You need to design a mobile app for your team. How can you choose the best software?

Define Requirements: Clearly outline your app design goals and specifications. Platform Compatibility: Choose a tool compatible with both iOS and Android. Collaboration: Prioritize tools with robust real-time collaboration features. Integration: Ensure seamless integration with development tools like Git. Prototyping: Look for tools supporting interactive prototyping and animation. UI Components: Choose a tool with a rich library of UI components for efficiency. Learning Curve: Select a tool aligning with your team's skill levels. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Opt for tools supporting collaboration among different roles. Cloud-Based vs. Desktop: Decide based on preferences for cloud-based or desktop-based tools.

Here are some tips. - Requirements, budget, delivery timelines all have to be defined at high level. - Based on business requirements develop an options pack covering technical, functional, financial and delivery timelines. - Mobile apps could be split into Front End and Backend. Using Rest/GraphQL you could integrate between each other. Use of cloud would expedite the development, delivery timelines and also costs. -Most important decision is to decide whether Its native app for IOS/Andriod specifically, expensive and high maintenance overhead or cross platform app that works across multiple platforms, Or a hybrid app developed using scripts/css/html5, codebase is shared, low cost to IOS/Andriod native apps. No separate hosting.

Como desarrollador de aplicaciones Android, considero importantes los siguientes puntos como indicadores en la elección de dise?o de software. ? Alcance del proyecto. ? Usuario objetivo. ? Plataforma(iOS o Android) ? Patrón de dise?o. ? Arquitectura(MVVM-MVP y otros) ? Dependencias o librerías externas o internas: ° Las librerías externas pueden ser open source desarrolladas por la comunidad de desarrolladores seleccionado de acuerdo a los requerimientos técnicos, confiabilidad y mantenimiento de la misma. ° Las librerías internas son consideradas las librerías propias de la organización (Empresa o Cliente) que cumplan con el requerimiento técnico, estas son más confiables debido a la exclusividad del código fuente de las mismas.

Before jumping to explore tools, you must be confident on - Clearly outline goals and objectives for the mobile app project. - Understand specific needs and preferences of team members for user requirements. - Determine target platforms (iOS, Android, cross-platform) based on team devices. - Choose scalable software that accommodates potential team growth. - Prioritize user-friendly interface and positive user experience for adoption. - Evaluate security features and compliance with data protection regulations. - Choose customizable software to tailor the app to team needs and branding. - Assess costs, including licensing fees, subscriptions, and additional feature costs. - Consider user feedback and reviews for real-world experiences.

- Clearly define the features of the MVP -> this should work as a map towards releasing the first version of the product and get validation from the real users - consider cross platform technologies -> it helps you to move fast and build for both platforms - if the app is not very complex, consider low-code/no code tool for the backend (CMS, Notion, Low code database etc.) -> this will remove the necessity of a high technical team and will speed up the process of development - stick with the plan, until the user will validate/invalidate your product -> changing the features might sound like a good idea during the development. But before that, you should have a confirmation that the change will bring value to your product, from real users

Know well what you want to build! If it's cpu or gpu intensive application then always choose native development. If it's data oriented application then you can choose hybrid platforms like electron js OR ionic.

Today, I recommend that medium-sized companies in particular take a closer look at low-code solutions. Traditional development is simply too complex and too expensive for this - not only at the start, but also for future customizations. Because they are coming! Every company is constantly changing, so it is essential to find an app solution that can quickly adapt to new requirements. If it is quick and easy, then the company will benefit from a solution in the long term.

In my view, you need to ensure about market research. 1. Clearly outline goals and objectives for your mobile app project. 2. Investigate existing apps in your niche for market research. 3. Identify strengths and weaknesses of competitors in the market. 4. Explore gaps and opportunities in the market for your app to fill. 5. Determine how your app can differentiate from existing competitors. 6. Define your app's unique selling proposition based on market analysis. 7. Position your app strategically in the market using identified gaps and USP. 8. Develop a strategic plan based on market insights for app development and promotion. 9. Prioritize user-centric features based on market research.

Explore existing apps in your category. Analyze their strengths and weaknesses to learn from them. Check app store reviews to understand user preferences and pain points. Attend industry events and conferences to discover new technologies and trends. Talk to other teams who have built similar apps to learn from their experiences and define What our application provide different from other app?

Understanding the Market Potential is The Driving Force for App Success Market research provides insights into competitor landscape, user preferences, and differentiation opportunities. Competitor analysis, user research, industry analysis, and competitive intelligence gathering are key methods. Uncover unmet user needs, develop innovative features, optimize UI/UX, and tailor marketing strategies. Market research empowers app developers to create a unique and successful product.

Choosing a platform is really important for your product because the right platform will be very helpful for growing and maintaining. Generally, in 2024 Go with cross-platform like Kotlin Multiplatform.

Selecting the ideal Platform for mobile app development depends on our target user base and specific needs. If we aim for superior user experience and performance, native apps for iOS and/or Android are ideal but come with higher costs. Cross-platform solutions like React Native or Flutter can save time and resources by using one codebase for both platforms, though they might compromise on native features. Web apps offer broad accessibility and are cost-effective, but may lack the rich functionality of native apps. Our choice should balance performance, development cost, and time-to-market, ensuring we meet user expectations efficiently.

Selecting the right software or tool to develop an app is as important as developing/deploying the app. Few things to consider while selecting the right software include but not limited to features, cost, timeline and the skills your team has. Native platforms like Android Studio for Android and Xcode for iOS apps provide more flexibility and app developed are easily scalable whereas hybrid platforms like Flutter and React Native reduces man power, time and cost. Both have their own pros and cons. After having a clear picture of your app’s features, budget and timeline, this decision will become easier.

