10 Mobile App Development Questions, Answered

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Mobile app development strategy is now a priority for most businesses. That’s because of the rapid uptake of mobile apps that has transformed the mobile app landscape.

However, for most businesses, small and large, successfully bringing an app to the market demands substantial research and strategic planning. So, there are several questions to consider when you begin the mobile app development journey.

Understanding these ten questions will help you identify the best mobile app development strategy for your enterprise.

1. Is a mobile website sound enough?

Your business objectives will guide your decision to design a mobile app or a mobile website. For instance, if your objective is to offer mobile-friendly content to a wide range of people, a mobile website can be an ideal choice.

Mobile websites present a great way to put valuable content in the hands of your target audience. Unfortunately, mobile website users have exceedingly high expectations of functionality and quality that sometimes these websites cannot deliver.

2. How feasible is my idea?

Most small and medium-sized enterprises struggle with this question. They wonder about the feasibility of their app idea, often struggling to understand whether they should put huge budgets on app development and maintenance.

Well, the best way to know whether your idea is feasible is to test it. You have to design a prototype, take it to your target market, and see whether there’s something valuable in it.

There’s no way to know whether your app idea will succeed if you haven’t taken it to the field of real prospects or at least seen how apps of similar nature have performed before.

3. Who is my target audience?

Most businesses and individuals fail to know who exactly is their target audience when developing an app. Always know your app’s end users before kick starting the app development process.

To know your target audience, conduct a comprehensive study of your app’s user demographics. Focus the research on identifying the users’ buying habits, age, challenges, and locality. In addition, research on how much time they spend on devices, their preferences, and interests.

4. What’s my mobile app category?

Knowing your mobile app category will significantly help you cut your mobile app development costs. While knowing your app’s category is a no-brainer, your app should be designed in such a way that it can fit into any categories available in both Apple Store and Play Store.

Knowing your app category will reduce your competitive research time. In addition, knowing the primary and secondary categories will help you narrow down the most appropriate or potential clients for your app.

5. How can I validate my app idea?

This is a question that’s asked by most mobile app developers. Individuals and businesses that want to integrate mobile apps into their digital strategy wonder how they can actualize their dreams and validate their ideas.

The answer to this simple question is: you can validate your idea by using a prototype, a Proof of Concept, or a minimum viable product. Alongside validating your idea, a Minimum Viable Product allows for client and stakeholder participation, eliciting new ideas and revealing new areas of improvement.

The prototype or minimum viable product ensures that the entire team contributes to the project through the product life cycle stages. So, if you want to increase the chances of your app’s launch and eventual success, using a proof of concept POC or a minimum viable product may help you attain that goal.

6. How will my app make money?

This is a question most individuals struggle to answer. So, making money with your app depends wholly on your app monetization strategy. Selecting the right monetization strategy or a combination of strategies will help optimize your app’s performance and usage.

As you seek to monetize your app, look for a model that will generate income without compromising on your app’s overall performance and functionality. For example, the subscription monetization model works based on music and video subscriptions, while the in-app purchase model is perfect for products and free-to-play games.

Carefully consider how you monetize based on your market research, user base, and product. Doing this will not only guarantee profitability but will substantially increase your success.

The most common app monetization strategies include:

  • Subscription
  • Freemium
  • In-App purchases
  • Pay per download
  • Advertising base

It’s important to note that regardless of your app’s monetization strategy, it’s not an afterthought. Your initial plans must capture your app’s idea and its monetization strategy.

The last thing any individual or business wants is to invest in a product that has no long-term returns on investment. So, carefully define your app’s monetization strategy straight from the beginning.

7. Hybrid, native, or web?

Selecting web, native, or hybrid can make or break your app’s mobile strategy. In addition, deciding to build your app as either a native, hybrid or web involves many factors for consideration.

Benefits of Native Apps

  • Deliver the best performance
  • They’re interactive, intuitive, and smooth
  • Allows developers to access the full feature set
  • A superior user experience
  • Approved by its operating system, ensuring compatibility, quality, and security.

Advantages of Web Apps

  • Web apps are relatively easy to maintain
  • They’re less expensive upfront
  • Do not have to follow standard OS protocols
  • Web apps can survive in all operating systems and platforms
  • Updates are not done from a centralized store – web apps update themselves automatically when the app loads

Advantages of Hybrid Apps

  • Only one codebase is needed for hybrid apps
  • Hybrid apps have access to a device’s internal API
  • Hybrid apps don’t need a web browser

The initial cost of a native app may be higher. However, you’ll save money and time in the long run.

8. Should I outsource my mobile app development?

Many companies have many items to consider when starting with mobile app development. One of these questions is who’s going to build the product.

Outsourcing mobile app development comes with flexibility, experience, and expertise, alongside an in-depth knowledge of new trends in technology.

9. Are there similar apps in the industry?

Competition holds a special place, not just in developing a new mobile app; but also in determining or predicting the future of that specific app. The first step in the competitive analysis is to know whether there are any competitor apps in the market.

Obtaining this information will not only help you know what elements or items your app must have, but will give you insights on what you should consider in the future to remain sustainable.

10. How do I protect my app idea?

One of the most commonly asked app development questions is how to protect your app idea. Well, the truth is that you have control of your app until it’s launched in the market. However, once launched, competitors will copy whatever attributes they see fit. And some competitors may duplicate the entire app idea.

