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September 25, 2023
The mobile development process features many different tasks. This is why seasoned mobile developers prefer breaking them down into small, manageable chunks. However, that’s just one of the many practices that ensure developers build better mobile apps.
In this article, we’ll highlight seven best practices to help you build better mobile apps, whether you are a senior developer or just getting started in this career field.
You’ve heard the phrase before, “failing to plan is planning to fail.” This phrase holds up in most facets of life, including the mobile app development process. Before you start, you should keenly revisit your planning to ensure you arrive at your desired outcomes.
Planning involves laying out the roadmap for your app development process. It includes defining your goals to determine the features and functionality of your apps. Planning also helps you stay focused and organized.
For instance, planning involves choosing the right platform. Should you go the native path, you’ll have to choose between iOS and Android, as they are the two most popular mobile platforms.
Research is essential for understanding your target audience and creating an app that speaks to them.
This involves gathering valuable insights through market research, competitor analysis, customer surveys, and focus groups to deeply understand your users' behaviors, preferences, and motivations.
With this information, you'll be able to create an app that resonates with your target audience and leaves them smiling.
Strategy is all about figuring out how you'll promote and market your app once it's launched. It's imperative that you nail your strategy, as it will save you time and money on unnecessary development.
A solid strategy involves creating a marketing plan and business model, identifying potential partners, and determining your distribution channels. A proper marketing strategy will ensure that your app reaches the right people and continues to grow and succeed.
Mobile experiences, coupled with great designs, will ensure your customers use the app and continue using it in the long run. User experience, on the other hand, is all about how users interact with your app. It's about ensuring that your app is visually appealing, functional, and intuitive.
This means paying attention to things like navigation, responsiveness, and feedback. A great user experience keeps users returning and sets your app apart from the competition.
According to one report by Google, poor user experience on a mobile app reduces the likelihood of consumers to continue using the app or making a purchase on the same platform by up to 62 %. Also, remember that over 90 % of the time spent on a smartphone is directly attributed to mobile applications.
So, no matter if you’ve nailed your delivery strategy, many people might not continue using your app if the interface is not intuitive. For this reason, you should consider concentrating on the user experience to increase user retention and keep the probability of app abandonment low.
Closely tied to the point above, mockups are final renderings of the app’s visual designs. Having mockups and prototypes gives you a sneak peek into what your app will look like and how it will perform.
This allows you to make any necessary changes early on, saving you time and money in the long run. Modifying a mockup or prototype is much simpler than making changes to a live app.
For this reason, we recommend that you consider automation testing. It’s an effective way to run tests and save valuable time. It also unearths human errors, which you could have overlooked earlier.
Making changes to a mockup or prototype is much easier and less costly than making changes to a live app. Not only that, but it's crucial to the entire development process that you run elaborate tests.
Testing helps to identify bugs and other issues with your app. This ensures that the app is functional and user-friendly before it is released to the public.
In today's digital world, security, and data privacy are more important than ever. As a mobile app developer, you must prioritize these areas to ensure the safety of your users' information.
Remember, when the app is released, a mountain of user information will flow into your system, including sensitive data. It’s your responsibility to protect each user’s data. Your target audience will trust you with their data, and if you break their trust, it could lead to serious consequences for all parties.
It doesn't stop there; data privacy is also a huge concern in the modern age. Consider prioritizing privacy to allow you to build trust with your target audience while protecting their information.
One way to do this is by ensuring that all user information is only used for the purpose for which it was intended in the first place. It also means not sharing this data with third parties without your users' consent.
You can avoid these types of scenarios by implementing strong security measures. Some measures you can take include using encryption to protect sensitive information, regularly updating software to address vulnerabilities, and implementing proper authentication procedures to prevent unauthorized access.
Given the importance of security and data privacy, users need to take proactive steps to protect their information. One such step is to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN like NordVPN creates an encrypted connection between your device (i.e., smartphone or laptop) and the internet, making it difficult for anyone to intercept or access your online data.
This added layer of security is especially important when using public Wi-Fi networks, which are often unsecured. They can leave your information vulnerable to hacking or theft, leading to unprecedented loss of data and finances.
One way to build better mobile apps is by collecting customer feedback and utilizing it as a metric for the next round of updates you’ll add to the app. Not only will this keep your clients happy, but it will also improve the user experience.
If you want to collect feedback that will provide actionable insights and help you build better apps, you should definitely check out Gleap. Gleap is the perfect tool for developers who want to collect and manage feedback. It will make your project smooth and, most importantly, keep your clients happy.
Mobile app development is an incredibly long and complicated task that most developers find daunting. There are a ton of other practices that you could implement, but applying these ones will save you from hurdles along the way and keep your target audience happy.