Building mobile applications can be as easy as opening up Visual Studio, throwingsomething together, doing a quick bit of testing, and submitting to an App Store– all done in an afternoon. Or it can be an extremely involved process thatinvolves rigorous up-front design, usability testing, QA testing on thousands ofdevices, a full beta lifecycle, and then deployment a number of differentways.
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In this document, we’re going to take a thorough introductory examinationof building mobile applications, including:
Defining Your Objectives And Market Research. Before the commencement of the development, you. Instead, it may delay delivery of the data to preserve battery life. If the app is currently running—either active and onscreen, or inactive and the frontmost app—the system immediately delivers the data to the app. If the app is in the background, the system wakes the app within 10 minutes to deliver the data.
This document is intended to answer fundamental questions about mobile appdevelopment, for new and experienced application developers alike. It takes afairly comprehensive approach to introducing most of the concepts you’ll runinto during the entire Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). However, thisdocument may not be for everyone, if you’re itching to just start buildingapplications, we recommend jumping ahead to the Introduction to Mobile Development guide and then coming back to this document later.
Mobile development software lifecycle
The lifecycle of mobile development is largely no different than the SDLC forweb or desktop applications. As with those, there are usually 5 major portionsof the process:
Often many of these pieces are overlapped, for example, it’s common fordevelopment to be going on while the UI is being finalized, and it may eveninform the UI design. Additionally, an application may be going into astabilization phase at the same that new features are being added to a newversion.
Furthermore, these phases can be used in any number of SDLC methodologiessuch as Agile, Spiral, Waterfall, etc.
Each of the these phases will be explained in more detail by the following sections.
Inception
The ubiquity and level of interaction people have with mobile devices meansthat nearly everyone has an idea for a mobile app. Mobile devices open up awhole new way to interact with computing, the web, and even corporateinfrastructure.
The inception stage is all about defining and refining the idea for an app.To create a successful app, it’s important to ask some fundamentalquestions. Here are some things to consider before publishing an app in one of the public App Stores:
For apps that will be distributed in an Enterprise:
Additionally, apps should be evaluated in the context of the mobile form factor:
To help with designing the functionality of an app, it can be useful todefine Actors and Use Cases. Actors are roles withinan application and are often users. Use cases are typically actions orintents.
Macos App Download
For instance, a task tracking application might have two Actors: User and Friend. A User might Create a Task, and Share a Task with a Friend. In this case, creating atask and sharing a task are two distinct use cases that, in tandem with theActors, will inform what screens you’ll need to build, as well as whatbusiness entities and logic will need to be developed.
Once an appropriate number of use cases and actors has been captured, it’s much easierto begin designing an application. Development can then focus on how to create the app, rather than what the app is or should do.
Designing mobile applications
Once the features and functionality of the app have been determined, the next step isstart trying to solve the User Experience or UX.
UX design
UX is usually done via wireframes or mockups using one of the many design toolkits. UX mockups allow the UX to be designed without having to worryabout the actual UI design: How to see if app is 32 bit mac.
When creating UX mockups, it’s important to consider the interfaceguidelines for the various platforms that the app will target. The app should 'feel at home' on each platform. The official design guidelines for each platform are:
For example, each app has a metaphor for switching between sections in anapplication. iOS uses a tab bar at the bottom of the screen, Android uses a tab bar at the top of the screen, and UWP uses the Pivot or tab view.
Additionally, the hardware itself also dictates UX decisions. For example,iOS devices have no physical back button, and therefore introduce theNavigation Controller metaphor:
Furthermore, form factor also influences UX decisions. A tablet has far morereal estate, and so can display more information. Often what needs multiple screens on a phone is compressed into one for a tablet:
And due to the myriad of form factors out there, there are often mid-sizeform factors (somewhere between a phone and a tablet) that you may also want totarget.
User interface (UI) design
Once the UX is determined, the next step is tocreate the UI design. While UX is typically just black and white mockups, the UIDesign phase is where colors, graphics, etc., are introduced and finalized. Spending timeon good UI design is important and generally, the most popular apps have aprofessional design.
