What does a mobile app development company do?

What does a mobile app development company do? the answer is a mobile app development company is responsible for designing, developing, testing and launching mobile applications for businesses and consumers. With the massive growth of smartphone usage globally, mobile apps have become a critical part of many companies’ digital strategies. A competent mobile app development company handles the entire app creation process from concept to launch.

Services provided by a mobile app development company

A mobile app development company typically provides a wide range of services related to mobile app development. Here are some of the key services offered:

Mobile app strategy

A good mobile app development company starts by working with clients to create a comprehensive mobile app strategy. This involves understanding the client’s business goals, target audience, competitive landscape, and identifying features that will make the app useful and engaging for users. The strategy is crucial to set objectives and determine the scope of work required.

UX/UI design

The look and feel of an app – the user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design – plays a huge role in adoption and retention. An experienced mobile app development company has UX/UI designers who can craft attractive, intuitive interfaces optimized for the smaller screens of mobile devices. The designs are brought to life using the latest tools and platforms.

App development

The development phase involves actual coding and programming to build the app. Based on the client’s requirements and budget, a mobile app development company provides services like:

• Native app development for iOS and Android
• Cross-platform app development using frameworks like React Native
• Hybrid app development using technologies like Ionic and Cordova
• Custom backend development and integration
• API integration
• Database creation and management
• Admin panels/dashboards creation

Testing and quality assurance

Prior to launching, it is essential to conduct comprehensive testing on apps to ensure functionality, usability, performance, and security. Mobile app testing validates the proper operation of the app across various devices and platforms. It involves identifying and rectifying bugs and crashes. A mobile app development company typically employs dedicated QA experts to carry out thorough testing.

App launch support

The work doesn’t end after development. A mobile app development company provides support during launch e.g. uploading the app to app stores, ASO (app store optimization), setting up analytics, monitoring performance post-launch etc. Some even offer support and maintenance services after launch.

Mobile app development approaches

Depending on the specific requirements of the project, a mobile app development company may use various approaches and methodologies:

Waterfall model

The waterfall approach involves sequentially moving through phases: requirement gathering, design, development, testing, and deployment. It works well for projects with fixed scope and clear requirements at the start.

Agile/iterative method

Agile focuses on breaking down app development into smaller chunks and iterative sprints. There is continuous engagement with the client for feedback. It offers flexibility to change requirements even later in the cycle.

DevOps model

The DevOps model focuses on better collaboration between developers and operations teams. It aims for continuous development, testing, and deployment for faster release cycles.

MVP approach

For startups, a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is often the preferred approach. A core set of app features are identified for developing an MVP to establish product-market fit early on. More features are added iteratively later.

Mobile app development technologies

There are a multitude of technology choices, platforms, and programming languages used in mobile app development. Some of the popular ones include:

Android app development

For Android app development, the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) provides the API libraries and developer tools needed. Apps are coded in Java, Kotlin or C++ languages. XML is used to design the UI layouts.

iOS app development

Apple’s Swift and Objective-C are the main programming languages used for building iOS apps. Xcode is the IDE with everything required for coding iOS apps. Designing iOS app interfaces involves using Storyboards.

React Native

React Native is a popular cross-platform framework backed by Facebook. It uses React along with native UI components for building Android and iOS apps using JavaScript and TypeScript.

Flutter

Created by Google, Flutter also enables cross-platform app development. It uses the Dart language and Flutter SDK for building mobile apps. The UI is assembled using Flutter’s widget-based framework.

Ionic

Ionic is an open source SDK for building hybrid mobile apps using web technologies like HTML, CSS and JavaScript. It uses Apache Cordova for native functionality and access to device APIs.

Xamarin

Owned by Microsoft, Xamarin is a framework to build cross-platform mobile apps for iOS, Android and Windows using C# code. It uses platform-specific SDKs to compile into native binaries.

Mobile app design process

A well-executed mobile app design process is key to creating a successful app. The typical process followed by mobile app development companies includes:

Discovery phase

During this initial phase, the process entails comprehending the client’s app vision through questionnaires, interviews, and requirement collection. In this phase, we undertake tasks like defining business objectives, identifying the target audience, conducting comprehensive market analysis, and participating in competitive research.

UX design

The UX design phase focuses on conceptualizing and planning optimal app structure, flow, interaction models and information architecture. We create user journeys, flows, prototypes, and wireframes in addition to potentially conducting usability testing.

Visual design

We design visual elements such as color schemes, typography, icons, and graphics here to define the look and feel of the app. We prepare visual style guides with detailed specifications for UI elements.

Development

Actual coding and development of the app happens in this phase, along with backend work and integrations. The designs are transformed into a working app with the help of chosen technology stack.

Testing

We perform various testing activities, including functional testing, UI testing, performance testing, and UX testing, before the launch to identify and address bugs. We may also conduct beta testing.

Launch

After testing and obtaining client signoff, the app is launched on app stores. Post-launch monitoring, tracking analytics, user feedback analysis also occur in this phase.

Cost of mobile app development

The cost to develop an app can range quite broadly depending on various factors:

• Platform (iOS, Android, hybrid)
• App complexity and features
• Design costs
• Developer rates
• Testing needs
• Hosting and infrastructure costs
• Post-launch support and maintenance costs

Based on a Clutch survey, the average expense for app development stands at approximately $171,450. Developing a simple app can commence at a minimum of $30,000, whereas more intricate and complex apps could result in costs surpassing $500,000.

To summarize, a mobile app development company handles every aspect of conceptualizing, designing, developing, testing and launching fully-functional mobile apps. Partnering with an experienced app development company helps in cost-effectively translating app ideas into successful mobile products.