This article will help you get an overview of the process of creating an application. There are 7 stages of application development. Let’s take a look at each stage: its tasks, result, timeline and cost.
Product analytics
Typically, there is a product introduction in the beginning. However, there is not enough formalization to start development. The task of the stage is to define and formalize:
- TA;
- Product target, KPI;
- The value of the product to the TA;
- Product hypotheses: top-level description of functionality.
First, they set the product’s objective: for example, to sell a subscription or a related product. Next, ios app development services analyze the market and competitors, including indirect competitors.
Specification and wireframes
The task of the stage is to prepare the technical requirements for the mobile application, necessary for the developers. To do this a specification and wireframes of the application are developed. The specification is a document that contains the description of the mobile application required by the developer. Wireframe – a black and white page layout of the site. It shows the arrangement of elements: buttons, images, texts. By the totality of wireframes the scheme of interaction of the user with the future application becomes clear.
Sometimes the requirements specification for the development of an application is used. However, unlike it, the specification does not describe the way of implementation. The developer chooses the best solutions himself. This approach reduces implementation time – without changing the appearance, functionality, performance, reliability, scalability of the final system.
Evaluation and planning
A project estimate is prepared on the basis of the specification. The document describes the application development plan in the following way:
- Scope of work – a brief description of the structure of the mobile application;
- The labor input in hours by specialists;
- The cost of the work;
- Implementation deadlines;
- Risks with the probability of their occurrence and prevention measures.
Design
The task of this stage is to create an application design that works best for the product’s purpose. This phase includes:
- Design Concept,
- A set of interface components (UI-kit),
- Design layouts,
- Interactive prototypes.
Programming
The task of this stage is to implement the product. At the same time, it is important to consider future needs. For example, to lay the architecture of the system for further scaling of the product or a high load. Modern android app development services can offer you different solutions for creating your product.
Testing
The task of this stage is to provide the quality of the product: fault tolerance, reliability, security. Since there are a huge number of devices, operating systems and screens, as well as various configurations of installed software (applications) and performance characteristics of devices, it is impossible to prevent bugs in advance. That is why a tester is usually involved in the process of creating an application. The tester runs through various scenarios of how the application will work, and allows the application to be released only when it is free of significant, from the point of view of the specification, defects.
Launching the application
The project build is uploaded to the app store. AppStore and Google Play for iOS and Android platforms, respectively. Before the app becomes available to users, it undergoes moderation. The duration of moderation depends on many factors: the category of the app, its history, the developer, and the moderation team load.