How to make applications on Android. How to create your first mobile application. Application Development Tools: Net2Share

The mobile app market is booming, so now is the time to be a part of it. Apps are now ubiquitous and perform an unlimited number of functions. A few years ago, creating an application meant learning complex programming languages, where you had to start practically from scratch. With the development of application technology, new tools have emerged that allow anyone to create complete functional application in just a few minutes. To find out how to do this, read on.

Steps

Part 1

Application design

Define the purpose of the application. A good app focuses on one goal and improves on it. Determine the need that your application will satisfy. This will help you determine target audience, as well as the required functionality.

For example, if you are creating an application for your business, determine what aspects of your business the application should focus on. Perhaps you should give the user the option fast communication contact technical support or visit the nearest office of your company.
If your application becomes too complex, the functionality of the application creation software will likely not be enough for you. Complex applications typically require custom coding and design.

Make some sketches. The life and death of an app depends on its design and usability. Spend some time creating a couple of sketches of what each window in your application will look like. Use arrows to show transitions from one window to the next.
- The sketches don't need to be detailed, but at a minimum they should include all the information you want to present on each window.
- Try to maintain a consistent design throughout all parts of the application. Identical elements, as a rule, should be located in the same place in each window. This way, the application will be more understandable for the user.
Take a look at other similar apps. Go to Google Play Store and look for applications similar to what you are trying to achieve. Try to understand it and find out what works and what doesn't. Don't be afraid to borrow design ideas and inspiration from successful apps.

Part 2
Choice software
1. View a demo of each service. Majority popular programs Application Creator provides demonstrations that can give you an idea of how the program works. Thanks to them, you can understand whether the application is suitable for your needs.
  - When checking out the demo programs, make sure they are powerful enough to create the application you designed. Most of these programs are collections of ready-made functions that can be combined together to create a single application.
2. Try several different programs. Most of the programs presented above have free or trial versions. Use them to review each program and find the one that best suits your needs and skills.
Part 3
Creating your own application
1. Select icons for your functions. You can assign icons to each of your application's functions. You can choose from the icon library that comes with many programs, or you can design and upload your own icon. Good icons will help make your app stand out and contribute to the overall feel of the app.

Trends

What do mobile phone owners use?

More than half (53%) use downloaded apps
Approximately the same number (52%) access websites via mobile phone
More than a third of people (38%) use social networks from their mobile phone
Slightly fewer people play games (34%)
Approximately three quarters of users communicate via Cell phones(in addition to calls): this could be SMS, social network application, messenger

Statistics

What are they buying?

In 2012, about 12.6 million smartphones were sold in the Russian Federation: Russia is considered one of the fastest growing countries in this regard.

If we look at smartphone sales statistics by operating system, we see the following:

62% of smartphones sold are Android devices;
In second place is Symbian - 15% of the market;
The remaining share is shared by bada, iOS and Windows Phone(if we take this graph only for Moscow, then the distribution will probably shift towards an increase in the share of Apple products)

If you look at the same graph around the world, we will see that here Android is at the forefront with ¾ of the market.

In the second quarter of 2012, 104 million were sold worldwide. Android phones- as the population of a fairly large country. But as mobile developers, we are interested not only in the presence of a smartphone, but also in how they work with it. A significant proportion of Android device owners use them as regular phones: SMS, calls - that's all. They do not activate the device on Google Play and do not download applications.

What do they use?

Not all people got phones in 2012, so the real distribution of power among mobile operating systems Our internal statistics demonstrates this. These statistics include Russia and the CIS countries: Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan.

73.5% are Java phones
Android devices are in second place with 11.6%
Heritage Nokia company, Symbian, is quite a bit behind Android with 11%
3.5% of RuNet users own apple products
The most attentive will see Microsoft chart with Windows Phone (less than 1%)

Installing applications

When choosing the platform for which the application will be developed, it is important to know the statistics on the existing applications. Charts from research firm App Annie from September 2012 show how two competing Apple store and Google.