So, while you’re at the ideation towards conceptualization stage, you can protect your app idea by signing a non-disclosure agreement NDA with the app development companies you’re involved with.

At the end of the day, the best way to protect your app idea is to work on it before your competitors do. And working on it means constantly adding new features and looking for new ways to improve the app’s overall functionality.

NS804 – Masters in App Design, Development and Deployment!

NS804 is a leading and trusted provider of mobile app development. With vast experience in app design, development, and deployment, NS804 has helped thousands of clients meet their app development goals.

NS804 offers expertise from inception to completion, helping you transcend the app development journey.

Contact NS804 for timely mobile app design, development, and deployment.

Want Flawless API Implementation? Here Are 3 Tips

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The application programming interface (API) is essential for all forms of software development, and that’s why you want flawless API implementation. But how do you do this with so many APIs in existence? And don’t you need vast knowledge to work with so many different APIs?

The good news is that you’ll only ever use a handful of APIs during your development endeavors. And no, there’s no need to know these intimately, as these change regularly or occasionally become deprecated. Though it never hurts to have relevant background knowledge and experience.

However, API implementation is something you need to do well and consistently. So we’re providing these few handy tips to help you with this matter below.

1. Check The Documentation Before API Implementation

The quality of documentation plays a crucial role in whether or not you should use an API. And that’s because poor documentation, or lack thereof, makes API implementation incredibly challenging. And in some cases, utterly impossible!

So, always check the documentation of an API to see that it’s clear, concise, and detailed enough. It should have enough information to help you implement it easily and quickly. Fortunately, most popular APIs, especially those developed by tech giants such as Apple, Google, and Microsoft, come with well-written documentation.

But things can get dicey when dealing with open-source APIs or those made by amateur developers. Another common problem with open-source projects is that documentation will suffer once a project loses steam. At least with those backed by large companies, their documentation will regularly get updated, so long as these APIs aren’t deprecated.

2. Verify The Stability Of The API Beforehand

Always check the version number, release notes, and reported issues of an API beforehand. Also, search developer forums to see if other developers have experienced issues with the API you’re about to implement. Contributors of these developer forums will often provide solutions to known problems.

While no API is perfect or bug-free, you’ll want to avoid any API that will break your app. And you’ll also want to use APIs that offer a certain degree of backward compatibility. After all, you don’t want to rewrite your entire app just to get it to work with the latest version of an API.

3. Easier Is Always Better

API implementation should never be too difficult. Your team simply shouldn’t waste valuable time trying to implement an API when they could be working on the features that add value to your app. Thus, your preferred APIs should offer ease of use and flexibility.

And implementation must be so easy that it makes sense to use a particular API in your other apps when necessary. Thus, you won’t waste company resources learning new APIs or having to undergo yet another onboarding process.

The Bottom Line

Every mobile app relies on several APIs to make it functional. And there’s an API for every use case, from drawing graphics on the screen to transferring data to the backend server. Therefore, API implementation is one of the most important tasks that mobile app developers can’t ignore. Contact NS804 to learn how we’ll help you develop phenomenal mobile apps the right way!

Want To Develop iOS Apps? Here’s How To Get Started

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Most developers — even those not involved in the mobile space — want to develop iOS apps. And that’s because Apple’s renowned ecosystem is world-class. And with the recently released iPhone Pro 14, consumers have access to one of the best premium smartphones in the market. 

Of course, iOS apps don’t only run on iPhones but also on Apple’s phenomenal lineup of tablets — the iPad range. And with the introduction of Apple silicon (system on a chip based on ARM architecture), it’s now possible to run iOS apps on the latest Mac computers with no porting necessary. 

So what does this mean for developers? It means that their iOS apps can run on a variety of Apple devices from a single codebase. And that’s profound because Apple users love to spend money on apps far more than Android users. Thus, if you develop iOS apps, you’ll be entering a very lucrative market. And while success is never guaranteed — you’ll never know if you don’t try!

But what if you’re new to the Apple ecosystem as a developer — how do you even get started? First and foremost, understand that Apple’s ecosystem is called a ‘walled garden’ for a reason. And that’s because it’s a closed platform, similar to Sony’s PlayStation and Nintendo’s Switch consoles.

And that brings us to our second point: you don’t have the freedom to develop iOS apps on whatever hardware you like or skirt Apple’s guidelines. Like it or not, Apple has a stranglehold on its platforms, down to the development process. But we plan to demystify this process and help you get started — the right way!

1. Purchase Original Apple Hardware

If you don’t already own an Apple MacBook notebook or a Mac/iMac desktop, you’ll need to purchase at least one that fits your budget. Preferably, choose one of the latest models that features the M1 or M2 SoC instead of an Intel CPU. Apple’s latest chips are more power efficient and also future-proof, so worth the investment. 

Now, you may come across instructional articles and YouTube videos that will show you how to build a Hackintosh — a cheaper and unofficial Mac/iMac clone system. As tempting as this route may seem, we don’t recommend it at all! You’ll need some PC-building skills, and the overall experience won’t be as smooth as using a genuine Mac once you’ve got your Hackintosh up and running. 

