A Breakdown Of Mobile App Development And The Choice Of Technology Framework

There are many different choices that you have to make when you are developing a mobile software application. Companies like Aloha Technology can help developers with this often complicated process. This article will cover many of those choices and how to go about making them.

Covering All Bases

Mobile application development can be complicated, since you want to put software together that not only works properly, but also offers the best user experience possible and stands the test of time. Here is a list of factors to take into account when embarking on a large scale mobile development project:

• User Research
• Functionality
• Platform
• Bandwidth
• Software
• Cost

When each of these elements is given proper attention, the mobile development process should go smoothly and result in a superior product.

User Research

Great user experience requires proper user-centric research. Fortunately, there are a lot of tools to choose from in order to conduct this research, but unfortunately, that also makes the process very competitive and at times quite complicated. User research should be planned early on, and the process should really continue throughout the product life cycle (don’t think of it as simply part of the early phase).

Great experience design meets their needs and expectations, and should build relationships with users that last and establish brand loyalty. Factors to consider include information architecture, clear and concise copy, useful and elegant design elements, and trust and security.

As the product proceeds to grow and evolve, conduct user tests (such as split tests) in order to measure results and establish which designs and methods best serve the users.

Functionality

Core functionality is essential to understand because it speaks to many different foundational issues in the development process. You must assess whether your product is intended to fulfill simple informational needs or something more complex and interactive (such as ecommerce or multimedia experience, like gaming for example). This will inform the next step, which is to establish what sort of platform should support your product (such as web-based, native, etc.).

Platform

The question of which type of platform to develop on, as well as whether multiple platforms are needed, is essential to this process. Much of this is based on the user profile that should be generated early in the user research process. Relevant user behavior to observe in this case includes how many devices they might employ when using your app, and what kinds of devices they are. Other issues to evaluate include maintenance and security.

Bandwidth

Information technology will play a key role in user experience and application performance, among many other important elements and features. Network access must be optimized so that nothing is wasted in the process of providing users the best experience possible. And in the event of disconnected service, offline functionality should be incorporated wherever it is useful and/or relevant.

Software

The programming phase must be planned such that whatever framework is used, the application can be effectively upgraded as seamlessly as possible further down the road. Deployment time should also be factored in, and you should remember that mobile-web based models tend to deploy the fastest.

Cost

Once all of the above has been evaluated, you should then be able to project a reasonably accurate budget for the project. Generally speaking, mobile-web is typically the most affordable solution, while native applications are normally the most expensive to build and maintain. Analyze costs and look at market trends in order to attempt an accurate prediction of investment returns.

Conclusion

Mobile application development is far from a simple process. But with the right amount of planning, it can be a huge step in helping your business connect with customers in very meaningful ways. Companies like Aloha Technology are there to help you along this path.

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