How to Develop Mobile Apps: A Step-by-Step Guide

Every entrepreneur these days has pondered over the question of how to develop mobile apps. Mobile apps are everywhere nowadays. It is no longer far-fetched to say that someone who doesn’t use a mobile is living in the rock ages. From the industrialized nations to the remote stretches of developing nations, mobiles have penetrated every nook and corner of the world.

Given their widespread adoption, mobiles really are the ideal devices to reach your customers. Much of the growth that behemoths like Amazon and Facebook have tapped into comes from mobile. If you’re a business without a mobile presence today, you are no longer relevant.

Statista reports that the global mobile app market will reach $756 billion by 2027, with a steady Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.58% from 2022 to 2027. Given the immense opportunities, you’ve no doubt asked yourself ‘How to develop mobile apps?’ Well, here’s the answer in a simple 8-step process.

Step 1: Define a Mobile App Idea

To develop mobile apps you must begin with a rock-solid idea. This first step is possibly the most crucial in your mobile application development journey. You need to have a crystal-clear understanding of why you’re building the app and who it’s for. How will it help your business? Will your users embrace this new experience?

A mobile app development idea can be refined by asking yourself questions like:

• What specific problem will my mobile app solve?
• What value will it add to my target customers?
• What services will I offer on the app?
• How will I monetize the app?

A solid mobile application idea will require skills like business management and expertise in your industry. You must look for an idea that generates enough revenue to pay back the mobile application development costs.

Once you’ve solidified your idea, dive into market research. Look at competitors and see what’s working for them and where they fall short. Use this insight to create a unique value proposition for your mobile app. Conduct surveys or interviews with potential users to ensure there’s demand for your app and to validate your idea. At this stage, you should also start outlining a list of features. Prioritize the must-haves over the nice-to-haves. This helps avoid scope creep and ensures that you stay focused on delivering a product that meets your core objectives.

Step 2: Choose the Platform to Develop a Mobile App

In this phase, you must decide the platform you want to develop mobile apps for. Your target audience’s reach depends on how widespread the platform you pick is. Hence choosing the right platform depending on your target market is crucial to success.

Historically, there was a wide range of options here. But nowadays, when selecting a mobile application development platform, you’re essentially deciding between:

• iOS for Apple devices
• Android for a wider range of smartphones and tablets like Samsung, Xiaomi, One Plus, etc
• Cross-Platform if you want to target both the platforms with a single code base

Consider your audience when making this decision. If your target users are primarily iPhone users, iOS may be the better choice. Alternatively, if you want to reach a broader, more global audience, Android’s larger market share could be advantageous. You can also opt for cross-platform development to build an app that works on both.

As of 2024, Android remains the leading mobile application development platform with a market share of 71.65%. Apple devices, on the other hand, come in at 27.62%. Going by these statistics, it is safe to ignore other mobile platforms as they constitute a negligible market share.

Step 3: Design a Great Mobile App User Experience

User experience matters leaps and bounds when it comes to developing mobile apps. A well-designed app can be the difference between user engagement or uninstalls after the first use.

Designing a great mobile application user experience involves planning how users will interact with your application. An experienced UX developer follows many steps while designing the ideal application UX. They often start with wireframes—these are simple layouts that outline the structure and flow of your app without the distraction of colors and graphics. Wireframes help map out the user journey and ensure that everything is intuitive.

UX designers might also develop user personas—fictional representations of your ideal users. This helps them tailor application design to meet user needs.

Beyond wireframes and prototypes, UX designers utilize a range of other tools to create high-fidelity prototypes and the final design. If you’re new to UX design, hiring a UI/UX designer at this stage is indispensable. 

Step 4: Choose a Mobile App Development Approach

To develop mobile apps, multiple approaches to mobile application development must be considered. Each approach comes with its own pros and cons. Pick a mobile app development approach that suits you depending on your budget, timeline, and expertise.

Native Development

This involves writing separate apps for iOS (using Swift or Objective-C) and Android (using Kotlin or Java). Native apps tend to offer the best performance and access to device-specific features (like the camera, GPS, and notifications), but they require more resources and time since you’re building two separate codebases.