And no, you won’t be able to use a Windows or Linux PC to build iOS apps. But you can install Windows or Linux on a Mac and even develop apps for these operating systems. Moreover, you can install Android Studio on a Mac and develop Android apps, making it perfect for cross-platform development. 

You’ll also need to purchase at least one iPhone and an iPad for deploying and testing your app. And if you plan to release your app on Apple Watch and tvOS, you’ll need to purchase these devices too. Purchase the latest models of these devices, but it doesn’t hurt to have a few older models in the studio for backward compatibility testing purposes.

2. Enroll As An Apple Developer And Create An Apple ID

Now that you’ve rounded up all your hardware, you’re ready to become an Apple developer. However, we mentioned Apple’s closed platform earlier, and now you’re about to see why that’s the case. 

Apple offers an enrollment program, and it’s mandatory if you want to distribute your iOS apps. Furthermore, you’ll need to pay an annual fee of 99 USD for the Apple Developer Program and 299 USD for the Apple Developer Enterprise Program. Choose the program that’s right for your studio.

Also, don’t forget to create your Apple ID, as it’s necessary to authenticate yourself as the user and to download development tools from the Mac App Store.

3. Download And Familiarize Yourself With Xcode

After that, download Xcode — Apple’s official integrated development environment (IDE). You can get it from the Mac App Store or Apple’s Xcode developer portal. This suite includes a code editor, debugging tools, and the iOS software development kit (SDK). While there are many other IDEs available in the marketplace, we recommend you stick to Xcode if you’re only now starting out to develop iOS apps.

However, if you’re developing mobile games and using a game engine such as Unity, expect your development environment to differ substantially. But if you’re developing non-gaming and line of business (LOB) apps, Xcode will suffice. 

We recommend you spend time familiarizing yourself with Xcode before you start to develop iOS apps. And that’s to help you and your team to become more comfortable with using the IDE and all its features. Furthermore, check out the Xcode documentation, videos, and forums at Apple’s developer portal.

4. Learn The Swift Programming Language

Swift is Apple’s officially supported and preferred programming language for creating iOS apps. It’s quickly replacing the far older Objective-C, but some developers still use it to this day. However, we recommend you use Swift as a new iOS developer, as it’s easier to read and write and more type-safe. 

But how long will it take to learn Swift? If your team already has experience with any object-oriented programming (OOP) language, they’ll pick up Swift in a matter of days. But if they have little or no experience, it can take two months or longer to gain a basic level of proficiency.

5. You May Need To Learn C++ Or C#

If you’re planning on developing an iOS mobile game, you can use Xcode. But we only recommend this route if you’re making a small and simple game. And that’s because Xcode doesn’t offer the tooling necessary to make complex 3D games popular with today’s gamers. 

Instead, you should either use Unity or Unreal Engine to make a compelling game with stunning 3D visuals. If you go with Unity, which is the more lightweight game engine of the two, you’ll need to learn C#. And if you go with Unreal Engine, you’ll need to learn C++ or Blueprint Visual Scripting.

Overall, C# is easier to learn than C++, and even shares some similarities with Swift. And that means if you already know Swift, picking up C# will be a cinch. However, that doesn’t mean you should ignore C++, as it’s the lingua franca of the game development world. And apart from Unreal Engine, the vast majority of performance-oriented 3D game engines are either coded in C++ or have a C++ scripting component. 

Furthermore, if you need to develop a fast-paced game, such as a first-person shooter (FPS) or racing game, it’s preferable to code it in C++ to keep frame rates up. The problem with languages such as C# is that they use a garbage collector (GC) to avoid memory leaks. But every time the GC kicks in to clear unused objects in the memory heap, it can cause in-game stutters, which ruins the user experience. 

Of course, there are workarounds to avoid these stutters, but it’s still better to use a more performant language, such as C++. And given that C++ regularly outperforms managed languages such as C#, it’s the way to go for many use cases. 

In Conclusion

As we’ve revealed, it’s actually a relatively simple process to develop iOS apps if you’re just starting out. Initially, you’ll be faced with a high price of entry, especially if you don’t already own any Apple hardware. But once you have purchased this hardware, created your Apple ID, and enrolled in the developer program, you’re halfway done. Then, it’s a matter of downloading Xcode, familiarizing yourself with the IDE, and learning Swift. 

You may need to use other tools and programming languages if you’re creating mobile games, but this isn’t always necessary. Contact us today to learn how NS804 will help you develop iOS apps that engage users! 

The 5 Reasons Your Mobile App isn’t Drawing In Clients

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Deciding to build a mobile app aimed at serving customers better is a significant step for any business that wants to grow revenue. Apps ensure businesses can are more available to clients and it is also an opportunity for the business to develop a better profile of individual customers by looking at the services they interact with most. However, businesses must remember that there are over 1 million apps that customers can download on iOS and Android platforms. For an app to stand out, it must serve specific needs and do so in a world-class manner.

If your business app is not drawing in clients at the rate you had projected, there are numerous things that you might have gotten wrong.

1. A Lack of a Clear Objective

You must make a strong case on why users need to download, keep using, and recommend your app to other users. The primary features of the app must integrate with users’ daily lives else the rate of un-installations will be high. For instance, an app that compiles all the important news on stock markets every morning is likely to be used heavily by people during their morning commutes. Features are less important than the utility.