By number of downloads on the first Google location Play: more devices, more downloads, more traffic and growth of +66% compared to January 2012. iOS growth was two times less, about 30%. But the main graph is how much revenue users bring. And here the situation is completely different. It’s easier to make money on iOS, but there is money on Google Play too, if you know how to get it.

Types of Mobile Applications

In practice, applications for mobile devices can be divided into three types.

Mobile sites, web applications

This is the most common type of application for mobile devices. Modern smartphones able to display a normal website. They have access to everything that we are used to seeing in desktop applications - HTML5 support does its job. Remember that web applications are great for a startup: they allow you to get big results for little money and in a short time. Another advantage of a mobile site compared to other mobile applications is cross-platform. However, there is also a minus, and a significant one: it’s quite difficult to make money with them.

Hybrid apps

With this approach, you get access to all the advantages of the operating system API: the application is equipped with push notifications and other nice perks, in addition, now your product can be placed in stores. At the same time, the main content is still a platform-independent page with layout hosted on the server. This allows cosmetic changes to be made to the product without release new version: just upload the changes to the server. Hybrid applications are an excellent solution for those who are starting a business or want to test their idea, show it to an investor or friends.

Native apps

This type of application is the most resource-intensive, but at the same time it allows you to make the most of the capabilities offered by each specific operating system. Consequently, native apps They outperform other types of mobile applications both in terms of functionality and speed. This is the approach now taken by those companies that made combined applications. For example, Facebook started with a combined application: native controls (switches, tabs, etc.) and a web page as content. While this is a good solution, performance issues are causing developers to move away from the web combination.

Statistics

I will give download statistics using our instant messengers as an example.

Firstly, we have the ICQ application, which is constantly evolving: among the latest changes it is worth noting audio calls. The second messenger of Mail.Ru Group is Agent. The Agent implements approximately the same functionality, and although it had a slightly different development history, we release versions for almost all platforms and it can be found in any store.

The main difference between these two apps is their audience. ICQ is an international product. The program is downloaded not only in Russia, it is actively used by residents of Europe and Latin America. The agent was originally made in Russia and for Russian-speaking users.

It is all the more interesting to compare the statistics of downloads from stores.

Most of the 62% foreign audience goes to Google Play. About 1/5 goes to the AppStore, 14% to the Ovi Store. And the remaining 5% is shared by stores for the Windows Phone platforms (4%) and Samsung Bada(1%). With Agent the situation is completely different: the shares of Google Play and Ovi are approximately the same. Well, 10% of the AppStore clearly demonstrates the love for Apple products in our country.

The process of creating a mobile application

So, let's move on to the best part: the process of developing a mobile application.

User Story

First of all, we need to determine what and for whom we are writing. The answers to these questions are documented in the User Story. In the picture you can look at a real ticket in our tracker. It describes how an existing ICQ user can log into the application and what problems they may encounter. At this stage, it is important to work out all possible scenarios so that there are no unpleasant surprises at later stages of development.

It is important to understand that behind each item on your to-do list there is a huge iceberg of functionality. Try to fragment and specify tasks. Large wishlists are best divided into several stages (releases to the store). However, this is a topic for a separate discussion; let’s return to the stages of creating an application.

Engineering and design

After drawing up the User Story, design and development begins.

At this stage, we use prototypes that we hang on the board and use arrows to show how navigation will happen.

When developing a design, guidelines are required.

A guideline in the general sense is a document that a company produces, and according to which designers and developers understand the principle of building an application’s interaction with the user. Relatively speaking, for iOS buttons should be made round, and for Windows Phone – square. However, we also use internal guidelines for developers. Thus, the result of a designer’s work most often consists of layouts, guidelines and cutting graphics.