As with UX, it’s important to understand that each platform has it’s owndesign language, so a well-designed application may still look different on each platform:
Development
The development phase usually starts very early. In fact, once an idea hassome maturation in the conceptual/inspiration phase, often a working prototypeis developed that validates functionality, assumptions, and helps to give anunderstanding of the scope of the work.
In the rest of the tutorials, we’ll focus largely on the developmentphase.
Stabilization
Stabilization is the process of working out the bugs in your app. Not justfrom a functional standpoint, e.g.: “It crashes when I click this button,”but also Usability and Performance. It’s best to start stabilization veryearly within the development process so that course corrections can occur beforethey become costly. Typically, applications go into Prototype, Alpha, Beta, and Release Candidate stages. Differentpeople define these differently, but they generally follow the followingpattern:
It’s never too early to begin testing an application. For example, if amajor issue is found in the prototype stage, the UX of the app can still bemodified to accommodate it. If a performance issue is found in the alpha stage,it’s early enough to modify the architecture before a lot of code has beenbuilt on top of false assumptions.
Typically, as an application moves further along in the lifecycle, it’sopened to more people to try it out, test it, provide feedback, etc. Forinstance, prototype applications may only be shown or made available to keystakeholders, whereas release candidate applications may be distributed tocustomers that sign up for early access.
For early testing and deployment to relatively few devices, usually deployingstraight from a development machine is sufficient. However, as the audiencewidens, this can quickly become cumbersome. As such, there are a number of testdeployment options out there that make this process much easier by allowing youto invite people to a testing pool, release builds over the web, and providetools that allow for user feedback.
For testing and deployment, you can use App Center to continuously build, test, release, and monitor apps.
Distribution
Once the application has been stabilized, it’s time to get it out into thewild. There are a number of different distribution options, depending on theplatform.
iOS
Xamarin.iOS and Objective-C apps are distributed in exactly the same way:
Macos App StoreAndroid
All Android applications must be signed before being distributed. Developerssign their applications by using their own certificate protected by a privatekey. This certificate can provide a chain of authenticity that ties anapplication developer to the applications that developer has built and released.It must be noted that while a development certificate for Android can be signedby a recognized certificate authority, most developers do not opt to utilizethese services, and self-sign their certificates. The main purpose forcertificates is to differentiate between different developers and applications.Android uses this information to assist with enforcement of delegation ofpermissions between applications and components running within the AndroidOS.
Uninstall app mac snow leopard. Unlike other popular mobile platforms, Android takes a very open approach toapp distribution. Devices are not locked to a single, approved app store.Instead, anyone is free to create an app store, and most Android phones allowapps to be installed from these third party stores.
This allows developers a potentially larger yet more complex distributionchannel for their applications. Google Play is Google’s official app store, but there aremany others. A few popular ones are:
UWP
UWP applications are distributed to users via the Microsoft Store. Developers submit their apps for approval, after which they appear in the Store. For more information on publishing Windows apps, see UWP's Publish documentation.
Mobile development considerations
While developing mobile applications isn’t fundamentally different thattraditional web/desktop development in terms of process or architecture, thereare some considerations to be aware of.
Common considerationsMultitasking
There are two significant challenges to multitasking (having multipleapplications running at once) on a mobile device. First, given the limitedscreen real estate, it is difficult to display multiple applicationssimultaneously. Therefore, on mobile devices only one app can be in theforeground at one time. Second, having multiple applications open and performingtasks can quickly use up battery power.
Each platform handles multitasking differently, which we’ll explore in abit.
Form factor
Mobile devices generally fall into two categories, phones and tablets, with afew crossover devices in between. Developing for these form factors is generallyvery similar, however, designing applications for them can be very different.Phones have very limited screen space, and tablets, while bigger, are stillmobile devices with less screen space than even most laptops. Because of this,mobile platform UI controls have been designed specifically to be effective onsmaller form factors.
