Many people dream of creating their own mobile app because they can have all the functions they want just as they imagine it. However, it takes time and money, but it can be easier and more affordable than you think. Therefore, this time we will show you how to develop a mobile app from scratch so that you can make your dream come true.
What does it take to develop a mobile app?
Designing the mobile app
The first thing you should do is to start designing your mobile app. Start with some sketches on paper, as this is just the first step. But, you must be clear about how you want it to look, what each menu will have and all possible details.
Then, as you have a solid design, make mockups, that is, digitized your design in a design program such as InVision Free hand or Balsamiq Mockups and make each diagram. Think of all the functions that you want for your app and these diagrams will allow you to verify the flow with which your mobile app could work.
These mockups do not have to be in high resolution, since it is simply about generating ideas; in these cases, there is nothing better than having a clear image of what you imagine. To do this, you should make a Storyboard.
What is a storyboard and what is it for when developing a mobile app? It is precisely each of the screens that your mobile app will have in an organized way, in order to appreciate how each of its functions will look like.
For this reason, an excellent tool is Zeplin, since it allows you to choose the size, colors and several options in various design elements that you could use for your mobile app, and it also allows you to export the styles to CSS, Java or Swift code. Of course, there are also other tools like the ones mentioned above, but this is one of the most used.
The user experience
When you start designing a mobile app, it is very important that you do not forget the user at any time. So, you should always keep in mind what will be more comfortable, more practical and more functional, beyond the aesthetic. After all, you can reorganize the aesthetic details after having a solid and smooth functionality.
The app should be simple to use, surely you have heard the phrase “less is more” and, in this case, it applies perfectly.
It is best to have a beta version of your app and test it several times and even hire people to test it and leave feedback in order to determine what improvements you can include, what you can leave out and if it is a tool that really offers a solution.
Programming tools
Of course, when you want to create a mobile app, programming tools cannot be left aside. In this case, Swift Playgrounds is an excellent alternative, since it is a digital tool focused on beginners who want to learn to program in a didactic way from an iPad or Mac. At first, you will only be dragging and dropping. But then, you will start running small code experiments and you will learn how these codes work in small versions of an app.
App Inventor is another very useful option, since it is an MIT platform where you can develop your mobile app in a very simple way, because it is just drag and drop. Then, you can simply choose what you want to run and then export it.
Develop the mobile app
To start developing your mobile app, the first thing you must choose is which operating system you will work on: Android or iOS. On the other hand, you must also choose the language in which you are going to program.
For example, Java is a programming language where you can write native code for Android apps, which is an excellent option when you want to have professional results. It will work very well as the app grows.
On the other hand, Kotlin is an iteration of Java that was created by Google. In this case, the language is not so strict, but not so simple either. It can be said that it is a middle ground between Java and JavaScript. Now, in the case of Android, you can use Android Studio to compile the app code.
While in the case of iOS apps, you can use Objective-C and Swift, the latter being the most used at present. But when compiling the code for iOS apps, you must use XCode, which only works on Mac, so if you want to create a mobile app for iOS, you need a Mac.
If you want to know where to get the best tutorials to learn how to create a mobile app from scratch, check out this post.
Now, in case you want to have cross-platform coding options, Flutter is one of the simplest and most complete options, since it will allow you to design and develop native interfaces in both Android and iOS using Dart. React Native is another good option, since you can use JavaScript to create native components, which you can also use on Android and iOS.
Databases, backend and APIs
Databases are the place where app data is stored and queried. Among the most used databases are MySQL, PostgreSQL or MongoBD. But how do you know which the best option is for your mobile app? Everything will depend on your app, since there are relational databases, graph-based databases, document-based databases and so on. In this way, there is an ideal database to solve each problem.
Now, the backend is in charge of communicating with the database, so that when it obtains the information, it delivers it to the mobile app. In this case, Python with Django or PHP with Laravel are good options.
You should keep in mind that the front-end code of the app should not communicate directly with the database, as this represents a serious security error, so Swift Objective-c or Java and Kotlin are usually used.
Finally, APIs are those predictable data structures, which are in charge of the communication between the backend and the frontend. Currently, modern APIs use REST. While services work with JSON.
As you can see, you already have a basis to start with the development of your mobile app, now you just have to start designing it, choose whether it will be an app for Android or iOS and then, choose the digital tools to use.
