Creating An App: 9 Easy Steps

This article provides a comprehensive guide to building an app from scratch, including nine easy steps to help you understand the development process and save time and costs. By using the right mobile app architecture, you can develop mobile apps that meet your business requirements precisely. You will also get answers to the most asked question: how to make an app? So, let’s dive into the nine steps of creating an app and publishing it on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

1- Define Why You Want to Make an Application

Putting together an app takes time. So, setting the right goals is seen as one of the most important steps in making an app.

If you don’t know what you want, you probably won’t get the application you want.

The first step in making your own app is deciding why you want to make one.

Apps like WhatsApp and Facebook are well-known because they do something useful.

Asking yourself, “What problem am I trying to solve with this app?” is the best way to answer these questions.

Why is this app being made?

Before you ask how to start the development process, you need to know what the app is for. This step will make it much easier to build something. In fact, it helps you shorten the average time it takes to make an app.

There are many reasons to make an app, but the most important thing is that it always meets these two goals: the goals of your ideal users and your business goals.

Make sure you give yourself enough time to figure out your main goal before you start developing something.

Let’s start with the people who might use it. In all honesty, everyone wants to know about the good things an app can do for them.

But it doesn’t matter if your users are interacting with your business online or offline. No matter what channel they use, the first thing they think is, “What’s in it for me?” If they don’t see a benefit in the first few seconds, it will be harder to get them to use the app again.

A good mobile app can help a business in many ways, like getting more repeat customers, lowering costs, increasing return on investment (ROI), improving productivity, making the business more social, and raising brand awareness.

If you are making an app for your business, you should ask yourself the following questions.

• In what part of your business do you need to make changes?
• How do you make an app that helps you solve a certain problem?
• What do you want an app that you want to build to do?

Let’s look at each one of them on its own.

Which Section of Your Business Needs Improvement?

Knowing the areas of your business that need improvement is essential to identify which features you can implement in your app. If your hotel customers face difficulty booking rooms or spa services, you can provide an easy booking option through the app. If your team is consumed with providing seamless service to existing customers, consider reallocating resources to marketing your business and getting new clients.

How Do You Create an App That Solves a Specific Problem?

Mobile applications can solve many problems for businesses by providing features that are user-friendly and beneficial for customers. Integrating feedback and live chat features into your app can enhance the user experience and increase customer satisfaction. To ensure that your app solves specific problems, make sure it has all the features your end-users expect.

What Result Do You Expect from Your App?

For businesses, more bookings mean more sales and revenue. On the customer side, an app that satisfies their needs increases customer satisfaction and boosts social proof. Defining the expected results is critical for app development and the subsequent steps of creating an app, such as finding an app maker company, or setting up an app.

2- Plan Functionality and Features

The second step in creating an app involves planning your app’s core functionality and features. Here are some key points to keep in mind:

Identify Top Functionalities and Features for Your App

To create an effective app, you need to identify the functionalities and features that will help you achieve your goals. Conduct market research to find out what your competitors are offering and what they are lacking or innovating.

Consider integrating features like real-time tracking, payment gateway integration, and face detection. For example, the virtual party app Veebo integrated Augmented Reality face filters like Snapchat, making virtual parties more fun and attractive.

When designing and developing an on-demand delivery app like Glovo, it’s essential to integrate features like real-time order tracking, push notifications, search orders, places, and items, and POS.

Remove Irrelevant Features from Your List

It’s important to avoid adding irrelevant features to your app as it can affect the app’s performance. Instead, only list down the features that will add value to your app.

Create a minimal viable product (MVP) with the essential features and release the first version. Then, you can gather customer feedback and implement the remaining features accordingly.

This approach will help you and your team focus on the most critical aspects of your app. For instance, you can add different room details, videos of customer reviews, and filters for getting results based on timing and prices in a hotel booking app.

Additionally, you can add room service details, user feedback, one-click chat, and push notifications for discounts and offers to enhance the user experience.

3- Research Your Competitors

Before creating a mobile app, research and insights are vital to finding the scope of your app idea and implementing the necessary features. Researching your competitors is crucial to ensure that you understand the demand for the app you’re creating and help you fill any gaps your competitors have left.

To ensure that you understand the demand for your app, you should be able to answer questions such as:

• What are the objectives of your app?
• Who are the target users of your app?
• Do app users want an app like yours?
• Who are your top competitors in the marketplace?
• What are the drawbacks of your competitors?
• What business model do you plan to follow for better ROI?
• How are you going to monetize your app?