Device and operating system fragmentation
It’s important to take into account different devices throughout the entiresoftware development lifecycle:
Limited resources
Mobile devices get more and more powerful all the time, but they are stillmobile devices that have limited capabilities in comparison to desktop ornotebook computers. For instance, desktop developers generally don’t worryabout memory capacities; they’re used to having both physical and virtualmemory in copious quantities, whereas on mobile devices you can quickly consumeall available memory just by loading a handful of high-quality pictures.
Additionally, processor-intensive applications such as games or textrecognition can really tax the mobile CPU and adversely affect deviceperformance.
Because of considerations like these, it’s important to code smartly and todeploy early and often to actual devices to validateresponsiveness.
iOS considerationsMultitasking
Multitasking is very tightly controlled in iOS, and there are a number ofrules and behaviors that your application must conform to when anotherapplication comes to the foreground, otherwise your application will beterminated by iOS.
Device-specific resources
Within a particular form factor, hardware can vary greatly between differentmodels. For instance, some devices have a rear-facing camera, some also have afront-facing camera, and some have none.
Some older devices (iPhone 3G and older) don’t even allow multitasking.
Because of these differences between device models, it’s important to checkfor the presence of a feature before attempting to use it.
OS specific constraints
To make sure that applications are responsive and secure, iOSenforces a number of rules that applications must abide by. In addition to therules regarding multitasking, there are a number of event methods out of whichyour app must return in a certain amount of time, otherwise it will getterminated by iOS.
Also worth noting, apps run in what’s known as a Sandbox, an environmentthat enforces security constraints that restrict what your app can access. Forinstance, an app can read from and write to its own directory, but if itattempts to write to another app directory, it will be terminated.
Android considerationsMultitasking
Multitasking in Android has two components; the first is the activitylifecycle. Each screen in an Android application is represented by an Activity,and there is a specific set of events that occur when an application is placedin the background or comes to the foreground. Applications must adhere to thislifecycle to create responsive, well-behaved applications. For moreinformation, see the Activity Lifecycle guide.
The second component to multitasking in Android is the use of Services.Services are long-running processes that exist independent of an application andare used to execute processes while the application is in the background. Formore information see the Creating Servicesguide.
Many devices and many form factors
Google doesn’t impose any limits on which devices can run the Android OS. Thisopen paradigm results in a product environment populated by a myriad ofdifferent devices with very different hardware, screen resolutions and ratios,device features, and capabilities.
Because of the extreme fragmentation of Android devices, most people choosethe most popular 5 or 6 devices to design and test for, and prioritizethose.
Security considerations
Applications in the Android OS all run under a distinct, isolated identitywith limited permissions. By default, applications can do very little. Forexample, without special permissions, an application cannot send a text message,determine the phone state, or even access the Internet! To access thesefeatures, applications must specify in their application manifest file whichpermissions they would like, and when they’re being installed; the OS readsthose permissions, notifies the user that the application is requesting thosepermissions, and then allows the user to continue or cancel the installation.This is an essential step in the Android distribution model, because of the openapplication store model, since applications are not curated the way they are foriOS, for instance. For a list of application permissions, see the Manifest Permissions reference article in the Android Documentation.
Windows considerationsMultitasking
Multitasking in UWP has two parts: the lifecycle for pages andapplications, and background processes. Each screen in an application is aninstance of a Page class, which has events associated with being made active orinactive (with special rules for handling the inactive state, or being“tombstoned”).
The second part is providing background agents for processing tasks even whenthe application is not running in the foreground.
Device capabilities
Although UWP hardware is fairly homogeneous, there are still components that are optionaland therefore require special considering while coding. Optional hardwarecapabilities include the camera, compass, and gyroscope. There is also a specialclass of low-memory (256MB) that requires special consideration, or developerscan opt-out of low-memory support.
Security considerations
For information on important security considerations in UWP, refer to the Security documentation.
