Building a mobile app today is a daunting task. Probably because there are so many competitors doing the same thing out there that just standing out is a challenge, let alone offer the right thing to the right audience.
Mobile app development Toronto is one of the many markets where developers are facing trouble in presenting a unique idea and executing it all too well. Sometimes there’s trouble in marketing the right idea and other times there are development issues. Both the problems would be non-existent if the development has been executed in the right manner.
There could be tons of app building programs that could make your life easier. But if only all of this was as simple as that! The process is complex for even with the tools that make your life easier, you have to have an epic idea. To add to that idea, planning and appropriate methodical work is also required to make the entire process simple.
The big idea becomes a potential to generate profit only when there has been right planning associated to it. In order to make a better plan for your next app development endeavors, here are a few tips that you need to follow.
- Beauty and usability stands relevant to the platform
When apps are created for various platforms, they are created in accordance with the usability of a particular platform. Keeping in a view a particular user of that particular platform, they are built to deliver the top-notch to cater in the best possible way.
One app could seem to be so different on iOS then it would on Android or even Windows. The elements will be the same but the user interface would vary. If you have designed the app keeping each platform in view and their core usability functions, it will stand to be beautiful in its own way for each of those platforms. To be able to do this, you need to study the target platforms and the branding parameters of each. If all of this is too challenging for you then perhaps sticking to one platform would do you good.
- Think ‘Web Service’ for cross-platform apps
For cross-platform apps, perhaps one of the biggest hassle is rewriting the code each time. Sometimes it is such a big obstacle that developers don’t user more than one platform for the very reason.
But if you build your code to abstracted like a local Web service, you can save yourself from that. The programming logic will be completely independent regardless of the various screens or platforms and will be reusable across the chosen platforms. You can then go ahead and build native user interfaces to consume the Web services. As you use this architecture, the user interface will be decoupled from the logic so that both of them can flow independently. Therefore, think of it as a ‘Web service’ before anything else and you will be fine.
- Keep an eye on target platforms
Find out all that you can about your target platforms prior to investing time and money in developing apps that may go in vain due to certain obstacles that may vary from one platform to another.
Read the user interface guidelines for each of the platforms for a clearer understanding. Even if you use the target operating systems as part of your routine, you know the particular demeanor that you deal with every day, how one is similar to or different than the other, you need to read the guidelines in full anyway. Here’s develop guidelines for Android and iOS that you can read to gain a wealth of information that will come in handy for an eternity.
- Empathize with your user
If you didn’t know this then you might as well not be fit to build an app, let alone market your app. No matter what happens, user needs to be your center of gravity. For app development on a particular platform, get inside and explore it from the eyes of a user. Examine other apps for comparison to see why would you (as a user) would want to use another app over the app that you’ve built.
Even when you test, ask yourself whether you would want to use this app or if it would do you any good. Why do we need to consider the user so important? It is because everything today surrounds the user and his/her needs and demands. We, as developers, are here to provide solutions to the users’ problems. If we don’t do that, there are so many options available that the user would switch without even giving a second thought about it. In order to achieve success, the user and his needs are to be considered as top priority.
- Testing is key
Whether you are building a cross-platform app or not, you need to make sure that you test often. For the former app development, there are platform-specific code and components that needs to be taken into account.
If you work day and night on Android version and suddenly, one fine day you thought that iOS should also be considered and run it there to find out off-course object positions, unadjusted fonts or an app that crashes on loads, you will regret. So here’s the key to fix all of that at once: Plan ahead whether you do or do not want to go for cross-platform app development (because it can be tricky). But regardless of that, you need to test it often to identify the problems as and when they occur instead of piling them up.
- Work in teams
For a graphic artist, it is important to learn about the visual language, navigation paradigms and other components of each platform to decide which one to prioritize if you are choosing just one platform or how to go about it in the matters of cross-platform app development. Find out the subtle differences, make notes in the usability patterns and utilize it as and when it deems fit.
Moreover, if you happen to be a programmer and you have a graphic artist in your team, or a freelancer working for agency providing your mockups, you need to understand the need to work with the designers as a team and educate them of the elements. Different mobile app platforms act differently and have an entirely different usability experience by definition. Make sure you educate your team so all of you are on the same page.
Make notes of these tips and tricks as they will surely come in handy whether you are to develop a cross-platform app or not. Just remember to empathize with your user and build apps accordingly.