So how exactly does the mobile app development process work?

Photo credit: Jennifer Lee/CC BY 2.0.

Building a mobile app is a long process which involves lots of planning, researching, strategic decision-making, and testing. When decision-makers in your organization determine the need to create an app, they should be aware of the length of time, the necessary steps, and the level of involvement along this process.

In truth, the simplest glitch left undetected during the development process can have disastrous consequences on the viability and usability of your mobile app. Every single step of the development process must involve a multi-specialty team including representatives from the app owner.

The simplest glitch left undetected during the development process can have disastrous consequences.

This is why it’s important to know what to expect when you consider approaching a mobile app development company and be prepared to offer your input during all the phases. Here’s a comprehensive overview of the typical mobile app development process:

1. Initial planning

Before you contact the app development team, your organization should have a clear image of what you want from the mobile app. When you present your brief to the app developers, you should include the following information:

• The purpose of the app: overview of core functionalities; what problem or need the app is supposed to solve;
• Customer personas and stories: who the typical users of the app are, how they interact with your company, their app usage patterns, and their tech-savviness;
• Initial sketches: hand-drawn or computer-generated sketches with a general design of how you want your app interface to look;
• The budget you have in mind to build the app.

2. Wireframing

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Wireframes are sketches or mock-ups of the actual design of your app, screen by screen. Wireframes are developed in collaboration with the designer of the app development team. In this phase, you will determine the level of animations, transition effects, sounds and style of the buttons, and the text and layout.

The wireframing step is very important because it will determine the complexity of your app from a graphics point of view. This is very important for the developer team to determine the best platform for building your app, as some platforms offer more advanced graphics and animation capacities than others. Also, this is the phase where you define user experience and decide how to incorporate your brand image into the mobile app.

3. Choosing the platform

Taking into account the functionalities and the level of graphics required by your app, the developers will propose the best mobile development platforms. These recommendations will also take into account your proposed budget. However, if you want a professional app which will be successful among users, you should always pick quality over cost and choose the best technical solution proposed by the developers.

Once the design and the platform are selected, the app development team begins the actual work of building the app. Even though this is a highly technical step in the process, the representatives of your organization still need to be involved, taking part in weekly project meetings and giving their timely input whenever it is required. Some of these inputs may involve modifying the design or wireframes according to certain limitations of the platform of your choice.

4. Prototype testing

The development team will present you with an MVP (minimum viable product) which represents a prototype of your app including the core functionalities and main design elements. At this point, the testing involves checking whether the app offers the basic service you had in mind and solves the customers’ needs according to your client personas and stories.

5. Finished product testing

How long does this entire process take?