By conducting market research, you will save yourself from making many mistakes in the early stages of your app creation. Sometimes, you may need to step away from your desk and walk in the shoes of your customers to know them better. Ultimately, grabbing the opportunity to create a mobile app requires careful research and preparation.

4- Design Wireframes

After defining your objectives, planning functionalities and features, and conducting competitors’ research, the next step is to design your app. The first step in this process is to create a wireframe skeleton, which will serve as the initial layout of your app. By combining the individual blocks together with wireframing, you can give your app its first structure.

What is Wireframing?

Wireframing is a picture of how your app is laid out and how it moves from one screen to the next. This is one of the best ways to work without having to worry about other graphic elements getting in the way.

The use cases, or the specific tasks that your app’s users will do, will be the basis for the mobile app’s wireframe. Before you start making an app, a wireframe is like a bridge between your ideas and the final product.

You should try to find the best number and order of app screens for each goal. You can also make a splash screen and different app screen flows for the same task to see which gives users the best experience.

Wireframing Methods for App Development

Wireframing is an essential part of app development, and there are two primary ways of creating them: offline and online.

Offline wireframing involves using a pen and paper or printable templates. Several free templates, such as SneakPeekIt, are available online for download.

Online wireframing involves using various wireframing tools like NinjaMock, Fluid UI, Adobe Suite, and Mockflow. Etelligens graphic design team uses Balsamiq and AdobeXD wireframe design tools. Start sketching every use case that represents the full-screen flow, from opening the app to achieving a goal.

Prioritizing wireframing early in the development process can save hundreds of development hours later on.

Test Wireframes

After designing the use cases for your app, it’s time to test them to improve the flow and user experience. One tool to help with this is InVision, which allows you to make your wireframes interactive by connecting screens and actions.

How to Use InVision

To use InVision, first register for a free account on their website. Then, create a new project and prototype, and upload images of individual screens from your wireframe. You can link these images to simulate app functionality and share the prototype with colleagues or testers for feedback.

App Design Tips from Experienced Designers

In addition to wireframe testing, our experienced designers recommend considering factors such as user behavior, platform-specific design guidelines, and accessibility when designing your app. Using top design tools like Balsamiq and AdobeXD can also improve your workflow and productivity.

5- Choose a Custom App Development Path

Building an app involves various steps, and one of the most crucial is choosing the right app development platform and coding language. Although it may seem daunting at first, understanding your requirements, budget, and target audience can help simplify the process.

Choosing the App Development Platform

Selecting the appropriate app development platform is vital to ensure your app meets your specific requirements and budget. There are different app-building platforms to consider, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

I. Native App Development

Native app development involves creating an app for a specific operating system, such as Android or iOS. For instance, building an Android app could help you reach a larger audience and generate more revenue through ads.

However, building separate apps for the Play Store and App Store can be challenging, and it can be costly to hire separate development teams for each platform. Despite these challenges, native apps typically offer reliable performance and robust security features, making them a popular choice for businesses.

Before committing to native app development, it’s essential to weigh the pros and cons and ensure it aligns with your app’s goals and objectives.

In conclusion, choosing the right app development platform and coding language is critical to building a successful app. By carefully considering your requirements, budget, and target audience, you can select the most suitable platform and language for your needs.

II. Mobile App Frameworks

The second path in creating an app is through the use of mobile app frameworks. This allows you to create hybrid apps that can be deployed on both Android and iOS platforms. There are several frameworks available, such as React Native, Framework 7, and PhoneGap, that enable you to build a single app that can run on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. This means that you no longer need to spend a lot of money on two separate development teams or maintain two different code bases.

If you are an individual developer or a startup with limited resources, going for hybrid apps is a good option. Although their performance may not be as good as that of native Android or iPhone apps, this situation is continuously improving, especially at the gaming level. However, it is crucial to consider any additional features that you may want to add in the future, as they may cause trouble later and delay the launch of your app or strain your budget.

III. Drag and Drop Mobile App Builder

If your budget is extremely limited or you are not comfortable with the previous two methods, you can try the low-code app development method by using a drag and drop mobile app builder. Several app-building platforms, such as Appy Pie, App Sheet, and Build Fire, allow you to develop mobile apps with zero coding knowledge. All you must do is choose a template or drag and drop elements, and your Android or iPhone app will be ready in no time.

