A DETAILED GUIDE TO APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT.

If we compare the applications as well as the application development process we used a decade back to the present day, a drastic difference can be noticed. The apps back then were quite basic, fulfilling a particular task. However, 23 years into the 21st century, all our activities are controlled by applications. Be it ordering food, ordering a cab to go home from work, meeting new people, looking for apartments to rent, and so on. Just imagine your device running out of battery and you can’t charge it. Your entire life will come to a standstill! But what has brought about this ‘revolution’? Advanced technology, users demands and business needs have helped us level up and has brought us to this level. If you own a company, start up and/or business, not having an online platform is inconceivable. Without an authentic, user friendly and responsive application you will be missing out on the opportunity to make your business accessible and easy to navigate. With so many applications around, the process of application development has surely become more efficient. But what is the process? Let’s discuss.

The first and foremost step needs to be to understand the application, its purpose and audience. This helps the developers choose a direction for the development process. An ecommerce application will be different in its look and feel from perhaps a gaming application. This also highlights your goals and expectations from the platform.

Thereafter, creating a roadmap is necessary. Consultation sessions with the developer/company will help you understand the steps, the frameworks that will be used, the time taken, marketing strategies, etc. At Metricoid, we also describe our numerous application development services with our years of experience and expertise as a custom application development company.

The development process will begin ultimately ending with the creation of your application which will cater to all the needs and requirements of your business and customers.

What is Application Development?

Application development deals with software application development which runs on different devices, usually mobile phones. With a basic understanding of the types of applications it is easier to choose the one that suits perfectly with your business and your goals.

• Native Applications
• Applications developed for devices like iOS and Android are native applications. The difference in both of these is the language and tools used for development. For android applications, majorly Java is used and for iOS applications Objective-C is used. The specificity in these applications make them time consuming, costly but high performance applications.
• Hybrid applications
• These applications can be accessed on both iOS and android devices. These apps majorly use JavaScript, are cost-efficient and require less time for development.
• Impressions
• 94% of impressions of an application are based on its design.
• Applications Design
• 75% users consider the company credible based on its applications design.
• Content
• According to?Forbes,?34% consumers make spontaneous purchases if a brand/business has personalized content.
• Downloads
• From the year 2019 to 2020, over 250 million apps were downloaded daily.
• Google Downloads
• 98% of?google play store’s?revenue is made from free apps.
• Spending
• As of 2022, the global consumer spending on apps was $ 129 billion.

When we talk about custom application development, we inevitably mean that the said platform should be customized to suit your business, brand and audience. Hence, it needs to be authentic and unique. What would be the process?

• Analyze and understand the objectives of your application and how the application will help you to accomplish them. This gives you a clear idea of the features and functionalities you would need in the platform. This step lays the foundation of the process and makes it easier to determine the cost, time and structure.
• Decide how your business is going to earn revenue with your application. It could be via advertisements, app purchases, monetizing content, etc. This will allow you to set up the necessary interface at an early stage rather than tackling this issue later on in the development. Taking your developers advice is always helpful.
• Add the features and functionalities that suit your platform. With the help of customer feedback you will know exactly what your application needs and how those features will make your application more efficient. It’s best to refrain from adding numerous features that could potentially be unnecessary.
• It is important to have an in-depth knowledge of competitors, their online presence, the challenges they faced and the problems they are solving. Along with that, you should know about technology that will be needed, frameworks, tools and libraries. If this is not your strong area, discussing these topics with your potential developers is a good idea.
• After thorough research, partnering with experienced developers/ application development companies is key. Thereafter, the actual process of development will begin.
• The company will also help you launch the application after development. It will be made available on app stores so that it can be accessed by customers. The application will need strong marketing strategies to help it reach the targeted audience.
• Lastly, maintenance. Some companies like Metricoid, offer maintenance services which means that even after development you will have our support and assistance, inefficiencies or other problems will be fixed.

Now, we have explored the general steps of development from your end. But what happens at the developers’ side?

• Step1: Wireframe
• Wireframe is a basic sketch of your application which will be made by the team. It gives you an idea of how your application will look and is a good time for discussion to add or delete things.
• Step2: Prototype
• In this step, an interface is created for your application. This step is crucial as it decides the look and feel of your application. It should be intuitive, responsive and user friendly.
• Step3: Development
• Frontend and backend development begins. With different tools and technologies the structure of the app is laid down finally ending with testing the application.

What is Cloud application development?

In the simplest terms, in a cloud based application, the user accesses the platform through a mobile/ web browser. The data is stored in the cloud and the user can access it while being offline. Along with this, they also offer access to third party cloud computing services as well as API integration. These apps can be easily customised when compared to a web application. Cloud application development is generally used by large enterprises and businesses to develop applications with high performance and productivity which generate revenue channels as well as enhance the overall customer experience. It also saves time and money. There are different types of cloud based solutions such as, Private cloud, public cloud, community cloud and hybrid cloud.

What is the link between cloud platforms and enterprise applications?

This is a common question however, Enterprise application development offers coordination and organization by integrating all systems that control the operations of an enterprise. They integrate processes like sales, accounting, services, HR, etc. It helps to connect business shareholders with customers as well as suppliers. The process of building a reliable and secure application for large businesses that caters to their requirements is enterprise application development. With Enterprise applications there is improved productivity and flexibility, smooth management of data and enhanced business planning.

Usually, cloud platforms are used for enterprise application development. Cloud platforms offer security, scalability and optimized performance.

What contributes to the success of applications?

• User centric approach
• Marketing and research
• Gamification to increase engagement
• Timely notifications
• Personalized recommendations
• Reward systems, & discounts
• Payment integrations
• Social media integrations
• Safe with data privacy
• Authentic and unique designs
• Simple and clear interface

What are the benefits of an application for any business/startup?

• Increase brand awareness
• An application increases visibility and reach with strong marketing techniques. This allows your brand to reach the masses.
• Increased productivity
• With all day to day tasks being automated, efficiency and hence, productivity increases.
• Customer interaction
• With applications you can easily bridge the gap between users and the business with regular feedback, easy communication and customer inquiries.
• Enhanced customer experience
• An aesthetically pleasing, easy to use and secure application allows you to build customer loyalty with happy and satisfied users.
• Beat competition
• Stay ahead of your competitors with advanced features and high quality apps.
• Data analysis
• You can always update and make changes in your app making it better by analyzing customer data/ activity.
• Cost effective
• Investing in developing a strong application is necessary as other manual processes are reduced with automated tasks hence, being cost effective.
• Increased revenue
• An application is a powerful tool as it creates a direct link between businesses and customers. With engagement, feedback and communication building a suitable platform is easy, increasing sales and hence, revenue.

How have brands leveraged mobile apps to increase their brand visibility?

We have already discussed the benefits of having an application. Many brands have seen a huge hike in their sales because of it. What gave their platform more visibility? Let’s delve in deeper by taking an example of two such companies – Starbucks and Uber. Read More....