Overlooked Yet Obvious Points To Develop A High Performing Mobile App

I am not making this question another chicken and egg question to confuse you what came first. We cannot deny the fact that mobile gadgets are nowadays preferred than the regular computers.

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur who wishes to follow the footsteps of people like Chad Mureta, (CEO of App Empire and the co-founder of T3 Apps, Empire Apps, and Best Apps ), and you are inspired to develop your app and want to enter into mobile app industry but you are not sure of where to make an entry.

To develop an app which is highly intuitive and engaging is certainly our prime motive but there are numerous business owners who a specified budget for their development and this is the reason you need to make your choices very wisely.

In this blog we will discuss some of the biggest decisions you need to make before developing your mobile app:

• Choosing the right platform
• UX vs UI or UX + UI
• Do not fail to test

Choosing the right platform

Unlike websites, mobile apps cannot run on all the platforms. This means that an app developed for Android OS will not work on iOS or Windows. This implies that they are platform specific and to make a high performance app that runs on all the platform you need to make a native app for all the platforms individually. The major reason is that there platform drastically vary regarding functionality as the developer needs to have a grasp of Objective-C for developing apps for iOS, wherein Android developers must be good at Java and XML.

Moreover, hiring a native app developer is a costly affair and if you wish to develop an app for more then one platform then you need to hire that many native app developers.

This problem has somewhat been solved by cross-platform development tools such as PhoneGap, AppCelerator and others. Though these tools do not render that level of precision when compared with the native language, they have their cost effectiveness attached to them.

UX vs UI or UX + UI

People are utterly confused with what do the terms user experience and user interface mean. When it comes to design, you got to learn about them to come up with highly intuitive designs for your mobile app.

Now the reason behind this is that understanding them and then consequently working on the design can help you render an intuitive design for your mobile app development. User experience implies the functional experience a user gets while working on your app, wherein user interface means the exterior design interface or the appearance of your mobile app.

Do not get attracted by a glossy design rendered by your development company. Before the completion of the project make sure that you have thoroughly used it to check the user experience it renders.

Moreover, make sure that you keep your design simple and to the point. Do not stuff you mobile app with too many elements. We all know that there is already quite less space in a mobile app and no one would like to confuse their users by incorporating unnecessary things.

Do not fail to test

Another major issue with mobile apps is that there is a myriad f device present out there, and you need to test your app thoroughly.

The most prominent challenges that comes forth are:

Diverse Mobile platforms -

Android, iOS, Windows, and Blackberry are the most widely used mobile operating systems.

Android being an open source operating system which is used by several third-party manufacturers that have customized the Android system in their way. This means that you have a plethora of devices on which you need to test. Wherein, iPhones are flagship phones created by Apple, which somewhere helps you to test easily.

Stick to the norms of the Industry-

To survive in the industry, you need to stick to its norms and conventions of the industry as this will make you acceptable at the global arena. To submit a high-end mobile app, your testers have to put in efforts to ensure the quality.

Plethora of Mobile Network – Mobile app testers has to pay special attention and needs to think with an open mind while testing mobile apps as they need to consider numerous network available across the globe. There are 400 plus mobile network operators that run on numerous technologies, among which GSM and CDMA are the most widely used ones.

Scripting – To get to know that you mobile app is of best quality becomes an uphill task when release cycles become frequent and shorter when you have adopted the Agile Methodology.

In this case attaining stability is your prime motive. Thus, your QA team needs to create a test automation framework and for this, you need a skilled Automation Test Specialist.

Test your design -

Make sure that you have tested your design on all the design screens such as ldpi, hdpi, mdpi, xhdpi. Check whether they appear to be similar to all the boards. Do not hire a rookie designer and make sure to take a keen interest while designing your app.

Cloud or Online testing tools: To make the testing process handy and easy there are several online or cloud-based tools AppThwack, BlazeMeter, Manymo and others are available.

Why should you opt for these tools?

Wide sample devices are available on these tools

• Tools are ubiquitous, means that the testers can use them from any demographic region
• Parallel Test execution can be carried on several devices simultaneously
• Allows you to test incoming, outgoing call services and others without any phone tariff
• Availability of Subscriptions as per one's usage

Final thoughts!

 The long and short of this is that an app keenly designed can help you boost your business returns.

Latest Trends and Challenges in iOS development

The worldwide smartphone market grew around 13% in 2015 Q2, with massive shipments of 341.5 million, according to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC), a global quarterly mobile phone tracker. Although Android took the lion share with 283 million units shipped which covered 84% of the market share in the third quarter of 2014 yet, iOS drew more money to iOS developers. It is probably because Android phones are low-end. Experts also credit Apple’s huge share of developers revenue to the fact that iOS is frequently updated.

