Did you know that mobile app development is the most frequently outsourced IT services function? With around 60% of companies outsourcing this function in part or whole, no wonder more and more companies worldwide are interested in finding out more about every step of the mobile development process. It helps understand better what their team needs to provide to reap all the fantastic benefits outsourcing can bring to the table.
If you are curious about the stages of the mobile app development process when choosing to outsource, here is our approach:
1. Choose the right partner to develop your app
If you already decided you don’t have the necessary in-house resources to develop a mobile app, then the first step of the process is to search for a reputable IT outsourcing company for your project. Using platforms like Clutch, GoodFirms or AppFutura will help a lot in making an initial list of potential partners but then you’ll have to check their online presence, their case studies and their reviews in order to make sure they have experience in creating products similar to yours.
After that, make a shortlist and set online meetings in order to get to know each other’s expectations.
Now that you found a mobile development company that has the necessary skills to implement your project, don’t forget to verify the contract agreement – it should include an intellectual property clause, as well as a confidentiality agreement. Make sure you are on the same page regarding the payment and the deadlines and last but not least, regarding the conditions for terminating the contract.
2. Define your app requirements and goals
In order for your development team to be able to deliver a mobile app that exceeds your expectations, you need to clarify your app ideas and goals. Here are some questions that will help you do just that:
- What do you want to achieve through your app?
- Who is your target audience?
- What problems will your app solve?
- Which features are the most important for your users?
- What features can be included in the Minimum Viable Product?
If you already have an answer for most of the questions, it’s time to put them in a document and set an internal meeting to ask your team for feedback. This way, your vision is aligned with one of your employees.
3. UX / UI app design
Now that you’ve set the goals of your app and you know what problems it will solve, it’s time to find out the truth: users don’t download and use an app only for the benefits it brings. Nowadays, users (especially the younger demographic) focus on how an app looks (User Interface) and how well it works (User Experience). This is the reason why your app needs to be flawless in terms of usability: this means intuitive, user-friendly and engaging. Wanna hear the good part? If the users will love the design of the app during their first interaction, your app’s retention rate will be high from the start – and this will have a positive impact on your revenue as well.
So, if you already have a design in mind, inform your app designers as this will help them create wireframes that are close to the final version of your future app. Wireframes are simplified visual concepts of your app that will help you better understand the structure and the relationship between different elements that make up your app.
4. Project kick-off & setup
The Project Kick-off phase will help you and your mobile app development partner to define the role of every team member as well as plan the next steps. Your developer will present the way they work and will let you know about the tools they are going to set up to get things started.
5. App development & QA
It’s time for the most exciting phase of the mobile app development process – at least for our team here at Redbee Software! Our dedicated team of developers start to do their magic by writing the necessary code for your app – no, not all at once, but breaking it up into smaller milestones called sprints. Every sprint includes planning, coding and testing (QA) – this is our way to make sure that we are developing according to your needs and that every stage of development is free of mistakes. Bonus, this approach makes it easier for you to monitor the progress and to ask for changes.
6. Launching the app
When the Minimum Viable Product is ready, it’s time to show it to the world – your outsourced team will submit the app to Google Play Store or Apple Store (or even both, if that was your initial requirement) along with some metadata that will help users better understand what your app is about. Launching an MVP is a good opportunity to validate your idea with real users from your target market and ask for their feedback in order to confirm that the features you were going to develop next are the ones you should focus on.
7. Post-development phase
When choosing the right mobile app development company for your project you should also keep in mind the post-development phase – a good outsourcing company will offer monitoring and maintenance services as part of their basic package, in order to make sure your app will always be available for download and to offer you statistics and insights that will help on better promoting the app or even with further development of your product.
We hope that this detailed step-by-step mobile app development process gives you a clear idea of what you should expect in terms of resources, costs and timeframe when choosing to launch an app for your business. If you have any questions or you feel we can help you and your team, don’t be afraid to get in touch!