With these platforms, you have the freedom to design your app the way you want it, whether you want a landing page or not. You no longer need to wait for months or spend thousands of dollars on app development. However, there are some limitations that you need to keep in mind.

It is not recommended to use free Android or iPhone app builders because they have a lot of limitations, such as the security of confidential information not being up to the mark as you involve a third party in the process. You also cannot access the latest technologies, tools, and techniques that hinder the performance of your app, and you cannot customize your app properly or get advanced app features.

When we tried and tested one of the popular free application-building platforms recently, we encountered several problems. We created a simple WebView app by adding our website’s URL, and the APK file size was 67.31MB. Unfortunately, the app was lagging and showing watermarks at various places.

We are not against app builders, but we suggest that you choose them wisely. Select a plan that provides you with the most freedom so that you can customize and optimize your app in any manner you want. By using the best app builders, you can save up to 75% of your mobile app and web app development budget.

Choosing the Appropriate Programming Language

Choosing the right programming language can be a breeze once you have identified your development direction. Below are the programming languages you need to consider for native app development on both Android and iOS platforms.

Android App Development: To start developing an Android app, you need Android Studio, an integrated development environment (IDE). After that, you can design the app’s interface using XML and write its logic using any language such as Kotlin, Java, or C++. Kotlin has become a popular choice for over 50% of developers according to Google, so it may be the best choice for beginners.

iOS App Development: To develop an iOS app, you will need XCode IDE and knowledge of the Swift language (Swift 5 is the latest version). Though Objective-C is still an option, Apple seems to be shifting away from C-based languages. Swift is reported to be easier to work with and more user-friendly.

Hybrid App Development: The programming languages are not a significant concern for other development paths, including hybrid app development. Follow the framework’s documentation, and you’ll be ready to create a hybrid app in no time.

6. Develop Your Mobile App

When it comes to building a mobile app, it’s essential to consider all the requirements and guidelines for a quality application. As the best mobile app development company, we suggest focusing on the following key points:

• Get rid of any unnecessary elements that don’t support users’ tasks.
• Use a single input field whenever possible.
• Avoid overusing push notifications.
• Future-proof your app for potential profit and growth.
• Choose the right and fast database to ensure efficiency, scalability, and security.

7- Test Your Mobile App

Once your app is developed, it’s crucial to test it for bugs and user experience. We recommend conducting at least two tests: internal and external testing. Internal testing should be done by the development team, while external testing requires giving the app to unfamiliar users. There are various testing tools available, such as TestFairy, UserTesting, and Ubertesters, to help identify and fix issues.

8- Launch Your Mobile App on the App Stores

After testing, it’s time to submit your app to the respective app store. However, this process is not as easy as it sounds, as app stores have strict guidelines and policies that must be followed. For example, Apple’s App Store rejects over 40% of app submissions each year, while Play Store rejects at least 55%. As a mobile application development company, we can help navigate the launch process, including researching permissions and requirements and guiding clients through documentation and publishing.

9- Promote and Market Your Application

Marketing is essential to let users know who you are, what you stand for, and how you’re different from others. While companies may have significant budgets for promotion and marketing, beginners can start by asking themselves three questions: What problem does my app solve? Who is my target audience? How can I reach those users? There are various ways to market your app, such as using banners on your website, publishing dedicated blog posts, sending emails to existing customers, and promoting on social media or through influencers.

What Comes Next After App Development?

After developing and marketing your app, the journey doesn’t end there. There are two crucial steps to take after completing the development process.

I- Gathering User Feedback

Receiving user feedback is essential for improving your app’s performance. Your users can help you understand how they feel about your app after they start using it. To obtain feedback, you can send an email to your users and ask them to provide a line or two about what they like and what areas can be improved. You can also check user ratings, reviews, and interact with people on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook pages. Using app analytics is another method to see the app’s popularity and gain insights into your user demographics and expectations.

II- Maintenance

Maintenance is essential after gathering user feedback. You can update your app in three ways:

Feature Requests: If your users have expressed issues or requests for additional features, you can address them in future updates.

Bug Fixes: As more people start using your app, you may notice issues that need to be fixed, such as slow-loading screens. You can fix these bugs and maintain the app in upcoming updates.

Major Software Updates: When Apple or Google launches a new operating system update, you need to update your app to maintain its compatibility with the latest software.