Find out how you can build a mobile application through this comprehensive guide on the app development and design process.

The digital age definitely highlighted the relevance and functionality of mobile phones. With everyone glued to their gadgets almost 24/7, numerous companies and individuals have tried and are trying to invest on mobile app development to cater to their digital needs and preferences. But what exactly is mobile app development and how is it done? Technically speaking, mobile app development is the process of building a software that works on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. A lot of people think of app development as merely coding and programming but actually, it entails the whole process of brainstorming, identifying, designing, building, and launching an effective product. In this article, you will discover the 5 basic phases in the whole mobile app development process.

Just like any other product, mobile applications start with an idea - a purpose. Building an app should come out of a necessity or a value that your app can offer to its prospect users. If you want your target clients to download and use your application, it should offer something that they want or need. For example, an application for booking hotels and restaurants is intended for travelers and people who need accommodation. The brainstorming phase is where you will come up with ideas on what kind of value do you want to offer to other people.

Once you already have a set of ideas in mind, it is now time to identify a specific one where all your next steps will revolve on. The identification phase also requires you to set specific goals and objective on what your output should look like. You can lay down a schedule, a to-do list, and a mock-up of your app. It would also be beneficial if you will take time on studying your target clients or audience - their needs, preferences, and demographics. This will help you decide on how you can build your app in a way that is preferable for them. Moreover, you can ask for help from professionals or create a team in developing your app. 

You and your team can now create a mock-up design of your application to lay down how it will look like once it is built already. Constructing wireframes will help you decide on the functionality of your app by identifying which way the buttons will go and what icons will represent the elements you want to include. The designing phase is mostly about coming up with the UX and UI design. The former is concerned about user experience and solving problems of functionality while the latter is concerned about user interface and making the layout visually-pleasing.

Now that you already have your wireframes and mock-up design, it is time to build your app. The developer should always be in sync with the designer so that their ideas will match and the design will be feasible to be built into an actual mobile application. Since coding and programming takes a lot of time, the building or development phase is usually the longest part of the process. It needs excellent skill and knowledge from the part of the developer to make sure that there are no errors and that the app will be fully functional in the end.

Once you or your developer is done with the programming part, it is now time to make sure that your application is ready for launching. In doing so, quality control should be conducted in order to make sure that your product is functional and built according to the design you originally came up with. You may want to check out for ease of use, proper workflow support, compliance with external industry requirements, end-user acceptance, and integration with external systems. If it passes your assessment, then your mobile app is now ready for launching!