It is best to submit layouts “linked”, for example using ProtoTypr, so that the logic of transitions is clear. Guidelines contain information about indentations, sizes, visual effects, animation mechanics, etc. You can skip this stage if your project has one designer and one developer sitting next to each other. The third part of the result - cutting graphics - should contain the minimum necessary graphic resources (we take care of the weight of the application), and have versions for different screen resolutions. Most often we draw for retina and xhdpi screens. Further preparations are underway for neretina and mdpi by automated means (if their use is permissible). Most often you have to prepare HDPI resources manually.

Transfer to development. Discussion and necessary changes to the description

After receiving the layouts, guidelines and cutting, the developer’s work begins. We transfer everything we come up with into development and expect early results. This does not mean that work on architecture and user interface finished. Sometimes developers have interesting ideas, which make adjustments to the original plan. When development is completed, the testing stage begins.

Testing

There are many ways to test an application.
In mobile development, a tester is a person surrounded by nothing but phones. We have a huge closet containing both old phones and the latest new ones. Internally, we try to test using test cases. If implemented new feature, a test plan is drawn up based on its description.
There are services that help with testing. We use HockeyApp, an application that allows us to distribute our product to beta testers. We write to in social networks: “Guys, we have something new cool app. Who wants to try? Those interested receive a build, use the application, and the service collects statistics, compiles a crash report and sends it all to us.
There are also services that allow you to test the application on different operating systems - for example, all Android firmware versions 2.1 or 2.3. You give the application, the service will screenshot the entire path that you specified, send pictures to you by email, and you check if everything is in order.

Monitoring

So, you have developed, tested the application, uploaded it to the store. To track download statistics, you can use the Distimo service. It shows statistics on users who come to the store to download applications and aggregates comments.

It's important to understand that people are more likely to leave negative comments. If a person is doing well, he most often just uses the application without commenting. When our applications are stable, we receive 40-50 comments daily. On the day of the error, the number of entries can reach up to 400 on one platform. Therefore, keep in mind that comments are not a complete assessment of your work, but rather another bug tracker.

A fairly common “hack” - the Rate Us window - can change the situation. With a proposal to leave a positive comment in the store, and in case of problems write to the developer. The effect is quite strong, the main thing is to correctly think through the algorithm for showing the dialogue to the user.

In addition to comments, Distimo shows the number of downloads, money earned, and where your applications are downloaded from.

Another interesting monitoring service is Flurry. It helps to collect client statistics. Flurry provides a report on what the user is doing in your application: how many times he clicked a button, how many times he returned to the application, and more general parameters - audience, geography, gender, age, etc.

In some mobile products we also use the calculation of client statistics with using Google Analytics. There is practically no difference when compared with Flurry. There are disadvantages in the speed of operation and processing of logs in both cases, however, if you are used to working with the Google interface, you can use this tool.

Despite a large number of third party services, we have our own statistics. No matter how good they are external sources, they need to be checked. We are able to evaluate statistics ourselves, but for this we need to build an infrastructure for generating reports, sending weekly reports by email and other things that make life easier. Therefore, it is easier for us to use services such as Flurry and Distimo, and refer to internal logs when questions arise. Our practice shows that this approach is justified: from time to time our data and the data of services differ somewhat. If you tend to check statistics, use different sources.

Specifics

What to remember?

