The use of smartphones has never been more common. Since the launch of the first iPhone ten years ago, the market has gained a large number of smart mobile devices, which have applications to expand their capabilities and create a high-quality user experience.
The success has been so great that, currently, almost half of the internet accesses are made by mobile devices. The smartphone is part of our daily lives, recording moments, being used for bill payment, and even for business management.
Precisely for this reason, being within the smartphone market is a strategy that must be adopted by companies in different segments. Having mobile applications is a choice that brings benefits to any company.
Mobile apps can be used internally, as solutions that make the work of employees more simple and mobile. In addition, customers now have access to services with greater added value, capable of meeting the needs of a more connected and demanding public.
But how to create an effective mobile app? What tools are ideal for applications? Check out our post today!
Why should my business have an app?
The application market is one of the largest in the world. Recently, Apple, maker of one of the most successful mobile devices in history, revealed that it has distributed more than $ 70 billion to its developers since the App Store was created. Androids are no different, as the Play Store is available on most devices on the planet.
This is possible because, in 2016 alone, 1.5 billion people bought smartphones around the planet. In US alone, this number corresponds to 243.42 million active lines. In addition, according to Cisco, by 2020, 70% of the planet’s population will be connected to the web through a mobile device.
All of these people use devices daily to contact their friends, share content, and view news. But, in addition to the consumption and publication of free data, the smartphone is also a corporate tool. It helps professionals to solve problems in their daily lives, check data away from the workplace, and meet demands with greater mobility.
Therefore, iphone application development is a strategic investment. As applications are the main function of any phone or tablet, they also serve as a way to originate new business, customer service channels, or make internal processes more effective.
Depending on the industry, the company may use apps to sell products and services. This is the case for sales sites, which ported their stores to mobile apps. Thus, customers do not need to access e-commerce to purchase merchandise on sale.
As the application has access to phone APIs, the sale becomes smarter. The company will be able to create notifications with promotions alerts, product shipments, and purchase status. This creates a smarter shopping experience, as well as facilitating consumer loyalty.
In addition, applications can be used as a means of relating to consumers. Through service channels integrated with mobile apps, the company is able to respond to requests quickly and display information that is useful to the customer.
Internally, the mobile app is a solution that guarantees maximum mobility for the business. The applications can be installed on tablets and smartphones, providing different possibilities of use.
Cloud storage services, for example, are easily portable to mobile apps. Thus, the company is able to guarantee that its professionals have access to important files during trips or commuting.
Various other daily activities can be performed on a smartphone screen. Sending e-mails, editing texts, or creating spreadsheets are other examples of what can be done by a professional. Well implemented, these apps facilitate the creation of an operational strategy with high mobility.
What does it take to create an app?
The creation of a mobile application is a process that goes through several steps. They involve choosing the type of app to be developed, the platform on which they will be distributed, and the application tool used during this process.
Choosing the type of application
Creating an app can be done using three strategies. The native app, the web app, and the hybrid app. They are differentiated by some characteristics that we will show below.
Native application
The native application is one that is installed on the phone and developed with the standard language of the smartphone’s operating system. It has access to several phone APIs, such as the camera and the contact display. In addition, it is available through the official stores of each system.
When a company opts for a strategy based on developing native applications for multiple platforms, it must be prepared to create a complex app maintenance process. For each system, you will need to use tools for different applications and your own source code.
But, despite having a maintenance process that requires more resources, this strategy allows the creation of more innovative mobile apps. Accessing the device’s internal resources facilitates the creation of various functions and makes the final solution more intelligent and functional.
Web apps
A web app is any type of application that is executable directly in the browser. As a result, it cannot be installed directly in the device’s memory and does not have access to all system APIs.
The web app has a simple development (in general, its base is made from CSS, HTML5, JavaScript, and programming languages such as PHP) and is compatible with a large number of devices. This not only facilitates the expansion of the number of users (since the device only has a recent system to be compatible with the application) but also its maintenance: the company will only have to deal with a source code and, with the possibility to maintain a responsive layout, the design becomes simpler to adapt to different screens.