2. Complicated UI

The simpler the user interface of an app, the more likely it is to appeal to a wide market. App users prefer apps that do not have a steep learning curve. Everything must feel intuitive and the experience should be quite similar across devices. Speak to a UI-expert for advice on whether this might be a stumbling block for users. Comments from users can also give an indication of the app’s experience after the first few hours or days of use.

3. Failure to Iterate the Mobile App

Apps are rarely perfect and there will always be quacks to fix immediately after you release the app. Your development team should be ready to fix bugs or to adjust features based on feedback from users. Staying too long without fixing issues will lead to the loss of goodwill from early adopters of the app leading to un-installations and bad reviews. Negative reviews will heavily impede the app’s growth despite there being genuine utility in using the app.

4. Poor Marketing

Your team must have a well-laid-out marketing strategy aimed at creating sufficient hype in the community of your target users. You might invite journalists and thought leaders in the industry to try a Beta version of the product pre-launch. Detailed reviews by such authority voices give your app credibility. You might also have a paid-ad campaign. In a market where thousands of apps may be aiming for the same market, a marketing budget is paramount.

5. Poor User Experience

Another reason an app may fail to take off is unavailability in multiple languages. Apps, just like websites, need to be customized for different markets. You must also consider the ease with which people can download, install, and begin using the app. An overly long sign-up process will cause some customers dropping off before completion. Your team must make the product very customer-centric.

NS804 is a world-class mobile app development company with decades of experience in shipping successful business apps. Reach out to us today for a conversation about turning a positive return on your business’s mobile app.

Do You Have A Great App Idea? 5 Tips To Get It Validated

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Coming up with a great app idea can seem easy at times. But what may not seem easy is ascertaining if that app idea is truly feasible. If most developers were honest, they’d admit they lucked out on some of their best and most profitable ideas. Instead, they’d like everyone to believe they’re geniuses for coming up with winning ideas.

Of course, some top-tier app developers have a methodology for brainstorming ideas and validating them. And that’s what we want to focus on right now!

We’re not interested in revealing tips aimed at opportunistic appreneurs and developers that want to make a quick buck from current trends. And that’s because this is not a sustainable way to push out compelling apps at a regular cadence.

Instead, we want developers to work systematically to achieve consistent results regularly. We also want developers to think of themselves as problem solvers and not simply studios that push out code.

While working with new technologies is always fun, we should never lose track of the fact that we’re here to provide solutions. Our goals should always align with those of our clients and users. And that’s to make life easier for them by solving problems that hold them back or impact productivity.

However, you may be at this point now where you have a great app idea that will solve a problem users experience. But how do you validate it to know for certain that it will serve your target market well? Read on, as we’re about to reveal several handy tips to help you through the validation process.

1. Market Research Is A Must! 

Never commence planning and developing an app without conducting market research first. And that’s because you need to know if your app is unique or improves on existing ideas. And if the market already has competitors, can you compete by offering something different or better?

Moreover, you should clearly define your app’s unique selling point (USP). Ask yourself what sets it apart from competing apps and how your users will benefit.

And possibly, create a prototype to show your team, company stakeholders, or even a small focus group. Then, ask them for feedback on what they think of the app and if they can pinpoint its USP and potential target audience.

2. The Early Stages Of The Validation Process

As a startup with limited time and money, going through the validation process may seem challenging. But we recommend that you don’t skimp on this step, as it will help determine if you have a great app idea or not.

We mentioned earlier about building a prototype and showing it to relevant parties. However, you can take things further by setting specific validation goals. 

For example, you may decide not to build a prototype but focus on pitching your idea to investors. If you manage to convince five or more investors about the virtues of your app idea, then that’s a good sign. Or you can work with another metric: if 100 or more potential users view your concept design on social media and react positively — you may want to greenlight the project. 

As you may understand by now, there are several ways you can go with this. And by setting several validation goals that you can measure, you can gain real-world feedback without breaking the bank. But only doing the above won’t be substantial for most projects, even though it’s a good starting point.

3. Effective Ways To Validate A Great App Idea

Real-world feedback is an ongoing theme with app validation. And that’s because there’s no better way to determine if there’s interest in your app concept or idea.

So, focus on ways to receive user feedback from potential users. But also ensure that you research the size and value of the market you’re targeting. And no matter how much you like your idea, don’t invest in developing it into a full-fledged app without thorough market validation. 

But how do you thoroughly validate the market? Well, one of the best ways to do this is with a minimum viable product (MVP). An MVP is a stripped-down version of your app with the bare minimum of functionality. And the main advantage of this is that you can deliver an MVP to your users cheaply and quickly. 

Should it prove popular with users, you can scale it into a fully-fledged app and implement the features that users have suggested. However, if it fails to gain traction, you can scrap the project or implement changes that may make it more appealing to users. The latter may be the way to go if there’s still middling interest and users have made suggestions.

4. Conduct User Surveys

Another good way to ascertain if you’re on to a great app idea is via user surveys. Start by creating a customer profile that represents your ideal users. Your customer profile may have the age, demographic, education, hobby, location, and spending attributes.

If your customer profile slants to the younger ages, you may want to find users on a platform such as TikTok. And if they’re older professionals, you may want to track them down on LinkedIn. Either way, you should have a clear picture of your target group so you can survey them properly. 