On every new platform, the user expects to see a rich application. He reasons as follows: “I was sitting on a bad Java phone, but I could use ICQ. I bought new phone, I go to Marketplace, but there is no ICQ there? What are you doing there? The user doesn't take into account that you have to make the application from scratch. New platform– these are new devices, new documentation, new resources.
The more popular the platform, the more competitors you have. On this moment There are two stores that clearly illustrate this: AppStore and Google Play. If you have an idea for an app that can be easily monetized or will simply get a lot of downloads, type in keywords search and most likely you will find that such an application exists. The more popular the platform, the more competitors there are. In such cases, you need to carefully study analogues, look at statistics, try to understand by what parameters existing solutions can be surpassed.
It's important to understand how users choose apps. Initially, the person is not going to buy specific application, he's just looking at the list. For example, by request " free music" The icon and the first two lines of the description are what a person sees and evaluates first. If the icon is decent, you can buy it; respectively, bad icon reduces the number of downloads.
It is very important to get to the top of the app store. Getting into the top store is very good; gaining a foothold there is the key to success. Why is this necessary? When a user wants to download something, he goes to the chart and sees which application is currently in first place in terms of the number of downloads. It is very important to get there, because it is a kind of vicious circle. The application gets into the chart, users see it, they download it, it gets to first place again, and then the iterations continue. Therefore, do your best to get races and ratings: ask mothers, grandmothers, and neighbors to give the application five stars. It is worth saying that the market is full of solutions to ensure that a program reaches the top. However, this brings in few organic users, which does not prevent us from continuing experiments.
Please remember that publication time may take up to several weeks. Let's say you developed and tested an application, called all bloggers or media outlets and said: “I have a new application, come to the press conference.” You send it to the AppStore and have to wait seven working days in Russia. In this case, Google Play is a paradise for operational updates, where publication takes several hours.
Fragmentation of the operating system. If you're developing apps for Android, consider fragmentation and the existence of a whole zoo of devices. This affects development time at all stages: design, design, development and especially testing.
It is impossible to communicate with users in the store. For example, a user writes that his ICQ does not receive messages. He is dissatisfied and expresses himself very colorfully, but not very informatively. We have no way to contact him and find out more about the problem. All we can do is go into monitoring and see if we have messages. Maybe it was blocked by antispam.
Now some stores are getting an admin panel where you can ask questions to the user, find out his contact information, and see in which countries your app is downloaded, but so far the situation has not improved much. It is worth noting that Google Play continues to add this feature to some developers, for example, our company makes it available.
Time for testing. There are several ways to test an application. You can have testers on staff - with test cases, test plans, which they must pass. In addition, there is a testing service - you pay for the bugs you find. You publish an application, 20 thousand people test it. There are, of course, pros and cons to this approach.
Personnel in mobile industry decide everything. Good mobile developers are hard to find even large companies, such as Mail.Ru Group, Yandex or Google. This is why we work with interns - because sometimes it is easier to take a smart student and train him.

Conclusion

I tried to tell you about the basic features and pitfalls mobile development that we met on our way. I hope you found the post useful. If you still have questions on the topic, or know something that could be useful to us, let's discuss it in the comments.

Mobile applications can be created not only by specialized companies with highly qualified programmers, but also by ordinary users. What tools can they use for these purposes? What should you pay attention to when developing your own software for mobile devices?

Purpose of mobile applications

Before considering what tools are used to develop mobile applications and how to create them, let’s study what the purpose of their release may be, based on the purpose of the corresponding solutions. Mobile applications can be classified into the following main types:

Informational;

Transactional;

Communication;

Mobile versions of computer software - editors, viewers, browsers;

Analytical applications and schedulers;

Educational solutions.

Actually, games are also mobile applications, but most often they are classified as a separate software category. Let's study in more detail what the marked mobile applications are and how to create them, taking into account possible costs.

Information applications

Essence information applications— in providing their users with access to certain useful information and news. An example of a corresponding solution is an application from a clothing or footwear manufacturer that informs users about discounts and special offers of this company. This could be a mobile catalog or a brochure in the appropriate format.

Create mobile app iOS or Android in its respective flavor is probably easiest. The fact is that the basis for this type of software can be, for example, an already working company website or its mobile version. It is enough to adapt its interface, as well as the communication mechanisms implemented in it, to suit software algorithms mobile operating systems - we will consider further what tools this can be used to do, and the mobile application will be ready.