The major redesign of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, along with the incorporation of iOS 8 (mobile) and OS X Yosemite (desktop operating systems) earned high marks for Apple in 2014, along with the advent of the Apple Watch, iPad and iPhone lineup.

Some of the major trends in iOS app development:

1. Wearables and Smart Devices

In 2015, Apple launched its watch. It has given an enormous opportunity to the iOS Development Company to develop applications for iPhone, iPad and its wearables. There are many apps which are solely ruled by the iPhone. This gives the clear path for developers, or app development companies to update or extend their apps for Apple’s wearable device.

As if now, most of the wearable device applications are focused on healthcare and fitness industry. But with the improvement in development, many companies are bending towards wearable devices to compete with the changing demand.

There have also been some speculations suggesting that the next-generation Apple TV will feature a full App Store. To prepare for this, app developers need to shift their focus from smartphones and tablets to wearable device and Internet of Things applications.

2. Beacon Technology

Beacon Technology is the bridge between online and offline. It is a low-cost piece of hardware small enough to attach to a wall or countertop that use battery-friendly, low-energy Bluetooth connections to transmit messages or prompts directly to a smartphone or tablet. This technology extends location services in iOS devices.

Apps using iBeacon technology was rising the previous year. Many retail corporations, airports, museums, etc. had become iBeacons user. Android is also expected to follow the suit in 2015.

3. Application Security

Mobile app misconfigurations can challenge various security issues.

This can be a primary concern for smartphone and tablet users as they are increasingly shifting their personal and business data into these devices. Nowadays companies and consumers expect heightened security measures to guard their data.

So, to protect users’ sensitive information, developers need to take some serious steps towards enhanced iOS app security to provide better risk assurance.

Challenges with the Recent Trends

These latest trends are undoubtedly quite impressive. But if we see the other side of the coin, there are many challenges that the iOS developers are facing. Let us see what challenges should the iOS developer work upon:

1. Beta Users Testing

It enables users to check the app’s functionality and recognize any failure conditions, unique to an application.

2. User Interface

People adopt iOS devices mostly due to its clean design concept and excellent user experience. However, it becomes challenging to create an attractive user interface. The user interface displays the core features and functionality in an intuitive process flow. It is bit challenging to manage the limited amount of screen space with the increasing business expectations from the iOS application.

3. App Store Approval

Be sure to know the Apple App store’s guidelines before you begin with iOS app development task. Read and then implement all the listed rules and regulations so that applications get approved in the App Store at one shot.

4. Weak Network

The speed can be a major concern for the users. Therefore, it is necessary to pass your iOS application through a test done by the Network Link Conditioner that helps you in stimulating.

5. Flaw in Performance and Memory

Performance and memory constraints is another hurdle faced by iOS developers. Notably, iOS developers find difficult to manage memory within an application. One can have a risk of the application being deleted if it becomes a source control.

The hurdles as mentioned above are bit challenging for iOS developers. To overcome these challenges, the developers should show the maturity by handling challenges with minimum investment and compromising the final product.

Sufficing The Modern Need Of Mobile App Development

Modern web needs moder solutions and certainly mobility is one of the subset. It encompasses something more to what meets with the eye. Well intriguing isn't it! So without much ado let's find out the best of the best most trending things in the mobile space.

HTML 5 gains credence

Native mobile apps will certainly never loose their charm, however hybrid HTML5 app development will see a surge as enterprises who do not have a lofty budget for creating native apps also need to go mobile. Moreover, HTML5 will become a more obvious choice by the developers in the coming years.

Internet of Things

Enterprises that are into quite cautious sectors such as online, health care, energy and automotive will take the new trend in the mobile appdevelopment space called Internet of Things (IoT) in this forthcoming year. Adds Fatima Katz who happens to be the CEO and founder of Appery, (developers of Appery.io mobile app development platform) said. "These efforts are going to require adoption of a more complete mobile integration platform to leverage across all needs. These platforms will modernize the enterprise backend infrastructure so that all data is available to all devices."

Cross-Platform Apps For Mobile Os

We are well aware of the fact that tablets are growing in popularity, and not just in general usage but the device gaining credence among enterprises as well, they are also a preferred medium even by those who work on mobile as emergency plan, utility engineers as well as service technicians. It has gained a lot of popularity even in the workplaces and wherefore the demand for cross-platform mobile apps will see a considerable surge. This also works as a great way that helps the mobile worker to make the transition from desktop to mobile devices and vice versa, adds Art Landro, incumbent CEO of Sencha, which is an firm that renders of cross-platform application development as well as management tools.

People do expect to use the app with the same zest and power and they also wish to have the same look and feel, wile they perform their tasks as well as visualize and manage plethora of data irrespective of the screen size of the device which the user uses to access net.