Ensure that you tailor your survey for your target group and use language and tone that appeals to them. Moreover, respect their time by not asking more questions than you have to or asking complicated questions that are too difficult to answer. Ideally, you want these users to complete your entire survey and not give up halfway through.

5. Pre-Selling And Pre-Registration 

Another effective way to test your app idea is by setting up a pre-selling landing page. This landing page will feature a description of your app, screenshots, and a promo video to create buzz. Furthermore, visitors can easily register and submit their email addresses to stay updated. 

What’s so compelling about this approach is that it’s a way to attract early adopters. And the higher number of these early adopters, the more validation you receive for your app. Moreover, it can act as a revenue stream if you need to generate income before launching your app officially. 

But if setting up a landing page and maintaining an email list isn’t your thing, there’s no need to despair. Google Play offers pre-registration for your app so that you can build hype and user relationships before launch. This is done directly on the Play Console and is implemented 3-6 weeks before the launch date. 

It’s an effective way to drive traffic to your app’s store page. And it’s possible for Google Play to automatically deliver your app to users and auto-install it on their devices on launch day. Thus, it’s almost certain that you’ll have users on day one with a limited amount of work on your end. You can also use Google’s pre-marketing tools to boost interest further.

The Bottom Line

When you have a great app idea, you’ll want to validate it as soon as possible. The good news is that there are several ways to go about this, as we’ve already covered above. However, there’s a bit of additional work involved, which may increase your costs and time to market (TTM).

But if you work with experts, such as NS804, you’ve got a partner to help you navigate this process. Contact us today to learn how we’ll help you validate your best ideas and turn them into phenomenal apps!

App Performance: How To Tell If Your App Is Succeeding

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If you’re not continuously monitoring app performance, you won’t have a clear picture of app quality and success. And that means you won’t know if your app meets or exceeds user expectations. Moreover, you can’t correctly evaluate your app since you’re not measuring its key performance indicators (KPIs).

So, what should you do to ensure you know everything about your app that matters? And more importantly, how do you do so without hurting your brand? After all, there’s nothing worse than releasing an app — even as a beta for testing purposes — that delivers a shoddy user experience. 

Read on as we’re about to reveal the steps you need to take to monitor app performance — the right way!

1. Implement App Performance Metrics For App Quality

First and foremost, you need to know if your app runs flawlessly or is a buggy mess that upsets users. Thus, you’ll need to implement the following app performance metrics that will furnish you with reports in real-time:

  • Crash analytics – To help you identify when and why app crashes happen
  • Performance – Collect data related to load speeds, device configurations, operating systems, and screen resolutions
  • In-app feedback and ticketing – An effective way to gain feedback and respond to app issues without hurting your brand
  • Testing – Use an SDK such as Firebase to build and test apps across multiple devices and platforms 

2. Measure KPIs That Determine App Success

You’ll also need to know how well your app is performing in the app stores. And there’s quite a bit of data that you’ll need to collect and analyze, such as follows:

  • Number of downloads – This is one of the most important KPIs and helps determine app growth or stagnation
  • Reviews and ratings – Positive reviews and ratings bolster downloads as users often look at these first before trying out an app 
  • Track active users – It’s crucial to know how many users continue using your app after they download it from the store
  • The average duration of user interaction – User engagement directly correlates with higher usage times
  • The frequency of user sessions – This is another important metric that determines user engagement
  • Retention rate – This metric helps determine whether or not users remain interested in your app
  • Churn rate – Another important metric that indicates how many users leave an app

3. Mobile Game Considerations

All app performance metrics discussed above also apply to mobile games. Given the viral nature of mobile games, it’s also crucial to measure the K factor. So, what is the K factor, and how does it impact a mobile game? In a nutshell, the K factor refers to the number of users that talk about your game and recommend it to others.

An easy way to work out the K factor is with this simple formula (i = average number of invitations sent by a user, and c = conversation rate of those invited): 

k-factor = i*c

In Conclusion

Always implement app performance metrics, as these will help you gain a 360-degree view of your app. The more data you collect about your app’s performance and how users interact with it, the better informed you’ll be to make the right changes — and when they’re necessary. Contact NS804 to learn how we’ll help you create phenomenal apps that truly succeed! 

Multi-Platform App Development Myths, Debunked

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Sooner or later, every appreneur has to consider multi-platform app development. And that’s scary, given the complexities involved in such an endeavor. But are things really that bad, or are we jumping to conclusions — too soon? It’s a bit of both if we delve deeper into this subject.

Let’s start with the hard part first. Yes, multi-platform app development is challenging! Having to develop for Android and iOS concurrently means you’ll have to deal with the peculiarities of each platform. You’ll need to design, develop, and test your apps for a variety of hardware, feature sets, and screen resolutions. 

If you only focus on a single platform, your development costs and time-to-market (TTM) drop significantly. However, the number of your potential app users drops in tandem. It’s perfectly okay to release on one platform early on, especially if you’re testing the market with a minimum viable product (MVP). But if your MVP proves successful, there’s no point in limiting yourself to a single platform.

Moreover, there’s never been a better time to target multiple platforms. And that’s because today’s development tools facilitate this so perfectly. Most popular development suites make it easy to target Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and even the Web — from a single codebase!

The same applies to game engines, such as Unity and Unreal Engine, which support the above platforms, game consoles, and even AR/VR headsets. So, if you begin with a multi-platform development strategy, it will give your app almost limitless potential. 