Transactional Applications

Transactional applications are designed to make payments for various goods and services purchased via the Internet. These types of software can be issued by banks and payment systems. It is worth noting that in many cases transactional mobile applications are the most complex in structure and code. Only the most highly qualified specialist knows how to create them and, most importantly, adapt them to legal requirements.

Therefore, if the user lacks such skills - as in the solution part technical problems, and in the field of ensuring compliance of applications with legal requirements - then such solutions are worth developing independently, then, first of all, for informational purposes, during self-study. The implementation of such developments in practice will require additional time and, in many cases, additional costs.

Communication Applications

Communication applications are those programs that are designed to provide communication between users using the resources of the developer or third-party brands. Creating such solutions yourself, as is the case with transactional applications, is quite difficult. Again, it makes sense to do this mainly when there is a desire, in principle, to learn how to develop the appropriate type of products. But putting them into practice will require significant resources, which few private users have at their disposal.

How these mobile applications are implemented, how to create conditions for them stable operation, in most cases, only highly qualified specialists know. But, of course, a skilled programmer who is willing to spend a significant amount of time and investment can, in principle, develop a messenger or a small social network that is simple in structure, but in demand due to its simplicity and convenience.

However, they probably won’t be able to compete with Skype, Vkontakte or Viber. Therefore, at the planning stage for the development of traditional applications, the developer should realistically assess the prospects for bringing his product to market.

Mobile versions of computer software

Editors, viewers, browsers are applications that are similar or similar in functionality to the corresponding solutions used by users of traditional computers. But, of course, they are far from the only ones that can have analogues adapted to run on a PC. Actually, any types of applications in the classification we have given can be computer applications. However, the solutions under consideration are among those that became familiar to users before they entered the market. computer technology Smartphones and tablets began to appear en masse. Therefore, programs of the corresponding type in the original are, as a rule, presented in versions adapted to run on a PC, and only after the appearance of smartphones and tablets on the market are they presented in the form of mobile versions.

How to create a mobile application for Android or iOS of the appropriate type yourself depends primarily on whether the original computer version of the software is licensed or whether it is distributed as free open source software. In the first case, creating a mobile version of the program in most cases will require approval from the copyright holders. And if they refuse to authorize the development of the corresponding version of the program, then its mobile version, even if the user creates it on his own initiative, will most likely be considered illegal. If the original software is open source, then develop its version for mobile device- a question of technology.

Analytical software and schedulers

Analytical applications and schedulers allow you to carry out various statistical observations, create a budget, schedule meetings, etc. It can be noted that this segment of mobile applications is among those in which private developers, as a rule, are given the greatest freedom of action. There are not many brands that know how to create a mobile application for Android or iOS of the appropriate type much better than a private developer. The most important thing in such decisions is the concept. Its development depends mainly on the skills of a particular programmer, designer, finance specialist, and it is possible that the approaches he proposes will be more effective than those developed by a large company.

Training programs

The same, in principle, can be said about training programs developed for mobile devices. They are designed to make it easier for users to master certain languages, norms, and skills. A private developer may well offer users a solution of the appropriate type, more convenient and effective in comparison with what can be created by a large company.

Developing mobile applications yourself: software structure

How to create a mobile application yourself? To successfully solve this problem, the developer should first of all decide on the optimal structure created program For mobile device. Regardless of the purpose of the software, it will consist of 2 main components: a front-end and a back-end module. The first represents the interfaces through which the user will use the application's capabilities. The second module is responsible for receiving and transmitting data within the framework of interaction between the corresponding software and the user (in some cases, also the developer, if, for example, it is required on his part to provide certain updates or feedback).

What could the application interface be like?

More detailed characteristics The structure of mobile applications depends on their purpose. So, for example, if information software for an online store is created, then its interface may contain:

Navigation options with which the user can access certain data;

Feedback block with seller or supplier;

Personal account, which will reflect data on the user’s requests and purchases;

A news block that will contain information about discounts and special offers of the online store, as well as other significant information.

