not an excuse to just start building.
This is where you need to understand your plan. Can you deliver what you want within the time you’re budgeted for? Can you deliver something that’s at least 90% of what you want in the time you have? If not, you’re in a bad situation.
If you are unable to deliver what you want, then you need to adjust the scope of your app. What do you need to do to get the project done? Can you hire help? If not, you need to adjust the time you have. Are you willing to compromise?
The most successful apps are those that take the most efficient approach possible.
And so with that said, let’s move onto…
Read Also: Why Native App Development is the Future of Your Business
6. Use a framework or library.
Frameworks or libraries are powerful tools that allow you to get up and running quickly and efficiently.
You can use them as a base for an app, but not for an entire app.
If you want to build a native app and use PhoneGap to build it, you can use Cordova, which allows you to take advantage of some of the best, and often free, JavaScript and CSS libraries out there.
If you’re using iOS, you’ll have the best experience when using some of the iOS native components — but if you want to build a really good app, you can do so using Xcode, which makes it easy to build natively.
7. Choose a backend platform.
There are a lot of different backend options when it comes to the web. There are some that only support iOS, others that only support Android, and others that support both.
8. Build the rest of the app.
A lot of mobile apps have a lot of code. Sometimes there’s a big reason for that.
But not all code needs to be there.
Not every app has 10 or 20 different screens. And even if they do, they don’t have to be 100 screens long.
You don’t have to build the entire app, or even a significant portion of it, before getting it to work. You can focus on functionality, and you can design your screens without building them.
You can build a feature that is part of your app, but it’s not yet the app, and it’s not as important as other features.
Read Also: 15 Best Practices for Successful Native App Development
9. Launch your app and test it.
This is the first time you will launch your app. What does it look like, what does it do, and how is it working?
Make sure it does what it’s supposed to do.
Make sure the UI works on all devices.
Does it look good and respond correctly? Does it load quickly?
How does the UI feel? Is it intuitive?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, it’s a good thing. Find out why it’s not working.
Think about why it’s not working, and then make adjustments.
Read Also: 10 Tips to Outsource Best App Developers for Start-Ups
10. Make it yours.
You’ve done it. You’ve built your app. Congratulations.
Now is the time to take control of the app and make it yours. Make it easier to use. Make it more convenient. Build a user base.
You don’t need to change how it looks or how it works, but you do need to make it easier for people to use.
To make this happen, the app needs to provide the right value, and you need to deliver the value.
The best apps do both. They provide value.
You’ve started out, so congratulations. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going.
App development is hard work. You need to be prepared for a long and often frustrating process. However, the good news is that if you start out with a plan and stick with it, you can do it.
You can be successful, you can build a great app, and you can deliver to your customers. If you are considering a mobile app project, this is what you need to know.
If you want to learn more then visit Binary Informatics
