Choosing the right mobile application development platform depends on the specific needs of your business. Here are 5 tips to consider.
Want to order food? Or lose weight? Or maybe get rid of stress? Or buy something online? Be it carrying out financial transactions or selling shoes, there are mobile apps available now for anything and everything. Just like our demands, the mobile app market is expanding by leaps and bounds. That is probably why you would find more than 3 million apps in Google Play Store and over 2 million in the Apple App Store.
However, the bigger question is how many of them are actually succeeding?
And, how many of them are capable of a strong return on investment (ROI) to the developers?
Besides several aspects of a mobile application, the platform for which it has been developed is a crucial factor deciding the fate of the app. Choosing the right mobile application development platform is fundamental to developing an app. Here are 5 ultimate tips that need to be kept in mind while developing a mobile application.
1.Knowing your target audience
Just like any product, your app needs to be developed keeping the target audience in mind. Make sure you study the geo-demographics of your audience. There are areas where the preference of Android devices is more than that of iPhones. For example, the majority of users in European countries are inclined towards Android phones. In Asia, it may depend on the country, while in the U.S., there is an equal preference for both. Hence, you need to decide the app’s publishing platform based on the geographic region of your targeted audience.
2.Cross-platform development
The process of building a hybrid or native app that is capable of running seamlessly on several operating systems is known as cross-platform development. A single code base is created by the developer. The cross-platform tool then generates the code for target operating systems. It is essential to ensure that the app runs smoothly on targeted devices, making the best use of native features. One of the advantages of native apps is that these can work offline and are quick in terms of responding. However, they belong to the costlier group - involving a skilled bunch of developers. It is a good practice to test the MADP’s cross-platform capabilities prior to developing the app.
Cross-platform apps come with a large number of benefits in relation to user experience and processing power that can be suitable for the following requirements:
Data management
Providing a user-friendly experienceCreating simple prototypes needed for testing new ideas
Developing applications that are expected to serve B2B needs or for enterprise mobile application development.
Here are some advantages of native applications:
Original UI on every platform you get.
Uses the phone’s battery and memory in an economical way.
Flexible features due to greater compatibility with OS
Capable of using various functions of the device such as contacts, GPS, camera, and so on.
If you feel hybrid apps are best suited for you, here are few distinct advantages to consider:
Code for all platforms is written only once. Hence, have a shorter development time.
Modifying the design is relatively simple; a change on one platform automatically applies to the rest.
It can be seamlessly imported into any device.
The above arguments clearly state that it is crucial to identify your exact requirements before deciding on the platform.
3.Features and User Experience
Identifying the key features of the platform should be the prime concern. It is important to check whether testing, hosting, deploying and debugging is done by developers throughout the app lifecycle. This ensures an intuitive and easy user experience, enabling back-end services such as push notifications, data storage, and authentication. Ideally, you should compare the required features with the capabilities of the mobile application development platform .
4.Using the Correct Analytic Tool
After the deployment of the application, keeping a track of its performance is crucial, rather holds as much importance as the development itself. It is key to determine the direction in which the application is heading. To know this, you need to choose the right resources or tools that can help you to monitor and analyze data obtained from an app’s performance. The tracking information includes demographic info and that of audio or video content info. A thorough analysis of the data from the in-app purchases to customized user tracking would help you improve the overall app performance.
5.Check the compatibility
Technological trends are constantly being updated in the mobile application scenario. Therefore, it is wise to check the compatibility of your app with latest developments in technology. It is always wise to design apps that are easily compatible with several coding languages that include Java (used for Android apps) and Objective C (used for iOS apps) among others. It is also important to check the compatibility with future updates. If you are blessed with the right developers in your team, they would make ensure the usage of the right tools, eliminating the possibilities of performance future.
Developing an app from scratch can be a mighty task. However, deploying a half-baked product can have major negative impacts for any business. It is, therefore, important to consider your options carefully. Choosing a robust MADP solution such as that of HokuApps can help smoothening out the process. Such a platform allows you to develop apps at 10 times the speed while taking care of third party software integrations. As with any business, your app needs to be scalable so that your project can grow to be as big as you dream it to be.
Karl Parker mobile app developer & designer works at HokuApps.