Mobile Application Development
Mobile Application Development[edit]
Mobile application development is the complete process which involves developing the software applications for mobile device. Most of the time the mobile application uses the network connection in order to respond remotely with computing resources. Therefore, the mobile development process consists of creating installable software bundles (binaries, code, assets, etc.). These are implemented on the backend services. It include data access with an Application Programming Interface and testing the application with the targeted devices.
The development of mobile applications has origin from the traditional software development. The outcome, however, is software application are created with the intention to be utilized with the unique features that can perform well on the hardware of mobile devices. Modern mobile devices are equipped with NFC, Bluetooth, Cameras, gyroscopic sensors, GPS, and other latest technologies. These smartphones are even used for augmented and virtual reality, location tracking, barcode scanning, and much more. Hence, the mobile applications developed these days should have enough potential to work according to the range of smartphone features.
What is Mobile Application User-Interface?[edit]
The mobile user-interface (UI) is part of the development process. This means that design is also mandatory in the creation of mobile apps. The user-interface of mobile considers connections, constraints, screen, input, and mobility as the basic structure for design. The user is the prime center of interaction with their device, on the other hand, the interface requires elements of both software and hardware. The user input enables the users to manage a system while the device's output helps the system to register the outcomes of the users' manipulation.
Mobile user-interface design constraints include restricted attention and form aspects. This includes considering the screen size of mobile devices. The user interface of the mobile application connects the signal leads from the activity of the user. The location or scheduling are a few examples that can be displayed from user interactions within the mobile app.
Overall, the objective of the mobile user interface is to majorly design an understandable and user-friendly interface. The user interface of mobile applications should be developed to minimize keystrokes, limit the users' attention, and to keep it task-oriented with a reduced set of functions. The functionality should be supported by integrated development environments (IDEs) or mobile enterprise application platforms. There are two interlinked core elements of a mobile application and these are as follows:
- The “Front-End” of the mobile application that stays on the mobile device
- The “Back-End” services that supports the front-end of mobile.
The Mobile Application Development Lifecycle[edit]
Regardless of the kind of project, the mobile app development process comprises of six major steps:
- Idea: The first step is about brainstorming the application ideas. It is always better to put some research into finding answers to a few questions. What is the purpose of this app? Who is the target audience? Why and which features are important? How similar your application is to the competitors.
- Design: The second step is about designing the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) for effective navigation of the user through the app. This should be easy to follow.
- Development: This is the stage that involves writing codes for the app and after that preliminary testing begins.
- Testing: By testing the application, the quality of the app is determined. Any malfunctions and errors can be improved.
- Launch: After finding the application app free from the bugs, it can be ready for the launch on different marketplaces such as Apple App Store and Google Play.
- Marketing: The last step is about creating the marketing strategy to promote your applications so that users can download your application for usage.
Different Kinds of Mobile Applications and Programming Languages[edit]
Just like desktop software, mobile apps are developed and designed using the wide range of frameworks and programming languages. The two most popular operating systems at present are: iOS and Android. These operating systems have done excellent job of standardizing the kind of mobile application development. Here are some different types of mobile application:
Native Applications[edit]
These are applications that are developed for a specific platform either for iOS or Android are called native applications. It uses programming languages and software development tools that work well for the chosen operating systems. The applications developed for iOS uses Objective-C and Xcode. On the other hand, the native Android applications development is done using Eclipse and Java. The foremost reason why developers prefer developing native applications is because of their ability to use the device to the fullest potential. Considering the increasing usage of smart home and wearable devices, the developers have started creating unique applications. The applications are being developed by integrating things like Internet of Things sensors, wearables, and smart screens for delivering great personalized experiences. The development of mobile applications for each platform can be a costly and time-consuming process and this surely doesn't work for small businesses.
Hybrid Applications[edit]
The Hybrid Applications are the ones that require the creation of a container developed in the native system. This makes it feasible to install an HTML5 application within it. This enables the Hybrid apps to make use of the different and unique components for each native system. Before the creation of the branded application, consider using the existing mobile application for a better impact. For example, with the use of mobile-focused marketing for services such as Facebook, Google Maps, and Yelp, anyone can bring traffic to both the website and brick-and-mortar locations.
HTML5[edit]
These are the applications that are developed with the near-universal norms of web technologies such as JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS. The developers use a write-once-run-anywhere approach to develop HTML5 mobile applications. The applications developed with this framework are compatible to perform on different platforms. This only requires minimal changes for ensuring the complete functionality of Mobile applications on the different operating systems. HTML5 apps are also capable of sending trigger interactions and desktop notifications using email and other avenues. There is no need to discount the usability of web applications. The users are more likely to be inclined towards using the native app. According to the study from Oracle, the millennials prefer spending 90% of their mobile time in apps and only 10% prefer to invest in web browsers.
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