Mobile development is the set of procedures and processes involved in writing software for small, wireless computing devices, such as smartphones and tablets. The mobile market is white hot right now! Gartner predicted that this year, there will be 310 billion downloaded apps reaching 74 billion in revenue. As the mobile app market is fiercely competitive, developing a mobile app that can help you win the hearts of millions while making good money at the same time requires a lot of hard work and of course, a brilliant team of app developers.
At 21 Century Web, we ensure that our mobile applications are written specifically to make the most of the unique features a particular mobile device offers. Based on your mobile development project, we ensure optimum performance on a given device by developing the app natively, which means, the code is written specifically for the processor in a particular device, for instance on an iPhone.
In case the application has to run on multiple operation systems, such as Android, iOS and Windows, we’ve got experts on board who can create browser-based applications. These are websites that are built for mobile browsers, allowing your applications to load faster over a cellular network and have a navigation that is short and sweet, intuitive, and of course, touchscreen-friendly. This means, a browser-based app must make it easy for users to find what they need on the go.
How We Work?
Our mobile development process is designed to produce timely, predictable results and to lower costs. We believe that a successful mobile development project lies at how each step is successfully dealt with – from idea to mobile app launch.
Phase 1: Discovery
This phase involves brainstorming and conducting a detailed market research. We suggest not to dive into design just yet without completing this phase. Take the time to check out other apps similar to your app idea and determine their strengths and weaknesses, so you’ll have a better idea what new things you can integrate into your app. Try to find answers to these questions:
- What is the goal of your mobile app?
- What platforms you are planning on targeting?
- Who will be your target audience?
- Will your app be free or paid?
Phase 2: Scope of Work
This is the stage where we need to create your concept, which include a refined idea of the mobile app, scope of work and writing a technical spec document. We will establish the major milestones in the app development cycle, deadlines and payment terms.
Phase 3: Wireframe
Based on our discussions, we will create a wireframe of the app, which include a user roadmap and information architecture blueprint. This will give us a better picture of the functional elements of the pages, such as the layout, structure and functionality according to how you want the user to process the information.
Phase 4: Design
It’s to kick-off the actual implementation of your app idea! We will design the prototypes, establish a style guide for your mobile app and provide mocks subject to your approval.
Phase 5: Coding
Based on the wireframe, approved mocks and predefined milestones, we will start programming your app, while making sure that milestones are on track. This is the stage where we bring the app’s functions to life! During the development phase, your feedback as a client is valuable to us. Close communication and fast response time are both crucial factors at this stage. API integration, connecting the app to server side and writing unit tests all fall under this phase.
Phase 6: Testing
Once the mobile app development is finished, testing the app rigorously for all the possible scenarios comes next. Testing is divided into two stages: Quality Assurance (QA) testing and Usability Testing. This is the phase where QA analysts find out technical flaws, bugs, inconsistencies with design, bad user experience, cross-platform incompatibility and more. Beta testing is also performed to check how the mobile app responds with real world scenarios.
Phase 7: Launching the App
Once you are happy with how the app looks like and how it performs, and once we’ve crossed out the milestones off our list, it’s time to prepare your mobile app for its official launch. We can help you submit your app to the App Store or Google Play Store and complete the documentations required, such as the app description, screen shots of the app, and the like to be submitted for app review. Once approved, say hello to your new app available for download online.
We can make it easy for you to bring your app idea to life – and it is our pleasure to work with you!