Mobile apps have become the business strategy in today's smartphone-filled world. Among the 1.8 Billion mobiles sold in 2013, there were 968 Million smartphone devices sold in the market. This clearly shows the dominance of smartphones and the need for mobile app development. There are numerous types of mobile apps in the market that fall under the category like social networking, tours&travel, education, healthcare, games etc. The mobile apps can be very useful for the business to communicate with the clients. It helps to retain the company branding as well as improve on sales with its vast reach to the public.
If you have plans to develop a mobile app then the points discussed below can be very useful for you to decide on the basics.
1) In-house Vs Outsourcing
You can start developing the apps in-house if you have the facilities. In-house development provides more control over the project development. You can monitor the mobile app development at each stage. But, the only disadvantage of in-house apps development is that it may be costly. You have to bear the expenses of infrastructure and manpower.
Outsourcing app development can be one of the best option to save money. You can work in collaboration with the hired team to bring out the best results at less overhead expenses. Only disadvantage of outsourcing is that you may have less control over the project.
2) Android Vs iPhone
The obvious question that arise when we decide on developing an app is that which platform to choose? There are plenty of mobile platform like Android, iPhone, Windows, Blackberry etc. You have to choose a mobile platform that will best suit your app. Android is a widely used platform and is preferred for app development while the iPhone is a industry-standard platform on which people are ready to spend more.
The iphone app development follows certain norms which filters the best apps into the app store while Android has no restriction. The iPhone developers have demand in the market since iPhone app development requires more experience.
3) App function
Once you are fixed with the team and platform, you have to conclude about the app function. What is your app going to perform? Does the app concentrate on reading function like news or concentrate on money transaction such as buy now option in shopping site. The basic functions that are to be introduced in the app decides the overall outlook and behavior of the app. You should have a clear perspective about the input & output of the app and the purpose for which the app is developed.
4) Infrastructure integration
One of the primary question that has to be answered before developing the app is that, will the existing infrastructure support the app development? The mobile app development should be able to integrate with the infrastructure. For example, if an existing ecommerce site is integrated with a mobile app, then care should be taken if the existing system can support the excess traffic from the mobile.
5) Appealing design
All the major decisions about platform, language, functionalities etc should be fixed during the design phase. Designing stage helps to place most of the decisions intact to develop the best app. The UI should be clearly defined such that it is user friendly and intuitive.
Conclusion
Mobile app development is a systematic process which depends on multiple features like deciding on platform, app functionalities, design, layout, development process, company etc. Both iPhone development company and Android development company are dedicatedly developing apps as per user requirement. Selecting a company to outsource purely depends on your facility to develop an application. If you are serious about developing a quality mobile apps then it will be worthwhile to select one of the professional mobile app development companies.
Venkatesan