As a Flutter app developer, I recommend choosing cross-platform development with Flutter. It allows you to build natively compiled apps for both iOS and Android from a single codebase, saving time and effort. With features like hot reload for real-time changes and a consistent UI across platforms, Flutter offers a cost-effective and efficient solution. However, consider your project's specific requirements and the need for any platform-specific features before making a final decision.

I would go with cross platform like flutter ,which allows maintaining a single codebase for multiple platforms which can save alot of time and resources.

By thoroughly comparing software options based on these criteria, you can make an informed decision. - Evaluate features and functionalities of different software options. - Assess the ease of use and user-friendliness of the software. - Determine the level of coding knowledge and experience required to use the software. - Evaluate the level of customization and control over app design and functionality. - Assess the availability of documentation, tutorials, forums, and customer service. - Evaluate the flexibility and control offered by the software. - Be aware of any hidden fees or limitations associated with the software. - Understand the software's pricing structure, payment plans, and options.

Focus on features that align with your defined goals and prioritize for your users. Compare ease of use, learning curve, customization options, and integration capabilities. Research pricing models, including upfront costs, subscriptions, and in-app purchases. Also learn about the current trends of competitor apps.

If you're trying to compete with someone else's product then it's mandatory to compare the features too. Always try to provide a more user friendly UI, and much more features than they are providing.

1- After choosing the platform, assess various software options for your app based on factors like ease of use, user-friendliness, and coding knowledge required. 2- Consider customization, integration capabilities, support, and pricing, evaluating flexibility and control over design and functionality. 3- Check for seamless integration with other tools, availability of documentation, tutorials, forums, and customer service. 4- Examine the cost, payment plans, and options, being mindful of potential hidden fees or limitations before making a decision.

There is so many features and available code on github and can be generated via AI tools. Have a look at what software exists today that you can integrate which would enable your unique app code to be minimised ( reducing time and cost to market). There are design tools like Figma that you can use to mock up the app and tools to help you do market research on app design walkthrough. Be careful of field limitation - for example postcode and cost to change if need to add additional digits for different regions ( for example ). If you work with an app developer you will need to sign a scope of works and the fields and app structure get locked down with sign off. Find out how much to make changes.Hybrid provides flexibility and ease of use.

Conduct a trial or demo of the shortlisted software. Involve key team members in the testing phase to gather feedback. Assess the software's usability, performance, and compatibility with different devices.

1- Before committing to software, conduct thorough testing through free trials, demos, or reviews provided by the software provider. 2- Explore features and functionality to verify performance, quality, and suitability for your specific project. 3- Utilize feedback from other users and developers to make an informed decision on the software's effectiveness and compatibility with your needs.

There are different types of testing available for software. Functional, usability and performance testing. So some is about technical and some about customer experience testing. Testing is an important part of the app process. Ideally the app developer will do testing with each app feature iteration with agile testing so there is no backlog at end of app build for lots of code fixes if identified at app build end test phase. Good to explore external app testing company to assist should budget allow. Once your app launches you dont want new customers to be the ones to find problems as your app store review will be littered with negative reviews.

Apart from unit tests and system tests, it's crucial to emphasize the significance of penetration testing for mobile applications. This additional layer of security testing plays a vital role in ensuring the robustness and resilience of the application against potential security threats and vulnerabilities.

El testing es un escudo primarion contra fallos inesperados, sobre todo a la hora de realizar cambios, que unido a un desarrollo CI/CD sabremos que estamos presentando un producto de calidad con la mínima posibilidad de fallos.

From my experience this is the shortcut for the choosing best software for app development 1. What is your trade that makes you different from anyone else who have developed similar app. 2. Prioritise on experience you want to deliver to your customer 3. Do Proof of concept on platform, which every is easy to accomplish select that and go ahead.

Choose cross-platform tools - Ensure the tool outputs designs for both iOS and Android to maximize design reuse. Consider integrations - With tools like analytics, dev teams, etc. to streamline work handoff and collaboration. Prototyping focused but with robust design capabilities too. Simple to get started and create high-fidelity interactive prototypes. Should have a clean and simple with great vector tools. Should have plugins for added functionality. Should be Intuitive, easy to learn and great for creating interactive prototypes.

One thing I've found helpful is to use software layers approach, splitting the infrastructure from the logic and the logic from the user experience/interface. Moreover, applications tend to evolve and changes are a given. Try to build flexible and isolated functionality.

Apart from all the great perspectives already shared, I would like to reiterate a few general advice that applies to developing any type of software: - The focus should be on what problem we are solving and which tool is best fit for you at that given instance. "For you/team" is important here as you need to evaluate it based on your needs. - Software evolves with time and we need to be flexible and evolve with the requirements at hand. Choosing the best software is not a one-time decision. What fits today might not fit the requirements of the future. - There is no silver bullet. - Following clean coding principles and having the right set of abstractions helps to replace frameworks/dependencies in future and move faster.

A few other points to bear in mind: - The cost of acquiring your users on the various platforms (web, ios, android, etc.) for your market. - The costs of the platforms if you want to sell through them - The resources available (be careful not to burn up your start-up too quickly) - The time available to produce your product (also take into account the validation time required by the platforms) - The context/opportunity (it may be easier or harder to stand out depending on the event, for example a dating app during COVID or a home delivery app). - and many other things besides ... :)