Every app is unique when you look at them from a different perspective. They focus on different verticals i.e. they can be gaming apps, social media apps, eCommerce apps, or enterprise apps that serve multiple purposes. Though the apps are different, all mobile application development companies in UAE build apps pretty much the same way, involving same or similar development processes. 

When it comes to Android app development, the entire development cycle will involve the design of the app, its development, testing, post-deployment maintenance, and technical support. With Android being one of the most popular mobile technologies at present, developing apps for the platform is fairly easy albeit fraught with many challenges. But for now, let’s stick to the development phase. 

This article explains the major steps involved in Android app development – the ones that should be practiced to ultimately deliver a great mobile app. 

Conceptualization

This is the first phase of development where the app idea is refined to lay a foundation for the development of the app. Conceptualization phase should involve extensive research and analysis on target market demographics and behavior patterns, buyer persona, goals of the business, rival apps (competitor analysis) and the features they offer. The research lays the groundwork for the processes that follow.

Feasibility assessment

Enterprises need a clear understanding of the app, and that is why Feasibility Assessment is the second phase of app development. Enterprises will get an idea of how the app is going to be, through wireframes or detailed sketches of the conceptualized app.

The app developers will need access to public data for proper feasibility assessment. By the end of the assessment, the team may even have a different idea for the app if the original idea was found not to be feasible. 

Design

This phase is where the UI designer designs the app’s interface and interactive elements while the UX designer architects the various interactions between those elements based on the buyer persona or user preferences. It’s a multi-step process that takes time. An Agile software development company or app development company would have an easier time designing the app with the entire development and QA team getting involved. 

Development

The development phase obviously comes after the design phase. The best approach is to prepare a working prototype of the app first to validate its functionality as well as to understand the scope of the project. As the development progresses, the app will go through even more steps to build core functionalities and light testing will follow. 

Many companies release the prototype to an external group of users for field testing. The development process will be divided into smaller modules to build more complex apps, which, as mentioned before, is easier through Agile methodology. 

Testing & Deployment

The final phase is the testing phase. Testing is as important as development today. With companies practicing Agile, both developers and testers take part in the development of the product right from the conceptualization process. In this phase, the app is tested for its usability, functionality, security, interface and UX, stress, compatibility, and performance. 

Once the testing phase identifies bugs, and once the bugs are rectified by the devs, the app is launched formally. The app then is made available in its platform-specific app store. But that’s not the end of app development either. The devs will have to optimize the app for the app store, meeting the store’s policy and regulations. The user feedback is also taken to make improvements on the app over time with updates. 

Conclusion

After the app is formally launched, the devs will have to take the feedback into account. Then the development cycle starts again with the devs working on possible improvements for the app based on the feedback received. The frequent updates maintain the app’s viability in the market and sustains the devs’ long-term commitment.