The 6 App Development Best Practices You Need to Follow

It’s important to do your homework and research as much as possible. More is more when it comes to research.

First, identify your users and their needs. It is important to understand who your users are as well as their behavior. Once you’ve established your target audience you can then attempt to figure out how to meet their needs and wants.

Next, identify your competition. Find out what apps you are competing against. Look at your competitor’s strengths and weaknesses. What do you like? What do you dislike? Use these to plan for your own app development.

Without sufficient research you could waste time and money designing an app that nobody wants or needs.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Right? So make a plan.

Before you even think of writing any code, use a mind map, flowchart, or other visual aid to come up with a strategic plan. It’s best to break things down into small realistic goals. Doing this will make things more manageable.

Think about things like the value of your app, features, and functions. Focus on different and unique functionalities as well as mobility.

This is a good time to evaluate your financial situation and determine how much you’re willing to invest. It’s also the time to address how you’re going to make money. Will you offer a freemium app with in-app purchase or subscription? Or will you create a premium app with a single initial cost?

Not all mobile apps are created and built in the same way. There are native, cross-platform or hybrid, and web-based mobile applications.

It’s a good idea to pick the method that fits your skill level as well as your preferred programming language. Once you choose a development method you need to pick a platform. Are you going to go the iOS or Android route?

If you’re not sure which platform to choose refer back to your research. What devices will most of your target audience be using? 

It is okay to develop on both iOS and Android platforms but launching them both at the same time will be challenging. Start with one platform and go from there. Now is not the time to overextend yourself.

You’ve heard of the old saying measure twice, cut once? This is very relevant to app building.

Do yourself a favor and build a solid core from the start. Include a list of all the features that are the most important for the functionality of your app. Additional features and functions can then revolve around the core. Plugins can also be added in the later phases of development.

Documentation is part of building a strong core. It will ensure you don’t lose or misplace code. Don’t get lazy with this step. Document and note everything. This will make debugging and issuing new features a breeze.

Conduct thorough testing during each stage of your development process. Test each app functionality as you go.

Testing should be done on a regular basis so you can easily find and fix bugs before they become big issues. Your code should also compile without errors or inconsistencies.

Once you have a beta ready to be tested, get it in as many hands as possible. It’s good to get feedback from friends and family but it’s even better to get input from other developers or beta testers. If you’re not sure how to find beta testers use online resources like Twitter or other platforms like Beta Family.

It’s easy to get side-tracked or lose focus when developing your own mobile app. It is almost a guarantee you’ll run into unplanned obstacles or bugs.

Staying on task is essential for any app developer because the development process doesn’t end at the app launch. Apps require maintenance and improvements to stay up-to-date and relevant. It’s a good idea to release regular and constant updates to address new features and bugs.

Whenever you feel stuck, be sure to get something out the door. You can always release an update at a later time. Keep chugging along and don’t let roadblocks take you down. Reach out to other developers on Stack Overflow for help. There is a ton of open source code available that can really come in handy.

Always keep your final product in mind but be willing to pivot and make adjustments as needed.

No one said developing a mobile app is easy. You’re definitely going to have to jump some hurdles along the way. This is part of the process, any veteran developer can vouch for this. It’s important to learn from mistakes and work through them.

With the industry constantly evolving and trends always changing, it can be hard to get the ball rolling. But there is no need to panic, just follow these best practices for app development and don’t forget to enjoy the ride.

Have a question about app development best practices? Drop a comment below.