Hybrid apps
A hybrid application is one developed from a mobile app development framework and ported to multiple platforms. In this case, the development tool has its own programming language and, when exported to a system, the source code is adapted according to the settings defined by the user.
The main advantage of developing hybrid applications is the possibility of using only a single source code to distribute the app across multiple platforms. However, this strategy limits the number of functions that the mobile application can have: they will be limited to features that are available on both platforms, in most cases.
Currently, the market has a large number of frameworks for developing applications. Some can be accessed, even, via the web, and do not require advanced knowledge of programming languages. Thus, the development of a basic app can be done in a few hours by people who have little knowledge of programming.
The choice of platform
Today, those who develop applications can opt for two platforms to distribute their applications: iOS and Android. While the first is limited to iPhones, iPods, and iPads available on the market, the second has the largest user base on the market.
But that does not mean that creating applications for Android is the most interesting choice for any business. As the number of models that run iOS is smaller, developing applications for the Apple system is simpler.
Choosing support only for the latest version of iOS, for example, the company will have to deal with a smaller number of screen configurations, memory, and processing capacity (without this implying a small number of users enabled to install the application).
In addition, as Apple maintains a policy of long-term updates, the company is able to deliver resources for devices from previous generations with the same flexibility that it would launch for the latest iPhone generation.
This is not the case with Android. The system has a more fragmented user base, with devices that have several versions of the system installed. Android is distributed on devices from various manufacturers, with different target audiences. As a consequence, just as the number of users is greater, the number of hardware and software configurations is wider.
On the other hand, Android development is more economical. The main apps for creating apps are available for Linux, Windows, and macOS. In the case of iOS, it is necessary to have an Apple computer to have access to the tools for applications and the App Store.
If the company chooses to use hybrid applications or web apps, that is no longer a big problem. It is enough for the business to choose the development applications best suited to its working environment to start creating applications according to its needs.
Design and layout guidelines
One of the most important points of creating an application is the definition of its design. The company must be prepared to develop an attractive, innovative, functional design that, preferably, is aligned with the system’s design guidelines.
Every mobile system has documentation with guidelines so that developers can choose buttons, menus, and fonts that are in line with the rest of the system. This facilitates the user’s adaptation to the new application and, consequently, increases the chances of the loyalty of each person who installs the app.
However, the guidelines do not need to be fully incorporated. The company can adopt a strategy in which only a few elements are incorporated by the business, making the app unique.
In any case, the important thing is that the company creates a layout that highlights what is fundamental for the user and that is easy to use. The adaptation time to the resources of the application should be as short as possible and it is important that the main functions are easy to be accessed. Thus, whoever installs the application will always have reasons to use it again, since the user experience will be the best possible.
How do application tools work?
The creation of mobile apps can be done in several tools for applications. They are defined, in general, by the way, the business will create your app and the chosen platform. To make this part simpler, we will limit ourselves to the native app development environments of Android (Android Studio), iOS (Xcode), and the frameworks for HTML and hybrid applications.
Android Studio: the tool for Android apps
Android Studio is the Android IDE (an acronym for Integrated Development Environment, or Portuguese Integrated Development Environment). It was announced in May 2013, during Google I / O (the Google developer conference). Its first stable version started to be distributed in December 2014 and today it is already in version 2.3.3.
Made from IntelliJ IDEA (an open-source Java-based IDE), Android Studio can be used in environments based on Linux, Windows, and macOS. Its launch was aimed at replacing Eclipse ADT as the main tool for creating Android applications.
Each application made in Android Studio is treated as a project. When selecting the option to develop a new project, you must define the devices that will be able to run your app, insert its name, and the company’s website.
To check if the functions are correctly configured, it is possible to use an internal simulator or install the app directly on a tester. On some devices, for security reasons, the possibility of installing an application directly by the apk (the name given to the installation file for an app) may be disabled, so be aware of this.
Among the main functions of Android Studio, we have the emulator. It displays changes to the final application as the developer inserts them into the source code, making it easy to assess the quality of the changes.
