Mobile Application development

Mobile Application development

A mobile application also referred to as a mobile app or simply an app is computer software or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Apps were originally intended for productivity assistance such as email, calendar, and contact databases, but the public demand for apps caused rapid expansion into other areas such as mobile games, factory automation, GPS and location-based services, order-tracking, and ticket purchases so that there are now millions of apps available. Apps are generally downloaded from application distribution platforms which are operated by the owner of the mobile operating system, such as the app store (iOS) or Google Play Store. Some apps are free, and others have a price, with the profit being split between the application's creator and the distribution platform. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on desktop computers, and web applications that run in mobile web browsers rather than directly on the mobile device.

Most modern people would find it difficult to imagine their day using the smartphone «just for calls». Most mobile devices jumped far beyond the primary goal behind them — making phone calls and sending simple instant messages. Today even quite a simple mobile presents a platform to house various applications for everyday use that turns thousands of people into grateful users of more and more apps. Simple or complex, informative or entertaining, minimalist or packed with bright and catchy details, practical or joyful, meeting the user needing them, they make life better. The variety of apps available today enables users to do a great variety of things using their mobile phones only. Setting an alarm for tomorrow, calculating expenses for the next week or sending mum a selfie via the messenger app, the vast majority of users don’t even imagine how many professionals stand behind these simple everyday operations.

Still, on the basis of the current scenario of extensive experience of creating diverse applications, it’s possible to define several typical creative stages for this process, such as the following:

• setting the task and initial scope of works
• estimation
• user/market research
• UX wireframing
• prototyping
• UI design
• animation
• software architecture planning
• iOS development
• testing
• release
• updates.

Mobile applications may be classified by numerous methods. A common scheme is to distinguish native, hybrid, and web-based apps.

Native app

All apps targeted toward a particular mobile platform are known as native apps. Therefore, an app intended for Apple device does not run in Android devices. As a result, most businesses develop apps for multiple platforms.

The main purpose of creating such apps is to ensure the best performance for a specific mobile operating system.

Hybrid app

The concept of the hybrid app is a mix of native and web-based apps. Apps developed using Apache Cordova, Xamarin, React Native, Sencha Touch, and other similar technologies fall into this category.

These are made to support web and native technologies across multiple platforms. Moreover, these apps are easier and faster to develop. It involves the use of a single code base which works in multiple mobile operating systems.

Despite such advantages, hybrid apps exhibit lower performance. Often, apps fail to bear the same look-and-feel in different mobile operating systems.

Web-based app

A web-based app is coded in HTML5, CSS or JavaScript. Internet access is required for the proper behavior and user-experience of this group of apps.

These apps may capture minimum memory space in user devices compared to native and hybrid apps. Since all the personal databases are saved on the Internet servers, users can fetch their desired data from any device through the Internet.