11 Best Mobile App Development Practices To Follow In 2021

Mobile app development could turn out to be intimidating when done without proper planning and a clear approach. If your app fails to interact properly with the audience, all the time and effort you invest in will be wasted. Perfection never comes easy. You will always need to bring in some extra efforts into the process to get expected outcomes. Well, since the apps you build are meant for the users, they are the ones to decide its success. Therefore, it is crucial to keep track of prevailing trends and best practices. Whether you are seeking to hire app developers in Dubai or you are one of them, the following information will help.

We live in an era where new technologies are introduced every day, and you generally have to build for multiple platforms and devices. Development trends continue to change over time, and if you fail to keep up with them, your app is likely to fail. No, we’re not trying to scare you but highlight the potential issues you may have to deal with. Before you start working on a new project, consider these best practices.

Mobile App Development Best Practises 

Every move you make during the development process matters a lot. If even one step goes wrong, you may not get the results you expected. Here are some things to consider for creating robust, engaging apps.

(1) Extensive Market Research 

Before you start doing anything practical, it is important to conduct in-depth market research. It is often something that app development companies and business owners skip. Understanding market trends and customer behavior is necessary before developing and launching a product that turns out to be outdated.

Reassess your app idea and what goals you are expecting to meet with it. Also, answer a few questions concerning how your customers will use the app, what problems it will solve, and similar applications in the market. Only when you have answered all these important questions should you proceed to the next step.

(2) Competitor Analysis 

Even if your app idea is unique, there may be someone offering similar or the same kind of products or services. It is always better to see what your competitors are doing and make further moves accordingly. You can seek inspiration from different places and try to make your services different from theirs.

Get to know businesses that are focused on similar goals like yours. Understanding the advantages and drawbacks of the features in their apps, you can prevent making the same mistakes and work on coming up with better, innovative solutions. If you find it difficult to conduct competitor analysis, look for a mobile app development company in UAE that does that for you.

(3) Deciding On Development Method

You can come up with different types of applications based on your preferences and business goals. Before you start, make sure you decide whether you want a hybrid, native, or web app. All development methods have their pros and cons. Your decision should be based on what goal you want to accomplish.

Native apps work well, but they may cost you relatively more and operate on one platform at a time. Therefore, if you want your app to be compatible with Android and iOS devices, you should build a hybrid app. Hybrid apps offer you affordable cross-platform app development. Web apps, on the other hand, are not bound to app stores for distribution. It will be an important factor in deciding who you hire for app development. If you are a developer, you will have to consider your skills for the same.

(4) Selecting An App Development Platform 

It is important to know whether you need an app for iOS or Android since most of the steps in the app development process would be based on this. If you’re developing for both platforms, things will have to be done accordingly. Certainly, you need to know this before you hand over your project to an app development company. Make sure you confirm that the developers you chose offer suitable services according to your requirements.

(5) Understanding Your Users  

When you’re done with market research and competitor analysis, you should now bring these details together to present solutions that will effectively resolve issues for the users. Understanding their persona will help you integrate features accordingly. You may need to consider their age, demographics, likes, and dislikes to offer them an engaging app. It will also help you in making a better decision between Android and iOS apps. You may seek help from the analytics to see how the users connect to you the most.

(6) Brand-Oriented Design And Development  

You may probably have a brand logo and predefined color schemes. However, when developing mobile apps for your business, you may need to go beyond these color schemes and fonts. There are many other things to consider, like categories, navigation, titles, design, and feel.

It is important to understand the fact that development and designing are two different aspects. While development focuses on building the technical foundation of the app, designing includes working on the visuals and aesthetic appeal. The design and development components of your app must be discussed with the right experts.

(7) Testing And Debugging 

A smooth-functioning app is all you want to keep users hooked on your brand. While you wish to offer them the best apps, testing becomes crucial at different levels. You need to ensure that the app is bug-free and error-free before you launch it. Not only at the end, but testing is important during different stages of the app development process.

Periodic testing makes it easier to resolve issues that may get harder in the end. It is good to consider testing as a major part of the development process and set deadlines accordingly. With sufficient testing and debugging, you can ensure the delivery of a perfect application to the users and offer them flawless experiences.

(8) Security Measures  

Often businesses ignore how important it is to tackle suitable security measures for your application. But remember that it’s an important factor to gain your users’ trust and credibility. While it doesn’t need much attention during the early stages of the project, you may need to be more concerned about it once the final product is ready.

Not only customer data, but your app is likely to garner a lot of other sensitive data. For example, if it’s an e-commerce application, you may be collecting payment information as well. Thus, it is your responsibility to make sure that your customers’ sensitive data is safe. Standard security measures, therefore, remain an important part of app development.

(9) Scalability And User Retention  

Your app should be designed to meet future goals for your business. While you want to see your business expand in the near future, you must picture the same for your mobile app. You should consider an app development approach that can easily accommodate future updates. There’s too little time to spend on developing a different app all over again.

Also, it is important to offer engaging experiences to the users through your app so that they stick around. User retention is a major concern when it comes to making your app a success. Ensure that you have an excellent plan to make the users stay.

(10) Follow The Guidelines 

When you hire mobile app developers, make sure they are aware of the necessary guidelines that need to be followed to get the app on Play Store and App Store. Since both of these app stores have different guidelines, you need to be careful so that your app doesn’t get rejected.

(11) Updates, Maintenance, And Optimization  

The mobile app development process can never really end since there would be a need for regular updates and maintenance according to new trends. Updates and maintenance are important, considering you want your app to perform well in the long run. It may include periodic bug fixes, introducing new features, and a lot more. Also, it is equally important to optimize your app according to different phone models and screen sizes to ensure that the users have perfect experiences with your app.

Summing Up 

A smooth-functioning mobile app is the best tool to keep your customers engaged and expand your business considerably. However, making it a success is dependent on your app development practices and approach. The information above will surely help you build excellent mobile apps to support your business.