Cross-Platform Development

Tools like React Native, Flutter, and Xamarin allow you to write a single codebase that works on both platforms. This significantly reduces development time and costs. However, cross-platform apps may not fully leverage the native features of each platform, leading to some performance trade-offs.

Low-Code/No-Code Platforms

For businesses or individuals without a dedicated development team, low-code platforms like OutSystems, Microsoft Power Apps, and Zoho Creator can be a great option. These platforms provide drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-built components, allowing you to quickly create apps without writing extensive code.

Additionally, you might want to use Backend as a Service (BaaS) platforms like Firebase or AWS Amplify to handle your app’s backend (data storage, authentication, etc.), which can save significant time and effort.

Step 5: The Development of a Mobile App

Once you’ve chosen your platform and development approach, it’s time to start application development. This part typically follows the principles of software product development. The development can be split into distinct modules that include

Frontend Development

This involves working on the app interface and the overall user experience. You’ll use tools like Xcode for iOS or Android Studio for Android. If you’re going cross-platform, React Native or Flutter will be your go-to environments.

Backend Development

This is where the data processing happens. The backend of an app can be thought of as the “engine” that powers the front end. You’ll need to set up a server, database, and APIs to handle user data, authentication, and server-side logic. Popular backend frameworks include Node.js, Django, or Ruby on Rails.

API Development

Often, your app will need to connect to third-party services (such as payment gateways, geolocation services, or social media login options). APIs are essential for these integrations. For example, if your app needs maps or location services, you might use the Google Maps API.

Use frameworks and libraries to speed up the development process and ensure the best practices for app security and performance are followed.

Step 6: Mobile Application Testing

Before launching, a mobile application has to be thoroughly tested to ensure it meets defined requirements. Application testing also scrutinizes your app for bugs, crashes, and usability issues. Although there are multiple approaches to testing, the bare minimum you must focus on include 

• Functional Testing Tests each feature of your application to ensure it works as intended.
• Usability Testing This approach lets end users try your app before launch and gather feedback on its usability.
• Compatibility Testing Tests your application on multiple devices to ensure it works across various devices, screen sizes, and operating systems.
• Performance Testing Checks how the app performs under different conditions of traffic, device hardware, and network connectivity.

Professional testers may employ additional testing methods beyond these bare minimum approaches to ensure your final product is foolproof.

Step 7: Mobile Application Launch

Once the app is thoroughly tested and ready, it’s time to launch. For iOS applications, this means submitting the application to the Apple App Store, while for Android, you’ll submit it to the Google Play Store. Both platforms have specific guidelines and approval processes that you must follow.

Along with the technical aspects of your launch, you must nail a marketing strategy to promote your application. This includes activities like

• Create a landing page or a website to promote the application
• Organizing social media campaigns to create buzz
• Leveraging App Store Optimization (ASO) to make the app discoverable.

Consider launching a beta version to gather initial feedback and improve the app before a full-scale launch. You can use TestFlight for iOS beta testing and Google Play’s Beta Testing Program for Android.

Step 8: Mobile Application Maintenance and Updates

The process of developing mobile apps doesn’t end with the launch. Regularly updating your app with new features, bug fixes, and performance improvements is crucial for maintaining user engagement and satisfaction. When working on applying maintenance, it’s important to

• Listen to user feedback Read app store user reviews and comments to understand what’s working and what aspects of the application need improvement. Incorporate changes based on user reviews to maximize your chances of success
• Monitor performance Use analytics and tools to track application usage, crashes, and engagement metrics. Tools like Google Analytics for Firebase or App Annie can help track how users interact with your app. You can analyze user behavior, track popular features, and identify bottlenecks to plan future updates
• Roll out updates Release timely updates based on the feedback and performance data to keep your app relevant and functional. Mobile application users expect improvements and fixes regularly, so planning frequent updates keeps it relevant.

The Bottomline

Developing a mobile application can be one of the best things you do for your business. It can help you reach remote markets and tap into additional streams of revenue. By following these eight steps to mobile application development, you can develop mobile apps that work wonders and deliver real value to your target customers.

Cloudesign boasts a strong portfolio of mobile applications built for use cases across industries like fintech, industrial maintenance, e-commerce, and more. Check out our work on the case studies page. If you’re looking for a seasoned mobile application development company, get in touch with us today.