It is possible that it would be better for the store owner to create a mobile site application that repeats exactly its structure, so that users who are already familiar with the resource can easily navigate the structure of the corresponding software for mobile devices.

applications: tools

Let us now study a number of practical nuances of developing the solutions under consideration. The question of how to create a mobile application yourself can be solved with the help of convenient designers, which are presented in fairly large quantities on the relevant software market. In particular, you can pay attention to such solutions as: MobiCart, BusinessApps, My-Apps, Net2Share. All of them are presented in cloud software format and can be accessed from any device via the Internet. Let's look at how to create a mobile application using the capabilities specified programs, more details.

Application Development Tools: MobiCart

This service can be useful to the owner of an online store just in case he does not initially have his own website. Using MobiCart, a developer can create a functional application through which users will be able to build the widest range of communications with the seller: place orders, pay for them, receive information about discounts, contact the supplier.

The main functions of the service in question are provided on a commercial basis, but the developer can get acquainted with its capabilities for free.

Tools for creating mobile applications: BusinessApps

This application builder is optimal mainly for small online stores. It allows you to implement:

Interfaces for messaging, adding items to cart;

Organization of negotiations between the supplier and the buyer of goods;

News block.

It is noteworthy that this application designer allows you to use templates adapted for creating applications for enterprises representing specific areas of business, for example, catering, fitness. The service in question is not free; its subscription fee is $59 per month. However, you can use trial version. In addition, if the user does not like this designer, he may demand a refund of the funds paid.

Application Development Tools: My-Apps

This designer, in turn, is free. The problem “how to create a mobile application for iPhone or Android using it” can be solved by using 10 templates that are adapted to ensure communications with consumers of enterprises in a wide range of business areas. Among the most notable features of the service in question is the rapid publication of the application in the largest catalogs - the App Store and Google Play.

Application Development Tools: Net2Share

The designer in question is one of the most convenient solutions that allows you to quickly understand how to create a mobile application for Android yourself. This resource adapted precisely for the development of products on the appropriate platform. It is characterized quite large set functions, as well as the opportunity to earn money on the application being created using internal advertising services. That is, the user can, having developed a particular product, upload it to corporate account. In addition, the most active developers receive free profile on Google Play.

In addition, Net2Share conducts free training courses for users, through participation in which a developer can improve his skills in creating and promoting applications on the market.

Of course, there are a large number of other specialized services that allow you to create a mobile application or game. In many cases, a developer may prefer not a cloud service, but a distribution kit that allows him to implement one or another program code. But the resources we discussed above are designed mainly for users with minimal experience and therefore can be used even without special training. They are universal and allow developers to create applications optimized for the most different areas activities.

Create own programs for mobile devices is a difficult task, which can be accomplished using special shells for creating programs for Android and having basic programming skills. Moreover, the choice of the environment for creating mobile applications is no less important, since a program for writing programs on Android can significantly simplify the process of developing and testing your application.

Android Studio- an integrated software environment created by Google Corporation. If we consider other programs, Android Studio compares favorably with its analogues due to the fact that this complex is adapted for developing applications for Android, as well as performing various types of tests and diagnostics. For example, Android Studio includes tools for testing the compatibility of applications you write with different versions Android and different platforms, as well as tools for designing mobile applications and viewing changes, almost instantly. Also impressive is the support for version control systems, developer consoles and many standard templates basic design and standard elements to create Android applications. To the huge number of advantages, you can also add the fact that the product is distributed absolutely free of charge. The downside is that the environment only has an English-language interface.

RAD Studio

The new version of RAD Studio, called Berlin, is a full-fledged tool for developing cross-platform applications, including mobile programs, in the Object Pascal and C++ languages. Its main advantage over other similar software environments is that it allows for very fast development through the use of cloud services. New developments in this environment allow you to see in real time the result of program execution and all the processes occurring in the application, which allows you to talk about the accuracy of development. You can also flexibly switch from one platform to another or to server services. The downside of RAD Studio Berlin is that it is a paid license. But upon registration you can get a free trial version of the product for 30 days. The environment interface is English.

