Creating a mobile application : complete guide and tips

Exponent’s Mobile App Building Guide

In 2023, Google Play holds 63.39% of the mobile app operating system market share, while iOS accounts for 36.06%. The Google Play Store offers approximately 3.17 million apps for download. The Google store is estimated to generate $45.63 billion in revenue in 2023, up from $42.32 billion in 2022.

Although Apple does not hold the largest market share in terms of operating system share, the company captures over 63% of the mobile app market revenue in 2023.

This rapid growth represents a significant opportunity for businesses.

At Exponent, we help businesses seize this opportunity by guiding them through the essential steps of building a mobile app.

This guide details the complete process of designing and developing a mobile application, from strategy definition to post-launch analysis.

1. Define the product strategy

Before diving into development, it is crucial to define a clear strategy for your product. This starts by answering fundamental questions about your application:

• What problems does it solve?

• What is its main objective?

• Who is the target audience?

• Who are its competitors?

• What is its added value?

These answers will allow you to maintain clear business objectives throughout development.

At Exponent, we organize workshops to help clarify the product vision, generate new ideas, and validate the effectiveness of the different avenues considered.

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2. Product design

2.1 Designing the user experience (UX)

The user experience is crucial to the success of your application. At Exponent, our designers work on the "flows" and "wireframes" of the application screens to diagram the basic functionalities and the arrangement of the elements.

2.2 Designing the user interface (UI)

Once the user journey is defined, our designers focus on the user interface. UI design includes the creation of mockups in accordance with the project's graphic charter. These mockups then serve as a guide for our team of developers.

3. Development

After validating the design of the application, we move on to the development phase. This process involves front-end and back-end development:

• Front-end: The visible part of the application, including layout, navigation, graphics, and user interaction.

• Back-end: The invisible part, including databases, networking, data storage, and user management.

At Exponent, we use the agile method, segmented into "sprints" of 7 to 15 days, to deliver versions of the application quickly and regularly, allowing for frequent testing and optimization.

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4. Testing

Once the development is complete, a rigorous testing phase is necessary to ensure that all features meet expectations and that the app is bug-free. This phase is essential to ensure a high level of quality and reliability before the official launch.

5. App Store Optimization for Live

Before launching your app, it is crucial to optimize it for the stores. App Store Optimization (ASO) aims to improve the visibility of your app to increase organic downloads. This includes choosing a catchy name, an attractive icon, a succinct description, attractive visuals, and relevant keywords.

6. Post-Launch Impact Analysis

The launch of the app is just the beginning. It is essential to track and analyze the performance of the app to understand user behavior and identify areas for improvement. Here are some performance indicators to measure:

• What are users tapping, swiping, viewing, and purchasing?

• How often is it used?

• What is the usage time?

• How many downloads does the app have?

By analyzing this data, you can develop an action plan to ensure the sustainability and continued success of your app.

Conclusion

Creating a mobile app is a complex process that requires careful planning, thoughtful design, rigorous development, and ongoing analysis. At Exponent, we are dedicated to transforming your ideas into unique digital projects. If our guide has convinced you, our experts are ready to help you develop your product and successfully launch it on the mobile app market.

7 Additional Tips for Beginners

For beginners looking to build their first app, here’s a simplified seven-step guide:

1. Getting Your Ideas on Paper: Define your goals, research the market, and conceptualize your app.

2. Choosing Your Technology: Decide whether you want a native app or a Progressive Web App (PWA).

3. Choosing the Best Development Option: You can develop the app yourself, hire a developer, or use a no-code app builder.

4. Building Your App with an App Builder: App builders allow you to create apps without coding skills.

5. Testing Your App: Make sure your app works properly and meets user expectations.

6. Publishing Your App to the Stores: Follow the steps to publish your app for the App Store and Google Play.

7. Update and Improve Your App: Continue to optimize your app based on user feedback and performance analysis.

By following these steps, you can turn your idea into a functional app and succeed in the competitive mobile app market.

Read this article, if you are interested in educational apps.