But we won’t stop there, as we’re about to debunk more myths about this subject matter below!

1. Multi-Platform Development Results In Buggy Apps

The quality of an app largely depends on the abilities of the developer. An inexperienced or negligent developer will produce shoddy apps, regardless of whether they target a single platform or several.

However, it’s not uncommon for a developer to release a flawless app for one platform and a substandard app for another. And that’s likely due to the developer having more experience developing for one platform over the other.

2. It’s Important To Have Platform Exclusivity

This only matters if a platform holder strikes a deal with you in advance so that your app appears exclusively in their store. In all likelihood, this won’t happen if you’re a new developer unless you’re creating a unique or outstanding app. 

And that exclusivity deal better be worthwhile to make up for the loss of revenue gained from supporting additional platforms. In most cases, it’s more profitable to take the multi-platform route. 

3. Targeting One Platform Allows For More Optimization

While this is true, it’s still not a valid excuse for supporting only one platform. A developer’s mindset should always revolve around optimizing apps proportionately across all platforms. And that’s because it’s never a good idea to treat users of a specific platform as second-class citizens.

Simply put, there are no better or lesser platforms. An experienced and reputable developer — such as NS804 — views all platforms and their users holistically.

4. Users Prefer Platform ‘X’ — So Why Bother With Others? 

Sadly, fanboyism and popularity contests cloud the tech space. Android and iOS fans like to debate online about their favorite platforms and can often sway opinion. And it doesn’t end there, as smartphone manufacturers will regularly tout their latest sales figures and build up hype.

All this may leave you in a precarious position where you’re second-guessing which platform to support. But don’t ever do this, and look at the truth that’s right in front of you instead! Both Android and iOS remain hugely popular, and this trend will likely continue in the foreseeable future. So do the smart thing and support both if you have the budget and technical capabilities.

5. Multi-Platform Mobile Apps Only Run On Smartphones And Tablets

This may have been true over a decade ago, but no longer applicable. Apple and Google have grown and enriched their respective ecosystems beyond smartphones and tablets. Today, both tech giants also offer wearables, smart TVs, and even in-car options.

Furthermore, it’s now possible to run iOS apps on Mac and Android apps on Chromebooks and Windows 11 — but with a few caveats. 

6. Apple’s Tools Make It Difficult To Target Other Platforms

There’s indeed some level of lock-in with Apple’s development tools. These tools work great when developing for iOS and macOS but are poor choices when targeting other platforms. However, developers don’t need to limit themselves to Apple’s development tools only.

Embarcadero, Google, JetBrains, Microsoft, and The QT Company all offer excellent development suites for multi-platform development. And most popular game engines are designed with multi-platform development in mind.

7. Monetization Can Get Messy With Multi-Platform Releases

It’s likely that you’ll implement different monetization strategies for Android and iOS. And the reason for this is that the user base for each platform differs considerably. Android users love free apps and don’t mind watching ads to unlock features. But iOS users prefer premium apps and don’t mind paying for them as long as they don’t have to deal with ads.

However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as you’ll adjust monetization strategies during the lifecycle of your app in any case. So, don’t expect to keep everything uniform, as tweaking and experimenting are part and parcel of the app development process. 

8. Web Apps Make Multi-Platform Mobile Apps Redundant

That’s not true at all, as web apps can never replace mobile apps — especially native ones. And that’s because users expect apps to run quickly and smoothly on their devices. Unfortunately, the web app experience comes short unless it’s a small and simple app we’re talking about. 

But complex apps need to tap into the processing power of the devices they will run on, and not intermediary web technologies. 

9. It’s Difficult Making Games That Run Well Across Mobile Platforms

Making games is difficult — period! If you’ve decided to make mobile games, then you’ve signed up for a world of hurt. And that counts double if you’re making a 3D game with large levels and complex artificial intelligence (AI). 

But it’s not all doom and gloom, as modern game engines make life a lot easier for developers. These engines offer all the essential tools in a single suite to allow developers to hit the ground running. And cut down on development time, as it’s no longer necessary to worry about all the under-the-hood technicalities, which often hinder the game development process.

10. Maintaining Two Or More Codebases Isn’t Practical

If you’re developing native apps for Android and iOS, you’ll need to maintain two codebases. And that’s because your Android app will be written in Kotlin and your iOS app in Swift. And if you’ve decided to make a web app, you’ll likely code it in JavaScript, which means you’ll have to deal with three codebases. 

But if you can only maintain a single codebase, you can code it in C# if you require near-native performance on Android and iOS. Or use Dart and the Flutter software development kit (SDK) for creating robust cross-platform apps. 

And there are other options, such as the Ionic Framework, making it possible to build hybrid mobile apps using JavaScript or TypeScript. However, it’s not an optimal solution, as hybrid apps don’t offer the same performance as native apps.

The Bottom Line

Multi-platform development should always be a primary consideration for serious appreneurs and app developers. The days of releasing apps on a single platform are long gone, as users have embraced several platforms. Android and iOS lead the way in the mobile space, but with the growing popularity of dumbphones, more platforms will emerge that developers need to support. 