Eclipse is one of the most popular software platforms with open source for writing applications, including mobile ones. Among the main advantages of Eclipse is a huge set of APIs for creating software modules and the use of the RCP approach, which allows you to write almost any application. This platform also provides users with such elements of commercial IDEs as convenient editor with syntax highlighting, threading debugger, class navigator, file and project managers, version control systems, code refactoring. Particularly pleasing is the opportunity to deliver the SDK necessary for writing programs. But to use Eclipse you will also have to learn English.

It comes to everyone's mind - experienced designers, students or small business owners who haven't written a line of code. If you have a great idea, how can you implement it if you don't understand the difference between Java and Javascript, or Photoshop and Illustrator?

How to make a mobile application - expert opinion

Paul Ferro, President of 5 Nerds Software Development, a design and development agency with full set services ranging from branding and design to application development from scratch.
Andres Max, founder of Ideaware, an agency specializing in product strategy, UX/UI design and front-end optimization. Before founding the studio, Max was the lead UX designer at Mashable.
Daniel Hindy is Chief Technology Officer at BuildFire, a mobile app building platform used by over 50,000 companies. Even if you don't know how to create mobile applications, using WYSIWYG editor BuildFire you can still make a professional application.

The responses from these entrepreneurs make us realize that building a mobile app doesn't have to involve coding or getting your hands dirty in Adobe. WITH great idea, with a little business acumen and a ton of effort, you can be at the helm of the next Uber. Let's take a look at their opinions.

1. Brainstorm

Paul Ferro, who, in addition to starting his own business, helps other entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality, talks about the first step on this long path:

You have a great idea for a mobile app. Is this the next viral game, or utility, that everyone will use, or next step on the path of social expression. Either way, you know it's great and you want to get your message across to everyone. Where to begin?
First, it is very important to specify your idea. You may have the basics of your app outlined in your head, but have you thought through all the little details that separate a fantastic app from an ok one? It's important to sit down and take a few minutes to think about the entire mobile app experience.
If it's a game or something similar, you don't have to figure out each level in your head, but you do need to understand how the levels are different. Are there in-app purchases? Multiplayer game? Social media connection? As you answer all these questions, you begin to mentally put all the pieces together and overcome all the problems and underwater rocks. Or, if someone is making the application for you, then they will want to know as much as possible before starting, and this will help the development process.

2. Present your idea to friends, family and colleagues for feedback.

Everyone thinks their ideas are amazing, right? How can you understand that the mobile app concept you come up with is interesting to others? Turn your “inner circle” into a cordon sanitaire that tests ideas for viability:

Now that you have working idea, it's time to test it out and see if it's really as good as you think. There are a ton of good apps that do pretty much the same thing, but for one reason or another, some rise to the top and become loved while others don't. Your app doesn't have to be No. 1 in the store to be popular or profitable. But he needs at least some visibility.
Bring your idea to maximum quantity people to find out their opinion about it. Here's an expert tip: When you pitch your idea to others (friends or family), tell them that you know someone with the idea and want to invest in it. Then explain the idea itself. Your listeners will be much more honest knowing that the idea is not yours and that you could lose your money by investing in the wrong ones. good app. Ask – will they use it? If so, why? If they don't, then why?
Ask them to point out the shortcomings. Ask if they have seen anything similar? This approach can be much more productive for discussing an idea than simply finding out that you have a lot of friends and family who don't want to offend you.
If you have done all this several times, and your idea has not met with strong resistance, then it’s time to start! Here you have a choice. You can do it yourself or hire someone.

