Mobile App Developer – Top Tips 2014

Mobile app development needn’t be hard: mobile app developers know that businesses are often wary of dipping their toes in the waters of Google Play or the Apple Store because their world seems confusing. Mobile app development is still a relatively new phenomenon, and any fresh development can seem uncertain – but in fact there are some simple top tips that can guide any mobile app developer towards success.

The first key to mobile app development success is to solve a problem. Mobile apps are little widgets of functionality for your customer’s phone or tablet. Either they know your service and want to access it on the go, or they have found your app via a search using a specific keyphrase – either way that means they know what they want to achieve with your app, and that it needs to deliver intuitively and usefully. If you have a service that your customers would love to access on the go, then you have a mobile app.

Mobile app development is about focusing on that proposition, and executing it well. That’s why user experience is the guiding principle of any good mobile app developer. Apps are best at their simplest, and at their clearest: the user should be able to fire them up and in a few taps or a couple of minutes have completed the task. Economy and clarity of idea are key: do your user research, understand their motivations and needs, and stick to that one great idea!

Part of that user-centred approach is about the design as well as the functionality aspects of mobile app development. Your mobile app developer should always be asking themselves whether the app they are building is convenient – and even fun – for the end-user. Likewise, tailoring the design of the app so that it displays seamlessly on both Android and iOS systems can be key: each element, or page, of the app should be clear and consistent, but most of all mobile app developers need to pay attention to platform.

Finally, mobile app development should consider how to integrate an app with the wider identity of the business, and the mobile activity of the user. Mobile app developers aren’t aiming to replace your corporate website – that has its purpose, and there are key elements of a website which mobile apps shouldn’t need to replicate. A great mobile app doesn’t repeat an experience – it extends and enhances how a customer can interact with your business. Via ‘push notifications’, a mobile app developer can also lock in reminders to the user about your app, and your company – a great way to increase your customers’ interactions with your product or service!

These simple tips for mobile app developers are rules of thumb that, with a lot of technical know-how, can help produce excellent mobile apps. So grab the opportunities, and don’t be afraid of mobile app development!