CRM for mobile

One of the great thing about mobile and social will be integrated in an unfettered way into CRM platforms and this is will quite efficiently, assured Vi Murphy, who works at Teradata Marketing Applications as digital marketing evangelist. As per a latest report from Gartner that unveiled a research as per which 40 percent of the organizations who are online for sales need to make use of mobile technology so as to automate their sales and the results will be seen by 2020. According to Murphy this is something that is quite imminent. "I predict that this will occur much sooner than expected given the unforeseen adoption rate and focus of mobile/wearable technology."

Centers of Excellence for Mobile

Many large organizations make use of a mobile center of excellence (McoE), that ensures the stakeholders that come from the field of IT technical department and management to work in tandem for the mobile app development.

In the forth coming years we will see rise in the creating of MCoE by several organizations and this will lead them to get greater benefits from these collaboration as centralizing the development will embark on the best practice and will overcome all the confusions between IT technicians and business developers and they can now move toward to a new collaborative platform.

This collaboration the organizations will see improved efficiency, mobile success and scalability.

Personalization gains acceptance

Employees have revealed that work becomes easy when they are allowed to do it on their mobile device, and this is as per a search from a cloud consulting agency named Bluewolf and it is of global level. As mobile has reinvented the tasks that consume a lot of your time and thus this can be proved to be a quite a nice way to enhance the experience of your employees, moreover now you also do not need to download and install a mobile app for every tiny little thing that consumes your mobiles storage space. We are now moving ahead to mobile app personalization rather than reaching to the saturation level so as to adopt the tools in order to render a great customer engagement in the web development.

Steps to look for while hiring any iOS developer

People who all have developed their mind and are well determined to work on their iOS applications to meet their business goals, it is essential for them to understand well the importance of the application performance that they have developed to meet client requirements regarding professional workforce. In today's highly competitive and techy world, we all require a better working style in every aspect of our life by sorting out for the best possible resources to meet every aspect of client and customer goals within a short period. To achieve a professionalism, experience to your developed iOS application, there are several factors that you should imperatively follow them while looking for an exceptionally expert iOS developer for creating precise iOS applications. Though there is no scarcity of hiring highly skilled iOS app developer in the market, you can quickly locate them to a well-suited one for your project purpose.

So, in the case where you are fond of working with versatile applications, you will come across a wide number of talented iOS engineers who are capable of making astounding versatile applications as per as customers' prerequisites are concerned. There are a vast number of options to work with master iOS application developers who will eventually help you get dazzling applications, designing process that are perfect as well as alluring enough. For developing any sound iOS applications, it is necessary for every employer to hire iOS developers who are professionally sound in developing convincing iOS projects. You can enlist or will come across with a full number of dedicated iOS application engineers who has complete control over your projects. Any skilled iOS developer will think out-of-the-box idea and develop astounding thoughts that will change your fantasies into a real world.

So, what you should look for iOS developers when you start looking for them? Here are few guiding points that really matters at the time of hiring iOS developers:

• Make a concept:

Before you start looking for iOS developers to design and develop iOS projects, the primary thing that you have to concentrate on, is to make a delineated report that will typify the concept of designing any projects based on iOS application with cleared up advancement stages. It is fitting to pay the application improvement cost with the finishing touch of every advancement stages, rather than paying the complete sum toward the starting the project.

• A proper approach to hire them:

After outlining the proposition, you will need to seek for iOS designers. Through utilizing sites like Elance, Freelancer, and so on, you can easily validate your working process easily. And afterward, you can pick a fitting designer subsequent to doing certain crosschecks for you.

• Reviewing client testimonials:

To acquire an in-depth knowledge about the project's service quality and its workflow that a company holds; it is highly essential for you to check the client testimonials and their portfolios thoroughly.

• Ensure that your selected developer is registered on Apple app store:

As there is a procedure in the apple that it doesn't permit designers to work with an iOS application openly without getting endorsed from the Apple store, it is very basics and quite essential for you to check whether iOS engineers have a registered account with Apple or not.

• Developing an iOS application will dependably be useful for your business purpose. Be that as it may harvest its advantage that you need by enlisting a specialist and experienced group of iOS designers.

In the process of spending numerous years in the mobile business, the portable application improvement process has increased in a broad sense to convey best UI and UX outline and immaculate convenience stream in applications.

• You will come across few reputable iOS application outline organization in different countries that will show its quality work and will guide you through their image examples on how it is executed through their developed application. You will often work with such iOS application advancement process which will guarantee you that each progression of your improvement process meets your necessities and targets.

Conclusion

Finding an ideal vendor developer to work on your iOS projects can be a lengthy process enough. However it’s worth spending your initial time to ensure that your iOS development process is efficiently owned by the right team and thus it will further help you save you time as well as your money in the long run.