3. Even if you can't make a mobile app, you can make a great prototype

Andres Max reiterates the importance of testing an idea to see if it works and goes further: “I have always encouraged entrepreneurs to conduct market research. Dig deep to assess the demand for your idea, what has worked in the past and what hasn't, then make adjustments as needed.” For example, you might think you have an amazing idea for a photo app only to find out that it's already made and selling. This doesn't mean you should stop working on the idea - it's just information for you to help you figure out what you can do better.

One of the best ways to compare means, of course, to make a prototype. Max says: “Once you've refined your idea, build and test a prototype. Collect on its basis all valuable information" A prototype can be just a sketch of your design, but you can also create a fully functional prototype in a tool like Proto.io. This does not require programming or design skills.

4. Decide whether you will hire a studio or developer - or learn how to develop yourself.

The next step, Ferro says, is to figure out who will turn your prototype into a real application. You may not believe it, but you can very well create an application yourself (even without experience). Provided, of course, that it is simple enough:

“Learning how to create apps can be challenging task, especially if you have no experience. But it's possible. Especially if your idea is about the uniqueness of the features - and not the technology itself. Take Flappy Bird for example. The application itself is extremely simple. But the idea was unique and exciting. Now look at Apple Passbook. The idea is relatively simple, but the technologies that allow you to store your data securely, access it to sellers, connect to your fingerprint, etc. are relatively complex.

If your app requires cutting-edge technology that uses the device in a way that no one else has used it before, then building the app yourself can be difficult. It can take years to figure out how to take full advantage of a mobile device's capabilities. If you understand that you can build the application yourself, great! But even if you don’t have development skills, there is an opportunity to develop quite quickly.”

5. Make sure you are using the right tools to create mobile apps

But how to gain this very speed? You can either walk through (there are many resources for this) or use tools that are accessible even to beginners to create your mobile application. One such tool is BuildFire, explains Daniel Hindi:

“What if you have a killer idea but don't know how to create mobile apps? This is exactly the problem we wanted to solve with our BuildFire platform. We have over 80,000 applications, created by both small companies and large corporations, all made with little or no programming knowledge. Although this is great for simple applications, but lack of programming skills usually limits you to the range of features that the platform offers. BuildFire solves this problem and we will soon open an API for developers to add to existing BuildFire applications.

We see more and more startups and small companies connecting to our core platform with an extremely low barrier to entry. After the application has proven its value, they ask third party developers create the missing pieces of the puzzle, saving a lot of time and money.”

6. Make sure you hire the right people

Whether you're hiring people to finish a project started on a platform like BuildFire or building an app from scratch, it's important to find the right developer, Ferro says:

“Now, if you decide to hire someone to develop your application, then everything will be a little easier compared to if you learned to code on your own. But here, of course, the question of cost arises. Hiring an office has a number of advantages compared to developing it yourself. They have experience, they already know all the pitfalls of development, they will make an optimized and quick application, its design will not be terrible - I think there is no need to explain in detail the advantages of turning to professionals.

But you need to make sure that you hire the right professionals. First and foremost, this means finding a company that will listen to your story and fully understand it before they even start writing code. Many people want to jump right into development and start invoicing you, but this is the wrong way to go. Talk to several companies to find the one that's right for you. You should feel comfortable working with them, communicating and working through problems with them. And believe me, there will be problems!

When you find the right company, everything will work out. They will dive into your idea and untangle the loops, fill in the gaps, suggest features and functions, and provide a high level of service. Best apps occurs when a great idea meets a great team who breathes life into it.”

It's time to act

Ferro ends by reminding entrepreneurs that creating an app is one thing, but getting users to download it is another:

So, you have made and released the application. Don't stop there. Promote it. Talk about him. Share it on social networks - everywhere! You need to get people talking about it. There are many ways to promote your app and you should try them all. Blogs are always looking for new apps to talk about. Contact them. If your app is a utility, figure out where it can be most useful and tell people about it. Whatever you do, you should always share your app as much as possible.

And how are you doing? Have you made the app of your dreams? Tell us about it!