Mobile Development or Mobile Applications Development has gained a lot of space in our work shares at Codespring. As many enterprise processes go mobile, the need for accurate and performing solutions is growing. During the application development process we have to consider a great diversity of screen sizes, hardware specifications and configurations as mobile software is a very competitive ground and changes within each of the platforms are frequent.
Platforms:
The platforms on which we have been developing mobile applications vary from iOS, Android to other device specific platforms.
Cross-platform development is a must nowadays. More and more customers are facing the need to cover the overwhelming diversity of environments where their applications will be used.
Programming Languages:
Swift, Kotlin, Objective C, Java, Java Script, TypeScript
Technologies:
iOS SDK, CoCoa, Android SDK, React Native, Cordova, Flutter, Phonegap
The Mobile Development Process
At Codespring we take big care for our customers to understand the mobile development process and its particularities.This helps both teams to be in tune with what is happening at each stage and enhances collaboration for the common goal of delivering a high quality mobile app.
Discovery
At Codespring, the mobile development cycle starts with an exploratory stage, where the development team and the beneficiary discover what will be the main use cases, the needed functionalities and the main steps of the application that an end-user should use. It is also important to discover the actual limitations in terms of devices, necessary sensors, bandwidth, expected data volume and updates frequency.
Design
Secondly, based on all the information collected and agreed during the discovery phase, the mobile development team will design the system architecture, the UI and the UX essentials. The design will meet the latest technology requirements in order to help the mobile app’s beneficiary to meet its objectives.
Proof of Concept
An actual prototype will be presented to the customer in order to discuss and validate the mobile application architecture and design. Once, the prototype is approved, the mobile development team will proceed to the actual development stage.
Development
During the mobile development stage, the team writes the code of the future mobile application for dedicated platforms such as Android or iOS or directly for a cross-platform use.
Testing
In order to achieve the delivery of a high quality mobile application, testing is essential. At Codespring, we emphasize a lot the importance of testing from all sides and aspects the mobile application before launching it to the market. There will be unit tests, integration tests, API tests, end-to-end UI tests and exploratory tests. Once we confirm it is runs as expected an it meets the specified security requirements we are ready to deploy.
Deployment
In order to have a successful deployment the mobile infrastructure has to be prepared accordingly. Whether the team will use a phased deployment, mixing internal continuous deployment with external continuous deployment practices, the decisions is unique for each mobile development project. It is important to discuss the deployment options before hand in order to match with the project and beneficiary needs.
Feedback
After release, the incoming feedback on different layers of the mobile application will be monitored. With the collected information, the development team and the beneficiary will take new decisions in order to fix or improve the mobile application. Be ready!
Maintenance
In order to have a better user experience, to minimize uninstalls, to keep up with competition, to achieve financial objectives and to keep a positive brand image, some maintenance tasks will be mandatory. Among the best practices we recommend: planning to add new features, providing app support with new hardware and software, update the UI, bug fixes, performance monitoring and system maintenance.
Mobile Development Specific Factors
Mobile Applications Development has a set of particularities that make the process slightly different.
Due to the hardware specific characteristics there are a set of constraints that result into application design differences:
- The UI (user interface) must be as simple as possible, must have a clear and an ergonomic design, since most smartphones use the touchscreen technology;
- The development team must also take into consideration the use of the bandwidth;
- Another important aspect is whether the app must run in no connectivity conditions;
- Data security is also a big steak on the overall development of mobile applications – the idea to foresee data recovery and protection in case the device is lost;
- Consideration for all the hardware incorporated sensors will lead to enhanced performance;
- Designing the app so that it can run in economic mode in order to save the battery is another key factor;
- The number of users also affects the way a mobile application is being built; There are apps designed for several hundred thousand and apps designed for millions;
- Updates via the application’s ecosystem must be carefully planned.