Summary
This guide gave an introduction to the SDLC as it relates to mobiledevelopment. It introduced general considerations for building mobileapplications and examined a number of platform-specific considerations includingdesign, testing, and deployment.
Next steps
Throughout all the app projects we’ve worked on, one consistent trend I noticed is that mobile app development is like a black box especially if you don’t know how to code.
If you’re considering building a mobile app for your small to medium-sized business, you need to know exactly what it takes to execute. According to a recent study, about one in five SMBs have currently built a mobile app and about that many plan to launch one in 2016.
Mobile use statistics tell a very compelling story for businesses still on the fence:
Of course, even with all the evidence in favor of building an app, the decision to move forward isn’t one to be taken lightly. With about 1.5 million apps each in Google Play and Apple’s App Store, it’s important to understand the mobile app development process and how your app will fit with both your market niche and your marketing goals. With that said, here’s a look at the app development lifecycle and the objectives and challenges along the way.
Discovery, Market Research, And Mobile App Development Tech-stack.
You may already have a few good mobile app ideas for your business, and that’s a good place to start. But before you move into the design and development phase, your first step should be a deep dive into research—into your own business and target audience, as well as that of your competitors. You’ll need answers to the following questions:
If you haven’t done so already, put together your app development team with members from relevant departments (executive leadership, marketing and/or sales, product development, IT, etc.) and hash out the information you gathered during the research and discovery phases. Informed feedback in these early stages will pave the way for a smoother development process.
Establishing Mobile App Goals and Objectives
This is a crucial step in the planning phase of your mobile app. Once you’ve determined an app will advance important objectives in your mobile marketing scheme, you need to map out how your app will get you there.
In many cases, determining your app’s features and benefits is a balancing act between your overall app development budget and your in-house capabilities. However, when it comes to prioritizing functionality, research shows that app design should emphasize customer engagement over exclusive services.
Wireframes and Storyboards
Image via pidoco
At this stage, you should have a pretty good idea about what your app will look like and what features you want to include. You should also have developed a scope of work—which pieces of the process will be performed in-house and which will be contracted out. Now it’s time to start sketching out your app and creating a storyboard.
There are many online tools for wireframing your app; your goal at this point is to develop a clear picture of how your ideas and proposed features will fuse together into a functional app. You should also create a storyboard, or roadmap, to demonstrate the connections between each screen and how users will navigate through the app. Keep these pointers in mind as you sketch:
Defining the Backend of Your Mobile App
Your wireframes and storyboard will serve as a guide for the backend structures you’ll need to support your app—think APIs, data diagrams, servers, data integration, and push notification services. In many cases, SMEs find choosing a mobile backend as a service (BaaS) platformmakes sense, since they solve common challenges such as scalability and lack of in-house talent.
One caveat: You may need to modify your wireframes and/or storyboard if you encounter technical limitations in the backend development process, so stay flexible at this early stage.
Finalize Your Wireframe and Test Your Prototype
Image courtesy of Dribbble.com
At this point, you should nail down any changes in your wireframe identified during the backend planning process. Once your team has agreed upon the wireframe and storyboard, it’s time to build an interactive prototype.
Prototyping is an essential step in the app development process, because it gives you an opportunity to really evaluate design concepts, gather feedback, and identify dead links and flaws in the flow and usability of your mobile app. There are several good prototyping tools available online to simplify the process.
It’s a good idea to bring in people who are not part of your mobile app team to test and evaluate your prototype. Observe them as they interact with the app and ask for honest feedback on the app’s overall functionality and ease of use. Adapt the UI/UX to correct for any shortcomings identified during this stage.
Your goal is to finalize your app design concept and create a high fidelity prototype that will guide you through the actual app development process.
Developing the App
Actually developing the app involves a number of steps and processes. If you aren’t using an app development platform or mobile BaaS provider, your developer will have to set up the actual storage solutions, databases, APIs, and servers for the backend of your app.
Don’t forget to set up developer accounts for the app stores you plan to use to distribute your app, if you don’t already have them; this step can take several days to complete and is easy to overlook. It’s also a good idea to read through the app store guidelines so your app isn’t rejected during the review process.
