Understanding the parameters of what the app will require is crucial to its development. Any miss in the requirement analysis could lead to project delays and cost-overruns.

Having a great idea for an app is a good starting point, but there are various aspects of the app that need to be defined. Like how many types of users will the app have. The rights and restrictions offered to each user. The type of OS that the app will work on.

The requirement analysis document will cover four key areas.

• research into competitors;
• feature mapping;
• technical requirements specification;
• the setting of costs and deadlines.

Once the requirements are understood and documented, the Preliminary Design Phase begins.

Every good app needs a distinctive design. But before the design a basic framework or low fidelity wireframe, needs to be made.

This wireframe maps the flow of information and anticipates usage. It contains the basic navigation and basic structure. A good wireframe will identify any possible issues and gives a good bedrock for the User  Interface and User Experience Design (UI|UX) team to base their design.

Based on the wireframe, the UI|UX team come up with design concept. The design concept is expanded through the design elements creating an optimal experience for users when they interact with the app.

All this comes together in the prototype. This is the last stage of design. A prototype is a clickable model of an app that looks just like the real app. However, the backend is not connected. Think of it as a concept car without the engine.

After the prototype has been created and tested, it needs to be turned into working product. To do this, programmers step into the game and code all the necessary features.

The development process can be divided into two parts.

• The frontend. This is the user side, so-to-say, or the face of the program with which users interact. The task of a front-end developer is to guarantee a flawless user-friendly experience.
• The backend. This is the hard functional part that guarantees the functioning of the whole system. Backend usually refers to the server-side of the application. It’s responsible for all the operations, calculations and, finally, for how reliable the app is.

The Quality Check is the last step before releasing it to the public. Apps that release before testing run the risk of failing and getting negative reviews.

To test the product, feedback is gathered based on a minimum viable product or MVP. It’s the first iteration after development. Based on the feedback received, the MVP goes through several iterations before a ready-to-release product is made.

After rigorous testing, the app is finally ready to be published on the Store. Users can now download it and use it to their benefit. But just publishing it does not mean the end of the job. The app needs to be continuously monitored and feedback incorporated to make sure that it works flawlessly to delight users.

Just like any good product, your app can get better with continuous improvement. Features can be added, non-essential parts can be trimmed, usage patterns monitored to give a simpler and effective solution to users, among others. All of this is part of the
maintenance cycle. Focus on maintenance is the unseen aspect of every successful app. Like any investment of time and money, it only gets better with time.