So you want to build an app

Editor's Notes

• #4: The Stats Australia remains one of the leading global adopters of the smartphone and 88% of Australians now own one.
• #5: It’s all about content; the number of us streaming TV and video and watching live TV on our smartphones has tripled since last year.
• #6: We’re consuming everywhere, at any time. 35% of us check our phone within five minutes of waking up in the morning, with 70% using phones during mealtimes with family and friends.
• #7: Machine learning is making our phones smarter, but we’re ignoring Siri for the moment – usage is low, at 14 percent.
• #8: The use of fingerprint authentication on smartphones has surged, with a 35 percent rise from 2016. Mobile payment technologies are becoming increasingly available and easier payment has enabled significant growth (25 percent) in mobile purchasing.
• #10: Site or App? You May Need Both Every brand and product should be represented in some way, at minimum, on a responsive website. The biggest drawbacks to only using responsive websites is firstly that the app cannot be distributed through an app store; this can be a deal breaker if you’re looking to monetise downloads of your app. Secondly, there’s the issue that the user will need constant connectivity to make use of the website. It’s worth noting that while, at this moment in time, apps appear to be the driving force behind the mobile web – there is room for serious disruption. With the average user already using up to 30 apps a month and with more than 250,000 apps being released a year, there may come a point of overload from a user’s perspective.
• #11: What’s the difference? Native apps are developed for a specific operating system. You will need to build and maintain separate app and code for each platform you choose to build for. Hybrid apps look and function the same way as a native app, but only use one coding language that’s works across multiple platforms. Which is better? The truth is, there’s not a black and white answer here. Since everyone has a unique situation, you’ll have to decide based on your own requirements. Why Choose Native ? Graphic Applications, HD games, intensive animation applications might perform well as native app because Native code is (mostly) faster. WebGL (WEB GRAPHICS LIBRARY) standards have helped in meeting performance but still native has a slight edge. Native allows access to device features without plugins and new device features will be available out of the box. There is also less dependency on open source libraries and platforms. Why Choose Hybrid? Single code base for all platforms means write once and run anywhere. One development team can deliver app for any platform including website as well because all required is web technologies. Cutting development time and production costs, and maintenance costs by up to 75%. Hybrid App is based on web technologies, so same app can be run on browser like any other website or can be run as Progressive Web App (PWA). Hybrid apps can achieve the same hardware-based performance acceleration as native app. Hybrid app can have same and consistent user experience across platform regardless of user moves between different devices or browser. The trick is having a good UI designer and project manager on board to ensure this happens.
• #12: Good user experience is about doing more with less… Organize Your Website All good designers knows how important solid Architecture is to the success of an app. Imagine going into a grocery store with no signs, no aisle markers, and no clear exit. There’s a good chance you would get frustrated and leave rather than searching for the specific product you came in for.   This is exactly what you want to avoid with your app. It’s the UX/UI Designer’s job to map out your app, organize the content, and make sure users can find exactly what they’re looking for. Don’t have bloated features: Avoid taking an entire online experience and trying to condense it into a mobile app. GOAL: Identify AND design for the User UX/UI designers will identify your typical user demographics, and target the user experience to their needs.
• #13: Ask yourself the following questions honestly Do you have the technical ability to be your own project manager? Do you have crystal clear specifications of the features of your product? Have you laid out the different use cases and edge cases? Do you have wireframes for each step/page that the user will see and the options they have? Do you know how to select the right development team for the front end and back end? Will you be doing your own quality assurance when you receive code? If the answer to all of these is “yes,” then you could start your project without a project manager. If the answer is “no,” you should strongly consider adding to your team
• #14: Continuing costs App design and development costs don’t end at deployment, that kind of thinking will be a mistake. Art Whitman of Information Week said, “The short-term investment in creating those first pristine apps is likely to be the tip of the iceberg in terms of people and capital costs. You’ll need to make a sober assessment of the short- and long-term costs of supporting the app.” According to an AnyPresence survey, over 80% reported updating their apps twice a year and nearly 33% were updating once per month. Things to consider are business process changes and operating system updates.