You’re now ready to move into the programming and coding phase. If you’ve hired outside talent to develop your app, be sure to get a signed non-disclosure agreement and establish a timeline for deliverables. Keep in mind the “hire slow, fire fast” maxim and give yourself a quick out if you aren’t pleased with your programmer’s capabilities after the project starts.
At this stage, your designer will create the app “skins,” or actual screens used in your mobile app. These high-resolution renderings of your wireframes represent the interface your users will eventually use to interact with your app, so make sure your designs incorporate all the ideas and feedback collected during the earlier testing phase. After all, you are creating an app you want your customers and target audience to actually enjoy using, so UI/UX details matter.
Test and Test Again
This is an exciting time in the app development lifecycle—you finally have a complete app concept with exciting graphics and perfectly placed text. Now you need to rigorously test your app in a variety of real-world scenarios to sniff out and correct any technical flaws.
Go back to your original design and planning documents and go through every feature; don’t assume something works in the final concept just because it worked during the development phase.
Again, it’s a good idea to observe other users as they test the app—they may have questions and insights that aren’t obvious to you since you’ve been involved in app development since the earliest days. You may even want to use one of the online mobile UX testing tools that give you real-time feedback and analytics; several work on a freemium model that is cost effective for SMEs. Be sure to test for cross platform compatibility of images, graphics, and user experience.
When you’re confident your app is working correctly in all scenarios and you’re happy with the appearance and usability of the interface, it’s time to make the final preparations to launch your mobile app.
Preparing for Launch
The steps you take to prepare for your app launch may have the greatest effect on its ultimate success, and getting your marketing department involved early in the process is one of the most important. Marketing will help you with keyword research, which is essential for SEO and app store optimization (ASO), both of which are key for discoverability.
Your market and keyword research will guide your choices for app titles and descriptions as you prepare to submit your mobile app to the various marketplaces for distribution. You’ll also want to get high-quality screenshots of your app and maybe even a promotional video and/or demo at this point.
You’ll also need a website—or at least a landing page—to support and promote your app. This is important for branding and awareness, and also for search and discoverability; Google’s App Indexing API uses content within your app and your app’s web page in its search results algorithm. Key components of your app’s landing page or website should include:
Be sure to promote your app on your business website and on your social media accounts; if you have a company blog, publish updates throughout the development process to create interest and anticipation. It’s also a good idea to launch an email campaign. Depending on your market niche and the type of app you are building, you may also want to enlist the help of experts and social influencers to help promote your app.
As you walk through your app promotion checklist, don’t forget to include app analytics to help you optimize your app and increase its appeal to your target audience. Google Analytics is a good place to start.
Now is also a good time to consider alternative app marketplaces, aside from Apple’s App Store and Google Play, to distribute your app. Another option to consider during the pre-launch phase is submitting your app to PreApps, an app marketplace that connects developers with early adopters, for some pre-release feedback.
Official Release
Your official release date should represent the climax of your app marketing efforts up to this point. It’s time to create some buzz with write-ups and articles by influential bloggers and journalists—and to make an announcement to everyone who showed interest in your app prior to launch. Promote your release with an email blast and mentions (with links) on all your social media profiles. The idea is to generate downloads and ratings, and build some momentum.
Don’t rest on your laurels once your app is released; you want to keep your new users engaged. This is a great time to use push notifications to announce a special offer or promotion so users will open your app. Consider offering incentives such as a one-time discount or free product or service for customers who download your app. Remember that marketing your app is an ongoing process, and your release-date efforts are just the beginning.
Finally, have a clear channel for feedback and be responsive to the comments and concerns of your users; a timely update or fix can work wonders for retaining your customers. Pay attention to your analytics and track those KPIs that define success for your marketing objectives.
Once you understand the key processes and steps in the mobile app development lifecycle, you’ll be better prepared to develop an app with the function and features you need—on a budget and timeline you can comfortably manage.
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