But we understand the challenges involved with developing and releasing apps on multiple platforms, especially for newcomers to the mobile app industry. That’s why it’s crucial to partner with an experienced and reputable studio, such as NS804. Contact us today to learn how we’ll help you create phenomenal multi-platform apps for the most relevant platforms! 

The Best UX Design Features for a Mobile App

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The UX of a mobile app is the experience individual users have when using an app. It is very subjective although designers can follow certain principles and best practices to maximize the likelihood that all users will have a good experience. Research is paramount before even drawing the mockups. Designers must understand the environment in which the app will be used, the age of the typical user, the most important features, and so on. If there are already competitors in the market, designers must also analyze such apps to identify the best features, gaps, and user reviews on different platforms.

Here are the best UX design features for a mobile app today.

An Uncluttered Layout/UX

A minimalist approach is highly recommended when designing a mobile app. Because of the smaller screen compared to a desktop, experts recommend having one main feature per screen with one call to action. This helps users to immediately know what is expected of them on a particular screen. Including too many features on one screen complicates the user experience and can lead to users exiting the app before fulfilling their wants.

Uniformity and Consistency

Ease of use is very important for people to become used to an app. One way to achieve such ease is to ensure consistent use of colors, fonts, and icons throughout the app. An icon should lead to the same link or achieve the same action throughout the app. Fonts are familiar to humans even though we do not recognize it consciously. If a famous brand were to change its font, we would immediately realize it. Therefore, consistency is crucial for familiarity.

Easy Navigation for Good UX

The ease of navigation throughout the app also determines the quality of the experience. Designers must use familiar and self-evident navigation. Users should not feel like they are working to understand how to navigate the app. They should always be aware of where they are on the app and should easily be able to find their way to any other page they wish.

Screen Orientation

The design of the app should be such that users can use the app either in portrait or landscape orientation. Designers must also be aware that users may wish to use the app on Tablets or smartphones. They must decide whether to design a different app for Tablet users.

Another important UX feature is the use of white space. White space is used to let elements on a screen ‘breathe’. The space between lines of content matters as much as the space between letters. Whitespace should be used wisely to direct users’ attention to the important call to action or navigation links. It also plays a role in communicating the information hierarchy which is important in helping users process the content on a page.

Load Speed

The time it takes for your app’s home screen to open and new links to open matters a lot. Users will compare it to other world-class apps. You cannot afford to lag because slow speeds are a major cause of uninstallations. Your development must prioritize this by optimizing the manner in which app features use processing power.

If you are looking for a world-class development team to work on a mobile app for your business, reach out to NS804. We help business build and launch well-thought-out apps that guarantee a return on investment.

 

6 Tips for a Better UX/UI Design

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Your application, whether a web application or a mobile app, gives your clients and users the first impression of your product or company. Emerging evidence shows that well-designed UI and UX can drive your sales and conversion rate by double. So, you must ensure that your application is attractive and user-friendly.

It is important to note that the user interface (UI) is not the same as the user experience (UX). User interface (UI) focuses on the platform or interface that the user interacts with. UX, on the other hand, is the overall aspect of the application. It is the emotional experience of the user after interacting with your application.

The overall goal of UI/ UX design is to ensure that it is efficient, easy, and smooth for users to interact with your web or app.

Here Are Some Tips For A Better UI/ UX Design:

1. Know your users

You cannot go blindly into designing the UI/UX of your website. You need to identify who the target audience is and what their needs are. So, to design a product that will entice your users, the first step is user research. Having an idea of what your users need will help you to design a better UI/UX for your product. Keep your user needs in mind when designing.

2. Keep things simple

Your website or application should not require a map or a navigation guide. Simplicity in UI/UX design means making it easy for your users to interact with the product (content, images) captured in your application. You can guide your users using some features such as icons, showing tapping, and hovering. Make everything simple and clear.

3. Accessibility and functionality

As a UI/UX designer, do not just focus on aesthetics and forget some important aspects such as functionality and accessibility. Yes, looks are important but pointless if your users cannot comfortably use your platform. Strive to ensure that every element in your design functions properly and icons are easily accessible.

4. Offer feedback

Imagine clicking or pressing an action button, let’s say, ‘buy now’ or ‘send in an app’ but you don’t get an update. You’re just left there guessing that the process went on smoothly. Frustrating, right? As a designer, it is your responsibility to ensure that you update your users, and offer timely visual feedback.

If a submission has been sent successfully, tell the user that the submission was successful. If an order has been made, update the user’s cart. If something is loading, show the user that it is loading. This way your users know exactly where they are in your app. Don’t underestimate the power of these simple messages when designing UI/UX.

5. Prototype before you implement

Can you imagine designing everything and then realizing it doesn’t work as you expected? To avoid this, you should create a model of the product you’re designing and test it. This process is known as prototyping. You can easily and comfortably fix the errors before you design the real product.

6. User testing

Remember that you’re not designing for yourself. So, you must ensure that you get real users to test your design. Don’t assume that users are like you and will have a similar experience as you when interacting with your interface.

The target users come from different backgrounds and have different beliefs and mindsets. That’s why you should test your app with users who are not your relatives and friends. As a result, you’ll get honest opinions about their experience.

These few tips alongside what you already know will help you improve your UI/UX design. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Even the best of us do. It is the only way to learn!

NS804 – Streamlining Your UX and UI Design!