Importing libraries is simple. And with the intelligent source code display design, the programmer has no trouble guiding himself during his work. In addition, the testing tool allows you to evaluate the performance of the app on multiple devices, ensuring that the final app will run on multiple gadgets.
Xcode: Apple’s official environment
Xcode is the IDE made for Apple systems. It is executable only on macOS and allows the creation of applications that run on iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS. The installer is distributed free to macOS Sierra users on the Mac App Store, but registered developers have access to the trial and older versions through the Apple Developer website.
Despite being compatible with other languages, Xcode’s main objective is to create apps in Swift and Objective-C. Its latest version, Xcode 9, has an entirely new editor. It is faster and capable of handling large source codes.
Integration with GitHub makes version control simple. It is possible to search the platform, check the repositories, and send new versions for the projects. In addition, this integration makes the process of integrating branches easier.
Like Android Studio, Xcode 9 also has an emulator for testing applications. If the device is registered for developers, you will be able to evaluate the performance directly on the device and in beta versions of the system.
In its latest version, the Simulator app window is displayed with the design of the device being simulated. The developer can simulate different instances of the same application, check how iCloud synchronization works, and use it with automated test scripts.
Hybrid application frameworks and web apps
Development frameworks for hybrid applications and web apps work similarly to IDEs from Apple and Google. With a set of functions for testing, debugging, and importing libraries, they are compatible with a larger number of systems and, in general, can be used on Linux, Windows, and iOS.
Some tools for applications in this category are available on the web. This can simplify the creation process, but at the same time, it tends to decrease the performance of an application created in a local IDE.
Know the disadvantages of using them
Like any IT strategy, creating apps using application tools has advantages and disadvantages. Some are unique to the approaches used by the business and others are shared by any system.
Although Apple’s application tools are created for free, developers must participate in the Apple Developer Program to distribute their apps on the App Store. Each user must pay $ 99 per year.
The subscription gives you access to tools to create, analyze, test, manage, and distribute apps for tvOS, macOS, iOS, and watchOS. In addition, the program also allows the use of trial versions of Xcode and Apple’s operating systems and advanced development technologies.
In addition, Apple’s development solutions are available only for the brand’s computers. These two factors, together, can make the process of creating apps more expensive.
In the case of Android (and the development of multiplatform applications), the main disadvantage is the increased complexity of the development processes. The company is expected to handle a wide range of hardware, which makes testing and maintenance routines more complex.
Non-native application creation tools can perform worse when compared to native applications. In addition, web apps do not have access to many system APIs, which limits the number of features available in this type of software.
Advantages of application tools
The tools to develop applications provide a unique opportunity for the business to create innovative and high-performance solutions. Modern IDEs are compatible with external services, allow automated testing, and make day-to-day development easier.
Integration with GitHub, for example, facilitates change control and teamwork. Emulators, on the other hand, reduce the costs of testing processes, since the company does not need to purchase several devices to assess whether a program is compatible with multiple devices.
The tools for native apps listed above are crucial for anyone looking to have maximum freedom and flexibility when creating a mobile app. The developer will have maximum control over the source code and will be able to make and evaluate changes quickly.
Solutions for the development of hybrid applications reduce costs and expand the potential user base that a mobile app has when it is launched. Thus, the chances of the company reaching its desired audience are easily increased.
What is the best way to develop an application?
Application development does not necessarily have to be done by the company. Also from the application tools, there is the possibility for the business to use the support of a strategic partner, who will define the best approach according to the business profile and its objectives.
This option has been adopted by several companies. It allows for better targeting of the application’s planning, development, and maintenance processes. In addition, the manager is able to maintain the focus on managing the business and meeting the demands of consumers and business partners.
Creating an application in-house can require a lot of resources. The company must hire developers, a project manager, and purchase specialized equipment and software.
On the other hand, by hiring a company specialized in the service, the company tends to achieve a better return on its investment. Experts will choose the best tools for applications. In addition, they will indicate security standards, methodology, and appropriate platforms according to the business objectives.