NS804 is a trusted provider of superior mobile app design and development solutions. At NS804, we help individual businesses and large corporations design functional and responsive mobile apps – from inception to completion.

Contact NS804 to know exactly how you can achieve superior UX and UI design.

 

Unique Retail App Features to Consider for a Retail Business

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There are many reasons to back the need for a retail business to build and distribute it’s own retail app. First, 79% of mobile users globally have made used their devices to buy something online, and this figure is growing. In the US, as far back as 2018, 40% of holiday shopping was being done on mobile devices. People shopping in physical stores still rely on online reviews of products to do their research between picking between alternatives. This need to be able to find products and information quickly inform the type of features users would prioritize in a retail app.

If you run a business that intends to build a retail application, here are some of the features to include in your minimum viable products (MVP).

1. Quick Registration

No one enjoys signing up for services, especially when they have done so on tens of other websites and apps. One secret to onboarding a big portion of your target audience is to make the sign up process as quick as possible. Ensure it’s on one single page and only collects the information you truly need. In many cases, the client’s email, gender, age, and name will be enough. Other information, such as their location may be gathered automatically once they allow the app to detect their location.

2. Quick Check-Out

Businesses have realized that a lengthy check-out process can be a hindrance to the maximization of online sales. Ensure your app has a simple check-out process whereby clients can easily add items to a cart and checkout in seconds. The app should be able to securely store a client’s payment information such as their credit card details to avoid the repetitive process of inputting details each, they want to buy something.

Multiple payment options is also an important feature today. Some clients may prefer to use their cards while others may opt for an online wallet such as PayPal, depending on location or the nature of their work. Use a payment gateway that will allow you to collect payments from numerous payment solutions.

3. Wish List

Some customers want to plan future purchases months or weeks before they actually do it. A shopping or wish list feature will make this possible. As customers browse products on your store, they should be able to like and add items to a wish list they can come back to later. This adds to the personalized feel of your retail app.

To go with this, it would be great if users can compare multiple products that your store carries in the same category. A side-by-side category will lead users to a faster conclusion on which one to buy.

4. Product Reviews and Ratings on the Retail App

The availability of product reviews will massively boost the use of a retail app. Reviews drive sales in the biggest e-commerce platforms in the world. People who’ve made verified purchases should give the reviews because that adds to their credibility and are less prone to manipulation. Availing reviews also allows people to share their thoughts on a product. It makes them feel listened to, even though your store is just a retailer as opposed to the owner of that particular product or brand.

Your development team should consider allowing users to share their reviews on their social media pages. This represents user-generated content that will undoubtedly increase the popularity of your retail app.

Depending on your business’s location and target market, multiple language support might be necessary to maximize revenue. Users should be able to pick a default language when signing up.

5. Push Notifications

You can use a push notification feature to increase the level of engagement that users have with your app. A good example would be to send a push notification when a promotion is ongoing or an item on a user’s wish list is back in stock. Push notifications, if well used, can trigger an uptick in sales and the number of times that users log into an app.

6. Product Demos on Your Retail App

Depending on the nature of products that you store sells, you might need to have product demos on your retail app. Video demos of software products, engineering tools, and electronic products are quite useful. In other cases, customers may want detailed explanations of how a product works on the thesis behind its creation. It’s important for your team to consider what sort of information your target audience may be seeking and avail it or provide links to resources they may find useful.

7. Store Map

If you have physical stores spread out across a city or a region, make it easy for users to find them. Integrating maps into your retail app will enable users to find stores that are closes to them and what hours they operate. If possible, you may introduce virtual store tours for customers, which can infuse them to visit the brick-and-mortar stores.

8. Analytics Integration

In an age when artificial intelligence is improving many aspects of customer service, your app should use it to improve user experience. If your app stocks hundreds or thousands of products, a recommendation system would immensely improve sales. Based on a customer’s demographic profile and past purchase behaviour and recently viewed products, the items shown to them by default should be those they are most likely to buy or add to a wish list.

Data gathered should also improve the app performance by detecting bugs or bottlenecks on the customers’ browsing journey.

9. Filters and Categorization

To further aid the ease of use of your retail app, you should consider having products well categorized and enable filtering. This will make it possible for customers to browse products according to categories, which will further boost sales. For instance, a person doing a home-makeover project might want to just browse bathroom accessories. They are likely to spend a bigger amount if they can go through a big collection of such accessories on one page.

The Cost of Building Your Retail App

The major determinant of your mobile app project cost is the choice of development team. Developers in the US and Canada will charge at least $100 per hour while the cost may be three to four times lower if you hire developers in Asia. The number of hours billed will depend on the complexity and number of features you want to include in your app.

However, it’s important to remember that your app is a representation of your brand. Therefore, you should work with a development team that has vast experience. The team should be willing to continue to provide support even after the launch of the first version of the app. It is very likely that bugs will be realized when the app is tested in the real world.

The norm today is to go through quick iterations of an app, fixing bugs quickly and adding features incrementally. Therefore, you should budget for annual maintenance costs for your retail app. User expectations on quality are so high today that delays in fixing bugs quickly result in a loss of users.

If your business is in the market for a mobile app development partner, reach out to NS804. We offer world-class app development services. Our team works with your business to recognize needs, make a business case, discuss features, build, and test apps, and finally to launch them in the market. The team also offers support services to keep improving products.